2l6 



SCIENCE. 



All the clothing is sewed with sinews, reindeer or 

 white whale. The reindeer sinews are dried in bulk 

 as they come from the animal, and are split off as 

 needed. The fibres are separated as fine as neces- 

 sary, and then drawn quickly between the teeth to se- 

 cure a more uniform size. The women all sew 

 towards themselves, using the thimble on the first 

 finger; they seldom use but one kind of seam: the 

 edges of the skin are carefully matched together, and 

 joined by sewing over and over the overcast seam. 

 Their thimbles (called tikik, also signifies first finger) 

 are made from the skin of Phoca barbata ; in shape 

 they are merely an oblong piece sufficiently large to 

 cover the point of the finger ; a rim is cut around the 

 outside edge for about one-half its length ; this forms 

 a sort of loop under which the finger is passed, and in 

 this manner it is kept in place. We found this 

 style of thimble much more convenient than the 

 metal one of the usual form. 



Very few of the Cumberland Eskimo at the present 

 day use anything but steel needles, or bone ones 

 made after the same pattern. We have seen an in- 

 strument said to have been used as a needle that is 

 considerably different from anything we ever saw be- 

 fore. An Eskimo brought it to us and wanted a 

 hatchet in exchange. We thought it certain he 

 would return and offer to trade at our terms ; but he 

 did not, and we never saw him again. This tool was 

 almost exactly like an awl in shape, but had an li- 

 near the point. They must have had to thread this 

 instrument for every stitch. The needle part was ap- 

 parently of deer horn and the handle of walrus ivory. 



The favorite and principal tool of the women is a 

 knife shaped like an ordinary mincing-knife. Nearly 

 all the Cumberland Eskimo have now procured iron 

 enough from some source or other so that they can 

 have an iron knife of this pattern. Before they could 

 procure enough iron they made the knife of ivory, and 

 merely sank flakes or pieces of iron into the edge, in 

 the same manner as the natives of North Greenland 

 do at the present time. This same practice of sinking 

 iron flakes into the edge was also used on their large 

 skinning knives, which were made from a walrus tusk, 

 and much after the pattern of an ordinary steel 

 butcher-knife. Some of these ivory knives have no 

 iron in them ; but at the present time they are used 

 principally, if not entirely, for cutting snow and re- 

 moving ice from their kyacks. 



The women seldom use any other kind of knife 

 than such as just described. With them they remove 

 the blubber from the skins, split skins, cut up meat, 

 and, when sewing, this instrument is used instead of 

 scissors. They begin a garment by sewing together 

 two pieces of skin and shaping them as they go along 

 by means of the knife, cutting for an inch or two and 

 then sewing. They always push the knife from them 

 when working it. 



Tattooing does not seem to be as prevalent now as 

 formerly, for it is mostly Oil the aged women that one 

 finds it at present. The markings resemble India ink 

 in appearance, and are done with gunpowder at pres- 

 ent. Still, some use the old method, by taking the 

 juice of Fucus vesiculosus, L. (or a closely allied spe- 

 cies) and some small alg;e that apparently contain a 

 good deal of iodine, and mixing with lampblnrV 



Instances came under our observation of people ot 

 apparently great age — say seventy years and over, to 

 judge from appearances ; they had gray hair (a rare 

 thing among the Eskimo), and were nearly blind; the 

 women had the teeth worn close to the gums by chew- 

 ing skins. 



It is impossible to arrive at any definite conclusion 

 regarding their age, as they keep no record of time, 

 and can not refer to any past event by any means of 

 notation. We could not learn of the rudest attempt 

 at picture-writing or hieroglyphics; and, as they pos- 

 sess no records whatever, their traditions are handed 

 down from generation to generation without being 

 fixed by any means which allow even an approximate 

 estimate of their growth and prosperity. 



Most of them are unable to count beyond their 

 ten fingers, and many are unable to go over six; 

 some, again, are said to have names for numbers to 

 twenty, but they are few. The numerals are differ- 

 ently pronounced, and we found difficulty in getting 

 one sufficiently conversant with them to give us the 

 numerals to ten. 



One —Atdusa, or atausat. 



Two = Macho. 



Three = Pingasuit, or pi:igasat. 



Four = Sesemini, or sesemat. 



Five = ToJIimene, or todlimat. 



< $>ix=Aukbiniga?i. 



Seven— Pingas hiring (?). 



YJ[g\\t=Aukbiniga>i-?nachoJii (6 and 2). 



N'me=Schischimani (? ?). 



Ten =Kowolin. 



Above ten they are said to count their toes and 

 take ten and one, ten and two, &c. ; but we were 

 unable to find one who knew their names. They will 

 tell you they have caught seals or birds up to six, 

 but if more they generally put it amashuadly (a good 

 many), which may be any number from seven up- 

 wards. 



In the treatment of the sick they are very super- 

 stitious, and in fact they resort almost entirely to their 

 ancoot, angekoks, or medicine men. 



The following is a Greenlander's legend that pro- 

 poses to give a reason why people die : " The cause 

 of people's dying is laid to a woman, said to have dis- 

 coursed thus : ' Let the people die gradually, other- 

 wise they will not have room in the world.' " 



Others relate it in this manner : " Two of the first 

 people quarreled. One said : ' Let it be day and let 

 it be night, and let the people die.' The other said : 

 ' Let it only be night and not day, and let the people 

 live. After a long wrangle it came to pass as the first 

 had said." 



It is interesting that this same curious legend exists 

 among the Eskimo of Cumberland Sound ; they say 

 though that " those who quarreled finally arranged 

 matters and had both entire day and entire night at 

 the different seasons, so that both parties might be 

 suited." 



The lungs of Lepus glacialis are considered as a 

 sure cure for boils and all manner of sores ; thej 

 draw, they say, and their manner of applying them is 

 the same as we would a poultice. They must be 



