THE ESKIMOS. 129 
thing like a beaver’s tail, just reaching to the ground 
behind. The back of the over-skirt is made very full, 
so as to form a sort of bag, in which the mothers carry - 
their children. Like a man’s jacket, it is provided 
with a hood, but of much larger size, so as to afford 
shelter for both mother and child. The women are very 
fond of decorating their dresses with beads or other 
ornaments, and ail their garments are made with great 
neatness. 
Like many other savage people, the Eskimos, and 
especially the women, tattoo extensively. They do not 
all thus adorn themselves, but many of them have their 
faces, necks, arms or hands all figured over in such a 
way as to give them a wild and savage appearance. 
Many of the ladies, when in full dress, wear head- 
bands, usually made of polished brass or iron, over their 
foreheads. These are held in position by being tied 
with a cord behind the head. 
A stranger custom still is that. of wearing stones in 
the cheeks, upon each side of the mouth. This practice 
is not universal with the Eskimos, but, as far as my 
knowledge extends, it is limited to those inhabiting the 
Mackenzie River district. The natives of this region 
have the reputation of being a bad lot, and it is said 
that when they are heard to rattle their cheek-stones 
against their teeth it is time to be on the look-out. The 
stones are cut in the shape of large shirt-studs, and are 
let through the cheeks by cutting holes for them. 
As to the origin of the Eskimo people, very little is 
known, but the most probable theory accounting for their 
existence on this continent is that they were originally 
Mongolians, and at some very early date crossed over the 
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