INNUIT CHARACTER CUSTOMS, ETC. 



567 



ond attempt of the Great Being resulted in the formation of a per- 

 fect man, and he was called In-nu. 



As a general statement, it may be said that the Innuits, among 

 themselves, are strictly honest. The same may be said as be- 

 tween them and strangers — that is, whites, though with some 

 modification. The Innuits have an impression that the hodlunas 

 (white people) possess plenty ; that is, plenty of iron, wood, beads, 

 knives, needles, etc., which is the reason why the Innuits, when- 

 ever they meet with whites, always cry " pil-e-tay ! pil-e-tay /" 

 (" give ! give !") And the word hodlunas, in fact, signifies not only 

 " white people" but the people who always have plenty. I have 

 no hesitation in saying that, as respects honesty, these unsophisti- 

 cated people, the Innuits, do not suffer by a comparison with civ- 

 ilized nations. 



While with the Innuits, I saw enough to convince me that they 

 are a kind, generous people. As between themselves, there can 

 be no people exceeding them in this virtue — kindness of heart. 

 Take, for instance, times of great scarcity of food. If one family 

 happens to have any provisions on hand, these are shared with all 

 their neighbors. If one man is successful in capturing a seal, 

 though his family may need it all to save them from the pangs 

 of hunger, yet the whole of his people about, including the poor, 

 the widow, the fatherless, are at once invited to a seal-feast. 



Though there is occasionally to be found among this people an 

 evil person, yet, taken as a whole, they are worthy of great credit. 

 They despise and shun one who will shag-la-voo ("tell a lie"). 

 Hence they are rarely troubled by any of this class. 



Children are sometimes betrothed by their parents in infancy. 

 As Tookoolito says, " The young people have nothing to do with 

 it." The old men make the marriage entirely. When the be- 

 trothal is made, the couple can live together at any time, usually 

 decided by the ability of the man to support the woman. In oth- 

 er cases, when a young man thinks well of a young woman, he 

 proposes to take her for his wife. If both are agreed, and the 

 parents of the girl consent, they become one. There is no wed- 

 ding ceremony at all, nor are there any rejoicings or festivities. 

 The parties simply come together, and live in their own tupic or 

 igloo. It sometimes happens that two who are intended for each 

 other live together as companions for a term of probation, always 

 without consummating their marriage. It may happen, in such a 

 case, that the trial develops a want of congeniality, or what is 



