_Personal habits, cleanliness, etc._--Though the idea of cleanliness
among these people differs considerably from our ideas, they are as a
rule far from being as filthy as they appear at first sight.
Considering the difficulty of obtaining water, even for purposes of
drinking, in the winter season, the iglu, unless dirty work, like the
dressing of skins, etc., is going on, is kept remarkably clean. The
floor and walls are scrupulously scraped and all dirt is immediately
wiped up. They are particularly careful not to bring in any snow or
dirt on their feet, and the snow and hoar frost is carefully brushed
off from the outer garment, which is often removed before entering the
room and left in the passage. They are also careful not to spit on the
floor or in the passage, but use for this purpose the large urine tub.
This is practically the only offensive object in the house, as it is
freely used by both sexes in the presence of the rest. This is done,
however, with less exposure and immodesty than one would
suppose.[N569]
[Footnote N569: Compare Nordenskiöld’s account of the comparative
cleanliness of the Chukch dwellings at Pitlekaj: “On the other
hand it may be stated that in order not to make a stay in the
confined tent chamber too uncomfortable certain rules are strictly
observed. Thus, for instance, it is not permitted in the interior
of the tent to spit on the floor, but this must be done into a
vessel which, in case of necessity, is used as a night utensil. In
every outer tent there lies a specially curved reindeer horn, with
which snow is removed from the clothes; the outer _pesk_ is
usually put off before one goes into the inner tent, and the shoes
are carefully freed from snow. The carpet of walrus skins which
covers the floor of the inner tent is accordingly dry and clean.
Even the outer tent is swept clean and free from loose snow, and
the snow is daily shoveled away from the tent doors with a spade
of whalebone. Every article, both in the outer and inner tent, is
laid in its proper place, and so on.” (Vega, vol. 2, p. 104.)]
The contents of this vessel, being mixed with feces, is not fit for
tanning skins, etc., and is consequently thrown out doors. The men use
a small tub (kuovwĭñ) as a urinal, and the contents of this is
carefully saved. Though the interior of the house is thus kept clean,
as much can not be said for its surroundings. All manner of rubbish
and filth is simply thrown out upon the ground, without regard to
decency or comfort, and this becomes exceedingly offensive when the
snow melts in summer. The only scavengers are the dogs, who greedily
devour old pieces of skin, refuse meat, and even feces. In regard to
personal cleanliness, there is considerable difference between
individuals. Some people, especially the poorer women and children,
are not only careless about their clothes, going about dressed in
ragged, greasy, filthy garments, but seldom wash even their faces and
hands, much less their whole persons. One of these women, indeed, was
described by her grown-up daughter as “That woman with the black on
her nose.”
On the other hand most of the wealthier people appear to take pride in
being neatly clad, and, except when actually engaged in some dirty
work, always have their faces and hands, at least, scrupulously clean
and their hair neatly combed. Even the whole person is sometimes
washed in spite of the scarcity of water. Many are glad to get soap
(íɐkăkun) and use it freely. Lieut. Ray says that his two guides,
Mû´ñialu and Apaidyào, at the end of a day’s march would never sit
down to supper without washing their faces and hands with soap and
water, and combing their hair, and I recollect that once, when I went
over to the village to get a young man to start with Lieut. Ray on a
boat journey, he would not start until he had hunted up a piece of
soap and washed his face and hands. These people, of course, practice
the usual Eskimo habit of washing themselves with freshly passed
urine. This custom arises not only from the scarcity of water and the
difficulty of heating it, but from the fact that the ammonia of the
urine is an excellent substitute for soap in removing the grease with
which the skin necessarily becomes soiled.[N570] This fact is well
known to our whalemen, who are in the habit of saving their urine to
wash the oily clothes with. The same habit is practiced by the
“Chukches” of eastern Siberia.[N571] All, however, get more or less
shabby and dirty in the summer, when they are living in tents and
boats. All are more or less infested with lice, and they are in the
habit of searching each others’ heads for these, which they eat, after
the fashion of so many other savages. They have also another filthy
habit--that of eating the mucus from the nostrils. A similar practice
was noticed in Greenland by Egede,[N572] who goes on quaintly to say:
“Thus they make good the old proverb, ‘What drips from the nose falls
into the mouth, that nothing may be lost.’”
[Footnote N570: Compare Dall, Alaska, p. 20.]
[Footnote N571: See Nordenskiöld, Vega, vol. 2, p. 104.]
[Footnote N572: Greenland, p. 127.]
_Salutation._--We had no opportunity of witnessing any meeting between
these people and strange Eskimo, so that it is impossible to tell
whether they practice any particular form of salutation on such
occasions. We saw nothing of the kind among themselves. White men are
saluted with shouts of “Nakurúk!” (good), and some Eskimo have learned
to shake hands. They no longer practice the common Eskimo salutation
of rubbing noses, but say that they once did. Sergt. Middleton Smith,
of our party, informs me that he once saw a couple of natives in Capt.
Herendeen’s trading store give an exhibition of the way this
salutation was formerly practiced.
This custom was perhaps falling into disuse as early as 1837, since
Thomas Simpson,[N573] in describing his reception at Point Barrow,
says: “We were not, however, either upon this or any other occasion,
favored with the kooniks or nose-rubbing salutations that have so
annoyed other travelers.” Mr. Elson, however, expressly states that
the people, probably Utkiavwĭñmiun, whom he met at Refuge Inlet eleven
years before, rubbed noses and cheeks with him[N574] and Maguire[N575]
narrates how the head of the party of visitors from Point Hope saluted
him. He says: “He fixed his forehead against mine and used it as a
fulcrum to rub noses several times.”
[Footnote N573: Narrative, p. 155.]
[Footnote N574: Beechy’s Voyage p. 312.]
[Footnote N575: N. W. Passage, p. 385.]
_Healing._--As is the case with Eskimo generally, these people rely
for curing disease chiefly upon the efforts of certain persons who
have the power of exorcising the supernatural beings by whom the
disease is caused. A large number of men and, I believe, some women
were supposed to have this power and exercise it in cases of sickness,
in some instances, at least, upon the payment of a fee. These people
correspond closely to the angekut of the Greenlanders and Eastern
Eskimo, and the so-called “shamans” of southern Alaska, but, as far as
we could see, do not possess the power and influence usually elsewhere
ascribed to this class.
It was exceedingly difficult to obtain any definite information
concerning these people, and we only discovered casually that such and
such a person was a “doctor” by hearing that he had been employed in a
certain case of sickness, or to perform some ceremony of incantation.
We did not even succeed in learning the name of this class of people,
who, in talking with us, would call themselves “tûktĕ,” as they did
our surgeon. On one occasion some of the party happened to visit the
house of a sick man where one of these “doctors” was at work. He sat
facing the entrance of the house, beating his drum at intervals, and
making a babbling noise with his lips, followed by long speeches
addressed to something down the trapdoor, bidding it “go!” We were
given to understand that these speeches were addressed to a tuɐña or
supernatural being.[N576] Their only idea of direct treatment of
disease is apparently to apply a counterirritant by scarification of
the surface of the part affected.
[Footnote N576: Dr. Simpson says (op. cit., p. 275): “Diseases are
also considered to be turn´gaks.”]
We know of one case where a sufferer from some liver complaint had
inflicted on himself, or had had inflicted upon him, quite a
considerable cut on the right side with a view of relieving the pain.
We also know of several cases where the patients had themselves cut on
the scalp or back to relieve headache or rheumatism, and one case
where the latter disorder, I believe, had been treated by a severe cut
on the side of the knee. A similar practice has been observed at
Plover Bay, Siberia, by Hooper,[N577] who also mentions the use of a
kind of seton for the relief of headache.
[Footnote N577: Tents, etc., p. 185.]
They also practice a sort of rough-and-ready surgery, as in the case
of the man already mentioned, whose feet had both been amputated. One
of the men who lost the tip of his forefinger by the explosion of a
cartridge was left with a stump of bone protruding at the end of the
finger. Our surgeon attempted to treat this, but after two
unsuccessful trials to etherize the patient he was obliged to give it
up. When, however, the young man’s father-in-law, who was a noted
“doctor,” came home he said at once that the stump must come off, and
the patient had to submit to the operation without ether. The “doctor”
tried to borrow Dr. Oldmixon’s bone forceps, and when these were
refused him cut the bone off, I believe, with a chisel. They appear to
have no cure for blindness. We heard nothing of the curious process of
“couching” described by Egede in Greenland, p. 121. We had no
opportunity of observing their methods of treating wounds or other
external injuries. Sufferers were very glad to be treated by our
surgeon, and eagerly accepted his medicines, though he had considerable
difficulty in making them obey his directions about taking care of
themselves.
After they had been in the habit of receiving the surgeon’s medicine
for some time, one of the Utkiavwĭñ natives gave Capt. Herendeen what
he said was their own medicine. It is a tiny bit of turf which they
called nuna kĭñmölq, and which, therefore, probably came from the
highland of the upper Meade River, which region bears the name of
Kĭñmölq. We were able to get very little information about this
substance, but my impression is that it was said to be administered
internally, and I believe was specially recommended for bleeding at
the lungs. Possibly this is the same as “the black moss that grows on
the mountain,” which, according to Crantz[N578] was eaten by the
Greenlanders to stop blood-spitting.
[Footnote N578: Vol. 1, p. 235.]