4 
MUSEUM BULLETIN NO. 9. 
Fridtjof Nansen in his “Eskimo Life” writes: “Meat and 
fish are eaten sometimes raw and frozen, sometimes boiled, 
sometimes dried .... Among other dainties I must mention 
the skin (matak) of different sorts of whales, especially of the 
white whale and porpoise, which is regarded as the acme of 
deliciousness. The skin is taken off with the layer of blubber 
next to it, and is eaten raw without further ceremony . . the 
skin is as tough as India-rubber to masticate, so that the enjoy- 
ment can be protracted to any extent . . A delicate dish which 
does not however rival matak, is raw halibut skin. It has the 
advantage that, by reason of its toughness, it goes such a long 
way . . “The Greenlander is also very fond of raw seal 
skin with the blubber.” In another place again in describing 
their physical characteristics he writes: “He has a . . broad 
mouth; heavy, broad jaws; which, together with the round cheeks, 
give the lower part of the face a great preponderance in the 
physiognomy. When the mouth is drawn up in an oleaginous 
smile two rows of strong white teeth reveal themselves. One 
receives the impression, upon the whole, of an admirable chewing 
apparatus ” Another author, Mr. H. Whitney 1 , relating 
his experiences among the Highland or Northernmost Eskimos, 
writes: “While Eskimos eat much of their meat raw and relish 
it so, they prefer it cooked when conditions permit of cooking. 
It can be understood how difficult it is to cook it when it is 
remembered that the only fire they possess is the one supplied 
by the stone lamps.” “The skins (of the little auk) are first 
thoroughly dried, then the women chew the flesh side until all 
oil is extracted and the skin is soft and pliable and ready 
to be sewn into the garment with sinew. In preparing seal 
and other skins for sewing the women always resort to the chew- 
ing process.” “The main feature of the feast was an uncooked 
meal.” “ They get sustenance too by eating hard frozen raw 
walrus and seal meat or blubber.” “ A stone lamp was set up, 
but the seal blubber frozen hard had to be thawed before it 
could be burned. This was done by the Eskimos chewing 
and spitting it when softened, into the lamp.” “Even little 
*See “Hunting with the Eskimos,” by H. Whitney. 
