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1884:] The Northernmost Inhabitants of the Earth. 873 
for hours and even days, in spite of cold and drifting snows, at 
the breathing-holes of the lesser seals. 
Whatever is captured by one belongs to the entire community, 
the skin only is the exclusive property of the successful hunter. 
With the blubber and meat his own family together with those 
living in the same hut are first supplied; after that the others 
receive their shares. As long as the provisions last every table 
is set. 
During the winter the Itanese live exclusively on the meat of 
the various marine mammals and of bears and foxes, while in 
summer various species of aquatic birds and their eggs form an 
important portion of their diet. Fish are obtained only acci- 
dentally, the use of the fish-hook being unknown to them. The 
meat is eaten either raw or boiled, always, however, without the 
addition of salt. A hunter returning to his home, hungry and 
weary from his labors, will eat eight or ten pounds of meat with- 
out the slightest inconvenience. And indeed he does not regard 
it as an excessive quantity. With the left hand he grasps a large 
chunk, stuffs as much into his mouth as possible, and cuts off this 
huge mouthful immediately in front of the lips. Then he masti- 
cates simultaneously on both sides, noisily smacking his lips. 
Contrary to the western Eskimo, who frequently have several 
wives, we find that the Itanese are monogamous. Somewhat 
communistic tendencies however seriously interfere with the sanc- 
tity of marriage. 
The average number of children in a family is two. In some 
emergencies the infants are frequently killed. In some instances 
the mother will expose her offspring at some isolated place to 
cold and starvation ; in others she will produce death by strangu- 
lation. Little regard seems to be had for the sex of the infants. 
When one of our native friends died, his wife strangled the 
youngest of her three children, a boy several months old, and 
uried him with his father. Two of the Polaris crew endeavored 
to save the little creature. They succeeded in lengthening his 
life by several hours, but during a. short time, while they were 
Not watching the mother, the latter accomplished the deed. 
In general the children are treated tenderly ; sometimes even 
with exaggerated affection. Thus we saw a mother who not only 
carried her boy, six or seven years of age, in her hood on her 
back, but now and then she even nursed him. Corporal punish- 
