Melodies from East Greenland. 53 
The drum is their only musical instrument. A few years ago 
there was in each house at least one drum, often several. In 1905 
the influence of the mission had already unfortunately reduced this 
number very considerably; yet, Kaakajik (baptized Elias) in Sawan- 
araartik had still two drums at that time. The great importance 
of music among them is also evident from the role it plays in the 
form of their ordinary justice; the complaint and defence of their 
processes are carried on by way of song, and a man without a 
voice has not much chance in the drum-contest. Earlier one often 
heard them singing as they wandered 
over the fells in search of berries; 
or (as I also have heard) songs were 
heard from the men rowing in the 
kayaks along the coast, or from the 
women in the women’s boat (umiaq). 
Johan Petersen told me that he had 
often heard the berry-pickers in the 
fells calling to one another in songs; 
flotillas of umiaks and kayaks on 
arriving home always sang chorus 
songs (probably in unison). 
The natives of Ammassalik were 
not altogether strange to my phono- 
graph, as the botanist C. KRUUSE, who 
overwintered there in 1901—02, had 
a phonograph with him. Yet it is 
fairly certain that most of those who 
SENE into any instrument had never seen the head of her child in the arnaut, 
done so before. As a rule they felt with ornamental strings of beads. 
no anxiety with regard to it. Many (W. Г. phot.) 
sang into it quite confidently and unconstrained. The first East 
Greenlander I allowed to sing into it was the hunter Anittanne Koorte, 
on November 3rd 1905. He set himself down at once in front of 
the funnel (of pap) and sang a kayak song; when it was finished 
I stopped the phonograph. The wax-roll was only half-finished; he 
then sang another kayak song into the rest of it. On this occasion 
he filled three rolls with different songs, always making them better, 
more compact and more distinct. It struck me that the best thing 
to do was to practise some few of the best singers. and story-tellers 
in the art of repeating their repertoires into the phonograph, so as 
to teach them to do so freely and naturally. As time went on, there 
were many who would have liked to stamp their knowledge on my 
phonograph, but comparatively few of them were chosen. I believe 
Fig. 8 Kajaatilik, 
Kooitse’s wife. Over the left shoulder is 
