THE ESQUIMAUX--PROBABLE ORIGIN--IDENTITY OF LANGUAGE
FROM LABRADOR TO BEHRING'S STRAITS--THEIR
AMOURS--MARRIAGES--RELIGION--TREATMENT
OF PARENTS--ANECDOTE--MODE OF PRESERVING
MEAT--AMUSEMENTS--DRESS--THE IGLOE, OR SNOW-HOUSE--THEIR
CUISINE--DOGS--THE SLEDGE--CAIAK, OR CANOE--OUIMIAK, OR
BOAT--IMPLEMENTS--STATURE.
The Esquimaux are so totally different in physiognomy and person, in
language, manners, and customs, from all the other natives of America,
that there can be no doubt that they belong to a different branch of
the human race. The conformation of their features, their stature,
form, and complexion, approximate so closely to those of the northern
inhabitants of Europe, as to indicate, with some degree of certainty,
their identity of origin. In the accounts I have read of the maritime
Laplanders, I find many characteristics common to both tribes: the
Laplander is of a swarthy complexion,--so is the Esquimaux; the
Laplander is distinguished by high cheek-bones, hollow cheeks, pointed
chin, and large mouth,--so is the Esquimaux; the Laplander wears a
thick beard,--so does the Esquimaux; the Laplander's hair is long and
black,--so is that of the Esquimaux; the Laplanders are, for the most
part, short of stature,--so are the Esquimaux; and the dress, food,
and lodging of both peoples are nearly the same. The last coincidence
may possibly arise from similarity of location and climate; and, taken
by itself, would afford no certain proof of identity of origin; but
taken in connexion with the aforementioned characteristics, I think
the conclusion is irresistible that the Laplanders and Esquimaux are
of the same race.
That the Esquimaux and the natives of Greenland are also of a kindred
race, is a fact ascertained beyond a doubt, from the reports of the
Moravian Missionaries, who have settlements among both.
The way in which they must have passed from the one continent to the
other, must now be left to conjecture. There is nothing improbable
in the supposition that some of them might have been drifted out to
sea by stress of weather, and wafted to the shores of Greenland;
whence some might, in course of time, remove to the opposite coast
of America. From the southern extremity of Labrador to Behring's
Straits, the Esquimaux language is the same, differing only in the
pronunciation of a few words. We had a native of Hudson's Bay with us,
who had accompanied Captain Franklin to the McKenzie and Coppermine
Rivers, and who assured us that he understood the Esquimaux of that
quarter, and those of Ungava, although some thousands of miles apart,
as well as his own tribe.
In manners, customs, and dress, there is a like similarity. The
Esquimaux have ever remained a distinct people; the other natives of
America seeming to consider them more as brutes than human beings, and
never approaching them unless for the purpose of knocking them on the
head. Every one's hand is against them. I have seen Esquimaux scalps,
even among the timid _têtes des boules_ of Temiscamingue; yet no
people seem more disposed to live at peace with their neighbours, if
only they were allowed. Circumstanced as they are, however, they are
likely to suffer hostile aggression for a long time. Even a coward,
with a musket in his hand, is generally an overmatch for a brave man
with only a bow or a sling; but once possessed of fire-arms, they will
teach their enemies to respect them, for they will undoubtedly have
the advantage of superior courage and resolution.
The Esquimaux is not easily excited to anger; but his wrath once
roused, he becomes furious: he foams like a wild boar, rolls his eyes,
gnashes his teeth, and rushes on his antagonist with the fury of a
beast of prey. In the winter of 1840, a quarrel arose between two
individuals about the sex, which led to a fight; the struggle was
continued for a time with tooth and nail; when one of the parties at
length got hold of his knife, and stabbed his adversary in the belly.
The bowels protruded, yet the wounded man never desisted, until loss
of blood and repeated stabs compelled him to yield the contest and
his life. Gallantry seems to be the main cause of quarrels among them.
Strange! that this passion should exercise such an influence in a
climate, and, as one would be led to suppose, on constitutions so
cold; yet nothing is more certain than that the enamoured Esquimaux
will risk life and limb in the pursuit of his object.
With unmarried women there is no risk, as they are entirely free from
control; not so with the married, who are under strict surveillance;
but the husband's consent asked and obtained--which not seldom
happens--saves the gallant's head, and the lady's reputation.
Their courtships are conducted in much the same manner as among the
inland Indians, the choice of partners being entirely left to the
parents. Some are affianced in childhood, and become man and wife
in early youth: I have seen a boy of fourteen living with his wife
who was two years younger. There are no marriage festivals, and no
ceremonies of any kind are observed at their nuptials. Polygamy is
allowed, _ad libitum_; and the husband exercises his authority as
husband, judge, or executioner; no one having any right to interfere.
Should, however, the woman consider herself ill-treated, she flees to
her parents, with whom she remains till an explanation takes place.
If it lead to a reconciliation, the parties are reunited; if not, the
woman may form a new connexion whenever she pleases.
I know not whether the Esquimaux can be said to have any idea of
religion, as the term is generally understood. The earth, say they,
was in the beginning covered with water, which having subsided, man
appeared--a spontaneous creation. Aglooktook is the name of the man
who first created fish and animals: chopping a tree which overhung
the sea, the chips that fell into that element became fish; those
that fell on the land, animals. Their paradise is beneath the great
deep; those who have lived a good life, proceed to a part of the sea
abounding with whales and seals, where, free from care and toil, they
fare sumptuously on raw flesh and blubber, _in secula_ _seculorum_.
The wicked, on the contrary, are condemned to take up their abode in a
"sea of troubles," where none of the delicacies enjoyed by the blessed
are to be found; and even the commonest necessaries are procured with
endless toil, and pain, and disappointment. Although the "tomakhs,"
or dead men, become the inhabitants of the sea, they indulge in the
pleasures of the chase on their old element, whenever they please; and
are often heard calling to each other while in pursuit of the deer.
The Esquimaux have their "men of medicine," in whose preternatural
powers they place the most implicit confidence; by working on the
superstitious fears of the people, these impostors obtain much
authority. They are allowed to take the lead in every affair of
importance; and, in short, all their movements are, in a great
measure, regulated by these harlequins, who appear to be the only
chiefs among them.
They dispose of their dead by placing them on the rocks, and covering
them over with ice or stones; these tombs prove but feeble barriers
against the wolves and other beasts of prey, who soon carry off the
bodies. The property belonging to the deceased is placed by the side
of his grave;--his caiak, or skin canoe, his bows, arrows, and spears.
Thus equipped, the _emigrant_ spirit cannot find itself at a loss on
arriving at a better country!
It is said by some that the Esquimaux abandon their aged parents:
from inquiry, as well as observation, I am led to believe there is
no foundation for the charge. It is not reasonable to expect that
the more refined feelings of humanity should be found in the breast
of a savage, or that he should honour his father and mother in the
same degree as he whose principles are moulded by the precepts
of Christianity; yet I must do them the justice to say, that they
appeared to me to treat their parents with as much kindness, at least,
as any other savage nation I have met with. They do not deny, however,
that old people no longer able to provide for themselves, and without
any relative to care for them, are sometimes left to perish.
No people suffer more from hunger than the Esquimaux who inhabit
the shores of Ungava Bay; seals being extremely scarce in the winter
season, and no fish to be found; so that the poor creatures are
often reduced to the most revolting expedients to preserve life. An
Esquimaux, who had been about the post for two years, proceeded, in
the winter of 1839, to join some of his relatives along the coast.
When he returned in the ensuing spring, I observed that his mother
and one of his children were missing. On inquiring what had become of
them, he replied, that they had been starved to death, and that he and
the rest of his family would have shared their fate, had it not been
for the sustenance the bodies afforded.
The Esquimaux always pass the winter near the element that yields them
their principal subsistence; and as they are unacquainted with the
use of snow-shoes, they cannot follow the deer any distance from the
coast. As soon as the rivers are free from ice in summer, they proceed
inland and find abundance of food. Their manner of preserving their
meat is quite characteristic. When an animal is killed the bowels
are extracted, then the fore and hind quarters are cut off, and being
placed inside the carcass, are secured by skewers of wood run through
the flesh. The whole is then deposited under the nearest cleft
of rock, and stones are built round so as to secure it from the
depredations of wild animals until the hunters return to the coast;
when the meat is in high flavour, and considered fit for the palate of
an Esquimaux epicure.
The Esquimaux do not share their provisions as the Nascopies do,
although they relieve each other's wants when their means can afford
it: each individual engaged in the chase retains his own game, his
claim being ascertained by distinctive marks on the arrows. When a
whale is killed a rigid fast is observed for twenty-four hours, not in
gratitude to Providence, but in honour of the whale, which is highly
displeased when this is neglected, studiously avoiding the harpoon
afterwards, and even visiting the offender with sickness and other
misfortunes.
Should the summer and fall hunt prove successful, the Esquimaux is one
of the happiest animals in the creation. He passes his dreary winter
without one careful or anxious thought; he eats his fill and lies
down to sleep, and then rises to eat again. In this manner they pass
the greater part of their time; night and day are the same, eating
and sleeping their chief enjoyments. When, however, they do rouse
their dormant faculties to exertion, they seem to engage with great
good-will in the few amusements they have, the principal of which
is playing ball, men and women joining in the game. Two parties are
opposed, the one driving the ball with sticks towards the goal,
the other driving it in the opposite direction; in short, a game of
shinty. They have dancing too,--ye gods! such dancing! Two rows of men
and women, sometimes only of one sex, stand opposite to each other,
exhibiting no other motion in their dancing than raising their
shoulders with a peculiar jerk, bending their knees so as to give
their whole bodies, from the knee upwards, the same motion, and
grinning horribly at each other, while not a foot stirs.
As to the music to which this _dance_ is performed, I know not well
how to describe it. By inflating and depressing the lungs so as
to create a convulsive heaving of the breast, a sound is produced,
somewhat similar to the groans of a person suffering from suffocation;
and it is to this sound they grin, and jerk their shoulders. The whole
performance is quite in keeping; the music worthy of the dancing, the
dancing worthy of the music. They have boxing too, but do not practise
the art after the fashion of the Cribs and Coopers; they disdain to
parry off the blow; each strikes in turn with clenched fist; the
blow is given behind the ear, and, as soon as one of the parties
acknowledges himself defeated, the combat ceases. They are also adepts
at wrestling; I have witnessed frequent contests between them and the
inland Indians, when the latter were invariably floored.
No one enjoys a joke better than an Esquimaux, and when his risibility
is excited he laughs with right good will, evincing in this, as in
every other respect, the difference of disposition between them and
the Indians, whose rigid features seldom betray their feelings. Much
the same diversity of character and disposition is to be observed
among the Esquimaux as among other barbarous tribes. Some instances
of disinterested kindness and generosity fell under my notice while
residing among them, that would have done honour to civilized man.
An Esquimaux who had attached himself to the establishment from the
time of our first arrival at Ungava, kept a poor widow and her three
orphans with him for several years, and seemed to make no difference
between them and the members of his own family. It must be
acknowledged, however, that the unhappy widows seldom fall into so
good hands; their fate is the most wretched that can be imagined,
unless they have children that can provide for them. In years of
scarcity they are rejected from the community, and hover about the
encampments like starving wolves, picking up whatever chance may
throw in their way, until hunger and cold terminate their wretched
existence.
Whatever may be said of the awkwardness of the Esquimaux dress, it
must be allowed to be the best adapted to the climate that could be
used: a pair of boots so skilfully sewed as to exclude the water, and
lined with down, or the fine hair of the rein-deer, protects the feet
from wet and cold; two pairs of trousers, the inner having the hair
next the skin; and two coats or tunics of deer or seal skin, the outer
having a large hood that is drawn over the head in stormy weather,
and a pair of large mits, complete the dress. The women also "wear
the breeks," their dress being similar to that of the men in every
respect, with this difference, that the female has a long flap
attached to the hind part of her coat, and falling down to her
heels; a most extraordinary ornament, giving her the appearance of
an enormous tadpole. This tail, however, has its use; when she has
occasion to sit down on the cold rocks she folds it up and makes a
seat of it.
In the winter season the Esquimaux live in huts built of snow; and
we may imagine what must have been the necessity and distress that
could first have suggested to a human being the idea of using such
a material as a means of protecting himself from cold. Be that as it
may, the snow _igloe_ affords not only security from the inclemency
of the weather, but more comfort than either stone or wooden building
without fire. The operation requires considerable tact and experience,
and is always performed by the men, two being required for it, one
outside and the other inside.
Blocks of snow are first cut out with some sharp instrument from the
spot that is intended to form the floor of the dwelling, and raised
on edge, inclining a little inward around the cavity. These blocks
are generally about two feet in length, two feet in breadth, and
eight inches thick, and are joined close together. In this manner the
edifice is erected, contracting at each successive tier, until there
only remains a small aperture at the top, which is filled by a slab of
clear ice, that serves both as a keystone to the arch, and a window to
light the dwelling. An embankment of snow is raised around the wall,
and covered with skins, which answers the double purpose of beds
and seats. The inside of the hut presents the figure of an arch or
dome; the usual dimensions are ten or twelve feet in diameter, and
about eight feet in height at the centre. Sometimes two or three
families congregate under the same roof, having separate apartments
communicating with the main building, that are used as bedrooms. The
entrance to the igloe is effected through a winding covered passage,
which stands open by day, but is closed up at night by placing slabs
of ice at the angle of each bend, and thus the inmates are perfectly
secured against the severest cold.
The Esquimaux use no fuel in winter; their stone lamps afford
sufficient heat to dry their boots and clothes, or warm their blubber
and raw meat when they are so inclined. They are inured to cold by
early habit; the children are carried about in the hoods of their
mothers' jackets until three years of age; during this period they
remain without a stitch of clothing, and the little things may be
sometimes seen standing up in their nests, exposing themselves in the
coldest weather, without appearing to suffer any inconvenience from
it. The Esquimaux never sleep with their clothes on, not even when
without any other shelter than the cleft of a rock.
It is well known that they eat their food, whether fish or flesh,
generally in a raw state; hence their appellation, "Ashkimai," in
the Cree and Sauteux, means, eater of raw meat, and is doubtless
the origin of the name Esquimaux first applied by the earlier French
discoverers, and since then passed into general use. They sometimes,
indeed, warm their food in a stone kettle over a stone lamp, but they
seem to relish it equally well when cut warm from the carcase of an
animal recently killed, which they may be seen devouring while yet
quivering with life.
In winter they prefer raw meat, especially fish, which is considered
a great delicacy in a frozen state; the Esquimaux stomach, in fact,
rejects nothing, raw or boiled, that affords sustenance. Like the
inland Indians, they can bear hunger for an amazing length of time,
and afterwards gorge themselves with more than brutal voracity without
suffering inconvenience by it.
The Esquimaux breed of dogs are wolves in a domesticated state, the
same in every characteristic, save such differences as may be expected
to result from their relative conditions; the dog howls, never barks.
These animals are of the most essential service to their masters,
and are maintained at no expense. How they manage to subsist appears
inexplicable to me; not a morsel of food is ever offered to them at
the camp, and when employed hauling sledges on a journey, a small
piece of blubber given them in the evening enables them to perform the
laborious work of the ensuing day.
From ten to fifteen dogs are employed on a long journey. They are
harnessed separately by a collar and a single trace passing over their
back, and fastened to the fore-part of the sledge. The traces are
so arranged that the dogs generally follow in a line, conducted by a
leader, who is trained to obey the word of command in an instant; the
least hesitation on his part brings the merciless whip about his ears.
The lash is about fifteen feet in length, the handle eighteen inches;
continual practice enables the Esquimaux to wield this instrument
of torture with great dexterity. The sledges are about five feet in
length and two in breadth; the runners generally shod with whalebone
or ivory, and coated over with a plaster of earth and water, which
becomes very smooth, and is renewed as often as it is worn out.
The Esquimaux _caiak_, or canoe, is about twelve feet in length, and
two feet in breadth, and tapers off from the centre to the bow and
stern, almost to a mere point. The frame is of wood covered with
seal-skin, having an aperture in the centre which barely admits of
the stowage of the nether man. These canoes are calculated for the
accommodation of one person only; yet it is possible for a passenger
to embark upon them, if he can submit to the inconvenience--and
risk--of lying at full length on his belly, without ever stirring
hand or foot, as the least motion would upset the canoe. Instances,
however, have been known of persons conveyed hundreds of miles in this
manner. These canoes are used solely for hunting; and, by means of the
double paddle, are propelled through the water with the velocity
of the dolphin; no land animal can possibly escape when seen in the
water; the least exertion is sufficient to keep up with the rein-deer
when swimming at its utmost speed. When the animal is overtaken, it is
driven towards the spot where the huntsman wishes to land, and there
despatched by a thrust of the spear.
The Esquimaux of this quarter have not the art of recovering their
position, when they upset. An accident of this kind is, therefore,
sure to prove fatal, unless aid be at hand. It is seldom, however,
that aid is wanting, for these accidents never happen except in the
excitement of the sport, especially harpooning whales, when there
are always a number present. The _ouimiack_, or skin-boat, is a
clumsy-looking contrivance, but not to be despised on that account;
from the buoyancy of the materials of which it is built, the ouimiack
stands a much heavier sea than our best sea-boat. This kind of craft
is rowed by women, and used for the purpose of conveying families
along the coast.
The few implements these people use for hunting or fishing, display
much taste and ingenuity. Their caiaks are proportioned with
mathematical exactness, the paddles often tastefully inlaid with
ivory; their spears are neatly carved, and their bows are far superior
to any I have seen among the interior tribes, combining strength and
elasticity in an eminent degree.
Their mode of capturing the white whale is extremely ingenious. A
large _dan_, or seal-skin inflated with wind, is attached to the
harpoon by a thong some twenty feet in length. The moment the fish is
struck the _dan_ is thrown overboard, and being dragged through the
water, offers so great a resistance to the movement of the fish that
it soon becomes exhausted by the exertion, and when it emerges lies
exposed on the water, to take rest ere it dive again. The Esquimaux
then approaches from behind, and often secures his game with
one thrust of the spear. The Esquimaux also uses a javelin with
considerable skill, and some are so dexterous in the use of the sling
as to bring down wild fowl on the wing.
The complexion of the Esquimaux is swarthy; I have seen some of their
children, however, as fair as the children of the fairest people
in Europe, yet these become as dark as their parents when advanced
in years. This circumstance cannot be accounted for by filthiness
or exposure to the weather; for I have observed, on the coast of
Labrador, the descendants of an Esquimaux mother and a European father
of the third generation as dark as the pure Esquimaux; and these, too,
enjoyed the comforts of civilized life, were cleanly in their persons,
and not more exposed to the weather than others.
The Esquimaux are low of stature, but I do not think the epithet
"dwarfish" applies to them with propriety. With the view of
ascertaining this point, I once took five men promiscuously from a
party of twenty, and found their average height to be 5 feet 5 inches.
Some individuals of the remainder measured 5 feet 7 or 8 inches, and
one exceeded 6 feet. The fact is, the Esquimaux are generally thicker
than Europeans; their peculiar dress also adds greatly to their bulk,
so that they appear shorter than they really are. They are so bound up
in their seal-skin garments that their movements are necessarily much
impeded by them, we can, therefore, form no idea of their agility; but
I do not hesitate to say that their strength exceeds that of any other
nation on the continent.
The Esquimaux features are far from being disagreeable; some females
I observed among them whose expression of countenance was extremely
prepossessing, and who would pass for "bonnie lasses" even among the
whites, if divested of their filth and uncouth dress, and rigged out
in European habiliments. The women fasten their hair in a knot on the
crown of the head, and anoint it with rancid oil in lieu of pomatum;
they also tattoo their faces, with the view, no doubt, of enhancing
their charms in the estimation of their blubber-eating lovers. Their
teeth are remarkably white and regular; the eyes are black, and
partake more of the circular than the oval form; the cheek-bones are
prominent, forehead low, mouth large, and chin pointed.
The Esquimaux generally enjoy good health, and no epidemic diseases,
as far as I could learn, are known among them.