INNUIT CHARACTER, CUSTOMS, ETC. 



575 



was in the Northern country, the wife of Annawa found beneath 

 the tuktoo bed of their recently - deceased child a toy game-bag. 

 A consultation among the Innuits who were then there was held, 

 and the bag, together with all the articles that had been present- 

 ed to the child by the ship's hands from time to time, consisting 

 of powder, shot, caps, tobacco, and a pistol, was deposited at the 

 grave of their beloved boy. 



There exist also among the Innuits many curious customs con- 

 nected with hunting. They can not go out to take walrus until 

 they have done working upon tuktoo clothing ; and after begin- 

 ning the walrus hunt, no one is allowed to work on reindeer skins. 

 One day in March, I wanted Tookoolito and Koodloo's wife to 

 make me a sleeping-bag of tuktoo skin ; but nothing could per- 

 suade them to do it, as it was then walrus season. They " would 

 both die, and no more walrus could be caught." 



When a walrus is caught, the captor must remain at home, do- 

 ing no work, for one day ; if a bear is killed, he must remain qui- 

 et, in like manner, for three days ; after the taking of a whale, 

 two days. If, however, he is on a hunt and game is plenty, the 

 Innuit frequently keeps on at the sport, making up all his resting 

 days at the end of the hunt. 



When a seal is captured, a few drops of water are sprinkled on 

 its head before it is cut up. If there is no water to be had, the 

 man holds snow in his hand till he squeezes out a single drop, the 

 application of which answers every purpose. 



Women are not allowed to eat of the first seal of the season, 

 and this rule is so strictly enforced that they do not feel at liberty 

 even to chew the blubber for the sake of expressing the oil. 

 When Tunukderlien and Jennie were with me on my sledge- 

 journey up Frobisher Bay, the first seal of the season was caught, 

 and Henry was obliged to pound the blubber to obtain the oil we 

 needed, because the women were not allowed to do it. 



There is a regular order for cutting up a walrus. The first man 

 who arrives at the captured animal cuts off the right arm or flip- 

 per; the second, the left arm; the third, the right leg or flipper; 

 the fourth, the left leg ; the fifth, a portion of the body, beginning 

 at the neck, and so on till the whole is disposed of. 



One very curious custom among the Innuits is this : At a time 

 of the year apparently answering to our Christmas, they have a 

 general meeting in a large igloo on a certain evening. There the 

 angeko prays on behalf of the people for the public prosperity 



