March 16, 1898.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



227 



ESKIMO CHILDREN'S AMUSEMENTS. 



In the far North, with its intense cold, it seems there 

 can be but little pleasure for these children, doomed to 

 pass their days among the almost eternal snow beside the 

 frozen ocean. Yet even here life to these little people has 

 its enjoyments, and every season brings to them its round 

 of games and sports as regularly as it does to the youth 

 dwelling in more genial climes. 



In summer a portion of the inhabitants leave the winter 

 villages a,nd scatter along the coast for the purpose of 

 hunting and fishing. Others go to distant points along 

 the coast and ti-ade oil, guns, tobacco, powder, lead, etc., 

 with natives of the interior, receiving La payment valu- 



groimd, where it is then captured. The action of the air 

 on the strings tends to separate the balls in their flight, so 

 that they cover quite a space, and if the birds are bunched 

 they often bring one doAvn, and the boy or girl that can 

 do this is both proud and happy. 



Just before the flight begins the boys may be seen with 

 their Jce-love-i-toiv-tins practicing with a dummy duck, 

 which is made of narrow strips of whalebone 18in. long, 

 tied in the center, with a string tied to the ends, which 

 curves the strips into a dish-like form. This is scaled into 

 the air by one boy, when all the rest throw their Jce-love- 

 i-tow-tins, and the dummy is most always struck by sev- 

 eral of the boys. In this way they become quite expert 

 throwers. 



BOYS NETTING- PHALA.ROPES ON THE BEACH. 



able furs and the skins of reindeer, which thej'^ use exclu- 

 sively for clothing. 



At these meetings a round of feasting and games are 

 -ndulged in before any trading is done. Whenever a 

 lamp is made the little folk will be found with their bows 

 and arrows shootiag grass birds, which are abundant, or 



KICKING THE SNOWBALL. 



the numerous varieties of shore birds to be found in that 

 region. 



A group of the little hunters is often seen, followed by 

 the girls, the latter jjrovided with little pails, very often 

 a tomato can with a wire bail, and when a number of 

 birds have been killed the girls pluck them, start a fire 



JUMPINa THE ROPE. 



and cook them, and all sit down in the sand and have a 

 ist. If eggs are in season some of the party will have 

 gathered some and a banquet is the result. Two kinds of 

 food at one meal are surelj^ a banquet to them. 



Another method of catching birds by the children is by 

 means of a net stretched across an old iron hoop, taken 

 from some wrecked whaler. All through the summer 

 months great numbers of phalarope are to be found along 

 the shore. The httle boys set the hoop net in the water, 

 about three feet from the beach, working it into the sand 

 untU. it will stand alone; then, with a small line attached 

 to the top of the hoop, they go up the beach and S(^oop out 

 a place in the sand to hide" in, and await the coming of the 

 birds, which are constantly going to and fro near the 

 beach ; and as they feed in the ripple or wash along the 

 shore, the most of them will pass between the hooi5 and 

 the beach. When a number of birds are directly in front 

 of the trap, a smart pull on the line brings the machine 

 down over the birds, often catching from three to six at 

 one fall of the trap. In a few hours they will catch a 

 hundred or more birds. 



In May and June immense numbers of eider ducks fly 

 along the coast bound for their breeding grounds far to 

 the east of Point Barrow. At this season every person, 

 male and female, is supplied with the Eskimo imple- 

 •ment called by them ke-love-i-toiv-tin, which is made as 

 follows: Eight balls, three-quarters of an inch in diame- 

 ter, are cut from ivory or bone, with a little tii) or ear 

 tlirough which a hole is drilled; eight strands of finely- 

 braided sinew are tied to these balls. At the opposite ends 

 the strands are brought together, each of exactly the same 

 length, and tied to ten or twelve quills of some sea fowl, 

 when the implement is ready for use. 



The bunch of quills is grasped with the right hand, 

 while the fingers of the left comb out the strand, and 

 when aU clear the balls are held between the forefinger 

 and the thvmib. This is done in a few seconds, when a 

 flock of ducks are seen ajjproacliing. When the game is 

 near enough, with a quick circular motion just the same 

 as in tluromng a stone with a shng, the mi.ssile is launched 

 among the flying birds, when if one of these strands 

 crosses the neck or whig of a duck, it brings it to the 



When approaching winter drives all summer visitors, 

 "birds and duck," southward, and the earth is covered 

 with snow, the boys and girls practice house-builduig. 

 With a couple of long knives and a wooden snow-shovel 

 they will work several days on a miniature house, which 

 must be fashioned exactly as father and mother build 

 their snow houses, with its long entrance passage, with 

 room for storage on one side of it, on the other a cook 

 room, with snow fireplaces and chimney, in which a real 

 fire is buflt, at the far end of the passage a small hole, 

 through which one can just creep on hands and knees 

 into the living room, with its bench of snow across the 

 end covered with moss gathered from the tundra for a 

 bed, and a sheet of thin ice set in the end of the roof for 

 a window. An Eskimo lamp completes their happi- 

 ness. With the thermometer 30° or 40° below zero they 

 still manage to have a good time, for they are weU pro- 

 tected from the cold by their fur clothing. 



About the middle of November, when the sun disap- 

 pears for the long Arctic night, great preparations are 

 made for the festivities of this season — theatricals, games 

 and dances. All the Eskimos now appear in clean, 

 new, and really handsome clothing. To see them at this 

 time no one would call them a dirty, filthy people. 



All the females at this season color the eyelids and 

 around the eyes with plumbago, with a stripe or two 

 across the face. The men also stripe the face with the 

 same material, which gives them a very quaint, yet not 

 altogether unpleasant appearance. 



These good times last about four days. AU keep open 

 house. All send contributions of food to the cudcUgan 

 igloo or council house, where all the plays are held, ac- 

 companied by dancing, singing and beating of drums, the 

 monotonous and continued repetition of yoimg-ah, young- 

 ali, young-ah, young, in the minor key by all the singers. 

 The dim light, the strange dress and featm-es of the 

 audience, packed as close as possible, men, women and 

 children in a sweltering mass, give the place a weird 

 aspect, and we realize that we are among a strange people 

 whose habits and customs are all intensely interesting, 

 and withal a cheerful, kindly race. 



Football is played by the boys, and they are sometimes 

 joined by their elders. In the game the ball is never 

 touched by the hand, but is kicked for all it is worth. 



The girls also play a game with balls of snow, wet with 

 water, frozen solid and stained with soot. Each girl has 

 a ball and all start from a given point, going in the same 

 direction, and the ball is kicked along this line. It must 

 not touch the ground, but must be kept in the air by 

 catching it on the top of the foot near the toe, first with 

 one foot, then the other as they walk along. If the ball 

 falls to the ground the player must return to the starting 

 point and begin again. They will often make 100yds. or 

 more without being put out by the baU's falling to the 

 ground. The one covering the greatest distance is winner 

 in the game. Boys do not play this game. 



The greatest good nature prevails among them at aU 

 times while at play, no quarreling or disputes occurring. 



Often at night, when the aurora is very brilliant, the 

 voices of the chfldren can be heard as they swing around 



on the still air of night, where every word ' could be dis- 

 tinctly heard a distance of half a mile, wasi;a relief to the 

 stillness that pervades an Arctic night. 

 Coasting down the steep bank by the sea side, where 



ESKIMO DUMMY BIRD. 



the drifting snows have made a road to the sea ice, is a 

 favorite pastime. 



In the fall, when the ice has made along the shore, the 

 boys and girls fish in three or four feet of water with a 

 short stick and line enough to reach bottom, a barbless 

 hook, with a small red bead attached for bait, these little 

 folks will catch as many tomcod as they can drag home, 

 and seem to enjoy the sport hugely. Day after day they 

 will be found fishing in the tide cracks or drilling little 

 four-inch holes to fish through. If hungry, they take 

 frozen fish, break ofl: the head, and devour the rest as it is. 



Eskimo boys know a good thing when they find it, as 

 the following wUl show: A half dozen little fellows were 

 waiting around my place one day; the snow was drifting 

 and very cold. Pitying, but not caring to take them in, I 

 told them if they woifld go home I would give each of 

 them a cake of bread. They were more than willing, took 

 the bread and left. In about an hour they returned with 

 every boy and girl in the village. The joke was on me; 

 aU received a cake of hard tack, and were sent home with 

 the assurance that this joke could not be repeated. 



After a successful whaling season a great feast is given 

 by the lucky ones, to which all are invited. All the deli- 

 cacies of the season are to be had at this feast — viuck tueJc, 



KE-LOVE-I-TOW-TIN, OR BIRD SLING. 



or the thick skin of the whale, wakus meat, seal and bear 

 meat, fish and wild ducks, all boiled except the m^lck 

 tuck. 



In addition to the feasting, singing and dancing are 

 indulged in, but the favorite game with the women and 

 girls is being tossed on a walrus skin. A large piece, 

 about 8ft. square, is suspended by the four corners 3ft. 

 from the ground. Strong ropes are used and fastenedto 



ORNAMENTED FEMALES. 



posts firmly fixed. Around the skin are cut holes for 

 hand-holes; as many as can get around the skin take hold 

 and a girl gets on, standing up, when by pulling on all 

 sides of the skin, the performer is thrown into the air, she 

 assisting by springing up. As long as she can come down 

 squarely on her feet they will keep on tossing her, but if 

 she falls, another at once takes her place. They will often 



WOMEN TOSSED ON WALRUS SKIN. 



in a circle hand in hand, singing: Keolia ka, keolia ka ha, 

 yarger yarger yarger ynr, Itay.Jmy, hay, hay. Then all 

 join in a laugh; and so thoy gc) on n'ith little variation to 

 thewxirds: Halitonar! HaJitoaar, ha, yarger yarger yar, 

 hay, hay, hay. /u///— aU laughing. 



Keolia is the Eskimo name for Aurora. At these 

 times to hear the sweet voices of the children ringing out 



be thrown up twenty or thirty times beforeTthev| lose 

 their balance. From 8 to 10ft. is abouti as high as they 

 are ever thrown, and there is always a good-natured 

 scramble to get on the skin. 



Jumping rope is another pastime enjoyed by the chil- 

 dren, but with the young men and women an inflated seal- 

 skin poke is iised. In this the object is to trip the per- 



