2i6 
SCIENCE. 
All the clothing is sewed with sinews, reindeer or 
white whale. The reindeer sinews are dried in bulk 
as they come from the animal, and are split off as 
needed. The fibres are separated as fine as neces- 
sary, and then drawn quickly between the teeth to se- 
cure a more uniform size. The women all sew 
towards themselves, using the thimble on the first 
finger; they seldom use but one kind of seam: the 
edges of the skin are carefully matched together, and 
joined by sewing over and over the overcast seam. 
Their thimbles (called tikik, also signifies first finger) 
are made from the skin of Phoca barbata ; in shape 
they are merely an oblong piece sufficiently large to 
cover the point of the finger ; a rim is cut around the 
outside edge for about one-half its length ; this forms 
a sort of loop under which the finger is passed, and in 
this manner it is kept in place. We found this 
style of thimble much more convenient than the 
metal one of the usual form. 
Very few of the Cumberland Eskimo at the present 
day use anything but steel needles, or bone ones 
made after the same pattern. We have seen an in- 
strument said to have been used as a needle that is 
considerably different from anything we ever saw be- 
fore. An Eskimo brought it to us and wanted a 
hatchet in exchange. We thought it certain he 
would return and offer to trade at our terms ; but he 
did not, and we never saw him again. This tool was 
almost exactly like an awl in shape, but had an eye 
near the point. They must have had to thread this 
instrument for every stitch. The needle part was ap- 
parently of deer horn and the handle of walrus ivory. 
The favorite and principal tool of the women is a 
knife shaped like an ordinary mincing-knife. Nearly 
all the Cumberland Eskimo have now procured iron 
enough from some source or other so that they can 
have an iron knife of this pattern. Before they could 
procure enough iron they made the knife of ivory, and 
merely sank flakes or pieces of iron into the edge, in 
the same manner as the natives of North Greenland 
do at the present time. This same practice of sinking 
iron flakes into the edge was also used on their large 
skinning knives, which were made from a walrus tusk, 
and much after the pattern of an ordinary steel 
butcher-knife. Some of these ivory knives have no 
iron in them ; but at the present time they are used 
principally, if not entirely, for cutting snow and re- 
moving ice from their kyacks. 
The women seldom use any other kind of knife 
than such as just described. With them they remove 
the blubber from the skins, split skins, cut up meat, 
and, when sewing, this instrument is used instead of 
scissors. They begin a garment by sewing together 
two pieces of skin and shaping them as they go along 
by means of the knife, cutting for an inch or two and 
then sewing. They always push the knife from them 
when working it. 
Tattooing does not seem to be as prevalent now as 
formerly, for it is mostly on the aged women that one 
finds it at present. The markings resemble India ink 
in appearance, and are done with gunpowder at pres- 
ent., Still, some use the old method, by taking the 
juice of Fucus vesiatlosus, L. (or a closely allied spe- 
cies) and some small algae that apparently contain a 
good deal of iodine, and mixing with lampblack. 
Instances came under our observation of people ot 
apparently great age — say seventy years and over, to 
judge from appearances ; they had gray hair (a rare 
thing among the Eskimo), and were nearly blind; the 
women had the teeth worn close to the gums by chew- 
ing skins. 
It is impossible to arrive at any definite conclusion 
regarding their age, as they keep no record of time, 
and can not refer to any past event by any means of 
notation. We could not learn of the rudest attempt 
at picture-writing or hieroglyphics; and, as they pos- 
sess no records whatever, their traditions are handed 
down from generation to generation without being 
fixed by any means which allow even an approximate 
estimate of their growth and prosperity. 
Most of them are unable to count beyond their 
ten fingers, and many are unable to go over six ; 
some, again, are said to have names for numbers to 
twenty, but they are few. The numerals are differ- 
ently pronounced, and we found difficulty in getting 
one sufficiently conversant with them to give us the 
numerals to ten. 
One —Atausa, or atausat. 
T wo = Macho. 
Three === Pingasuit, or pingasat. 
Four = Sesemine , or sese?nat. 
Five = Todlimene , or todlimat. 
Si x=A ukbinigan. 
Seven =Pingash uing (?). 
Eight —Aukbinigan-macfuMi (6 and 2 ). 
Nin Q=Schischimani (? ?). 
T en =Kowolin. 
Above ten they are said to count their toes and 
take ten and one, ten and two, &c. ; but we were 
unable to find one who knew their names. They will 
tell you they have caught seals or birds up to six, 
but if more they generally put it amashuadly (a good 
many), which may be any number from seven up- 
wards. 
In the treatment of the sick they are very super- 
stitious, and in fact they resort almost entirely to their 
aticoot , angekoks, or medicine men. 
The following is a Greenlander’s legend that pro- 
poses to give a reason why people die : “ The cause 
of people’s dying is laid to a woman, said to have dis- 
coursed thus : ‘ Let the people die gradually, other- 
wise they will not have room in the world.’ ” 
Others relate it in this manner: “ Two of the first 
people quarreled. One said : ‘ Let it be day and let 
it be night, and let the people die.’ The other said : 
‘ Let it only be night and not day, and let the people 
live. After a long wrangle it came to pass as the first 
had said.” 
It is interesting that this same curious legend exists 
among the Eskimo of Cumberland Sound ; they say 
though that “ those who quarreled finally arranged 
matters and had both entire day and entire night at 
the different seasons, so that both parties might be 
suited.” 
The lungs of Lepus glacialis are considered as a 
sure cure for boils and all manner of sores ; they 
draw, they say, and their manner of applying them is 
the same as we would a poultice, They must be 
