The mode of life of all the Eskimo tribes of Northeastern America is
very uniform; therefore it is desirable to make a few general
observations on the subject before entering into a detailed description
of each tribe. All depends upon the distribution of food at the
different seasons. The migrations or the accessibility of the game
compel the natives to move their habitations from time to time, and
hence the distribution of the villages depends, to a great extent, upon
that of the animals which supply them with food.
As the inhospitable country does not produce vegetation to an extent
sufficient to sustain life in its human inhabitants, they are forced to
depend entirely upon animal food. In Arctic America the abundance of
seals found in all parts of the sea enables man to withstand the
inclemency of the climate and the sterility of the soil. The skins of
seals furnish the material for summer garments and for the tent; their
flesh is almost the only food, and their blubber the indispensable fuel
during the long dark winter. Scarcely less important is the deer, of
whose heavy skin the winter garments are made, and these enable the
Eskimo to brave the storms and the cold of winter.
That the mode of life of the Eskimo depends wholly on the distribution
of these animals will therefore be apparent, for, as already observed,
they regulate their dwelling places in accordance with the migrations of
the latter from place to place in search of food.
When the constraint of winter is broken the natives leave their old
habitations. The warm rays of the sun melt the roofs of their snow
houses, the strong vaults which afforded shelter and comfortable warmth
during the long cold winter begin to break down, and new houses must be
built. They therefore exchange the solid snow houses for light tents,
which are very small and poor, until a sufficient number of sealskins
for better structures is secured.
As at this time seals are found in abundance everywhere, basking in the
warm sunshine and enjoying the beginning of the spring, a great supply
is easily secured. As the season advances food becomes more plentiful,
and with the breaking up of the rivers and ponds the salmon leave the
latter and descend to the sea. About this time the Eskimo establish
their settlements at the head of the fjords, where salmon are easily
caught in the shallow rivers. In July the snow, which has covered the
land for nine months, has melted away and the natives undertake hunting
trips inland, in order to obtain the precious skins of the reindeer and
the meat of the fawns, which is always highly prized. With the breaking
up of the ice the variety of food is further increased by the arrival of
the walrus and the ground and harp seals, which leave the country during
the winter. Birds are also found in abundance, and no cares afflict the
natives.
Before the sea begins to freeze over again the Eskimo return from deer
hunting and gather at places where there are the best chances for
obtaining food in the autumn. A few weeks are spent in making short
excursions near the settlements, as longer journeys would be too
dangerous during this tempestuous season. The colder it grows the more
the natives are confined to their huts and the more they become
dependent on the seal. While in summer shrubs of various kinds are
available for cooking purposes, in winter blubber affords the only fuel
for cooking and for heating their huts.
At last the smaller bays are sufficiently frozen to permit a new way of
pursuing the game. The hunters visit the edge of the newly formed floe
in order to shoot the seals, which are secured by the harpoon.
The process of freezing goes on quickly and the floating pieces of ice
begin to consolidate. Only a few holes are now found, in places where
icebergs, moved by the tides or the strong currents, prevent the sea
from freezing. During a short time these openings form the favorite
hunting ground of the natives. Though the walrus and the ground seal
migrate to the edge of the floe as soon as the ice begins to form, the
common seal (_Pagomys fœtidus_) remains, and this is always the
principal food of the natives. In the autumn the fjords and the narrow
channels between the islands are its favorite haunt; later in the season
it resorts to the sea, frequently appearing at the surface through
breathing holes, which it scratches in the ice. As winter comes on it is
hunted by the Eskimo at these holes.
The foregoing observations will serve as a preliminary to the
description of the distribution of the tribes of Northeastern America.
The object of this section is to treat of the immediate relations
between the country and its inhabitants, and a detailed account of their
habits will be found in subsequent pages.
* * *
According to Dr. H. Rink, the Inuit race may be divided into five
groups: the Greenlanders; the central tribes of Smith Sound, Baffin
Land, the west shore of Hudson Bay, the Back River region, and Boothia;
the Labradorians, on the shores of that peninsula; the Mackenzie tribes
of the central parts of the north shore of America; and the tribes of
Alaska. I am somewhat in doubt whether the central tribes and those of
Labrador differ enough to justify a separate classification, as the
natives of both shores of Hudson Strait seem to be closely related.
A decisive answer on the division of these tribes may be postponed until
the publication of Lucien M. Turner’s excellent observations and
collections, which were made at Fort Chimo.