I have already spoken of the feelings of these people in regard to
offenses against property and crimes of violence. As to the relations
between the sexes there seems to be the most complete absence of what
we consider moral feelings. Promiscuous sexual intercourse between
married or unmarried people, or even among children, appears to be
looked upon simply as a matter for amusement. As far as we could learn
unchastity in a girl was considered nothing against her, and in fact
one girl who was a most abandoned and shameless prostitute among the
sailors, and who, we were told, had had improper relations with some
of her own race, had no difficulty in obtaining an excellent husband.
Remarks of the most indecent character are freely bandied back and
forth between the sexes in public, and are received with shouts of
laughter by the bystanders. Nevertheless, some of the women,
especially those of the wealthier class, preserve a very tolerable
degree of conjugal fidelity and certainly do not prostitute themselves
to the sailors. I believe that prostitution for gain is unknown among
themselves, but it is carried to a most shameless extent with the
sailors of the whaling fleet by many of the women, and is even
considered a laudable thing by the husbands and fathers, who are
perfectly willing to receive the price of their wives’ or daughters’
frailty, especially if it takes the form of liquor. Dr. Simpson[N567]
says: “It is said by themselves that the women are very continent
before marriage, as well as faithful afterward to their husbands; and
this seems to a certain extent true.” But he goes on to add: “In their
conduct toward strangers the elderly women frequently exhibit a
shameless want of modesty, and the men an equally shameless
indifference, except for the reward of their partner’s frailty.” It
seems to me that he must have been deceived by the natives concerning
the first statement, since the immorality of these people among
themselves, as we witnessed it, seems too purely animal and natural to
be of recent growth or the result of foreign influence. Moreover,
a similar state of affairs has been observed among Eskimo elsewhere,
notably at Iglulik at the time of Parry’s visit.[N568]
[Footnote N567: Op. cit., p. 252.]
[Footnote N568: Second Voyage, p. 529.]