travels in North America. Ï07 



which proceeds without Doubt from their never going naked in 

 the hotteft Weather. Their Hair, their Beards, the Whitenefs 

 of their Skin, the little Refemblance and Commerce they have 

 with their neareft Neighbours, leaves no Room to doubt that they 

 have a different Origin from other Americans : But the Opinion 

 which makes them defcerided from the Bifcayners, feems to me 

 to have }ittle Foundation, efpecially if it is true, as I have been, 

 affured, that their Language is entirely different. For the reil, 

 their Alliance would do no great Honour to any Nation ; for if 

 there was no Country on the Face of the Earth lefs fit to be inha- 

 bited by Men than Newfoundland and Labrador ^ there is perhaps 

 no People which defer ve more to be confined here than the EJki^ 

 maux. For my Part, Î am perfuaded they came originally from 

 Greenland* 



Thefe Savages are covered in fuch a Manner, that you caa 

 hardly fee any Part of their Face, or the Ends of their Fingers, 

 Upon a Kind of Shirt made of Bladders, or the Guts of Fiih 

 cut in Slips, and pretty well fewed together, they have a Coat 

 made of Bear or Deer Skins, and fometimesof Birds Skins. A 

 Capuchin of the fame Stuff, and which is failened to it, covers 

 their Head ; on the Top of which there comes out a Tuft of 

 Hair, which hangs over their Forehead : The Shirt comes no 

 lower than their Waiil ; their Coat hangs behind down to their i. 

 Thighs, and terminates before in a Point fomething below the 

 Waiil; but the Women wear them both before and behind, to J 

 the Middle of the Leg, and bound with a Girdle, from which 

 hang little Bones. The Men have Breeches of Skins, with the 

 Hair inwards, and which are covered on the Outfide with the 

 Skins of Ermine, or fuch-like : They wear alfo Socks, v^ith the 

 Hair inwards, and over this a Boot, furred in like Manner on the 

 Infide ; then a fécond Sock and fécond Boots ; And they fay 

 that thefe Coverings for the Feet are fometimes three or four- 

 fold ; which does not, however, hinder thefe Savages from be- 

 ing very nimble. Their Arrows, which are the only Arms they 

 ufe, are armed with Points made of the Teeth of the Sea-Cow, 

 and they fometimes make them of Iron, when they can get it. 

 It appears that in Summer they keep in the open Air Night and 

 pay, but in the Winter they lodge under Ground in a Sort of 

 Cave, where they all lie one upon another. 



We are little acquainted vv^ith the other People which are in 

 Of the Peotle of Environs, and above Hud/on^ s Bay. In 

 P^r/Nelfon ^ Southern Part of this Bay, they trade 



with \h&MifiaJp,ns, the Mon/onis, the ÇriJîina^Xy 

 and the Jffinihmh, Thefe laft came here from a great Diftance, 

 fmce they inhabit the Borders of a Lake which is to the Nortli 

 or the North Weft of the Siouxy and their Language is a Dialed 



? 2 • • .pf 



