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[Illustration: THE PRINCESS AND HER COMPANION]
SHORT SKETCHES
FROM
OLDEST AMERICA
By
JOHN B. DRIGGS, M.D.
PHILADELPHIA
GEORGE W. JACOBS & CO.
PUBLISHERS
Copyright, 1905, by
GEORGE W. JACOBS & COMPANY
_Published July, 1905_
Publishers' Preface
From the small size of this volume, one would hardly realize, perhaps,
what an immense amount of labor and patient research its writing must
necessarily represent. The author, who was first sent to northwestern
Alaska in the summer of 1890, and who, by the bye, has, with the
exception of two vacations of a year each, been constantly at his post
in that bleak country ever since, found himself one day landed, with
his possessions, upon the inhospitable sea-beach of the Point Hope
peninsula, where for weeks he was compelled to shelter himself from
wind and rain, as best he could, in an improvised tent made of barrels
and boxes with canvas thrown over them. Finally, the carpenters of some
of the whaling ships were got together and a house, which had been
framed in distant San Francisco, was put up for him, a few hundred
yards from the water's edge.
A mile or so away lay a large native village, the inhabitants of which
naturally regarded him as a great curiosity. But he found himself quite
unable to communicate with them otherwise than by signs, as the printed
vocabularies and grammars, with which he had been supplied, proved to
be inaccurate and practically valueless.
His house finished and no scholars being forthcoming, he proceeded one
day to capture a native lad whom he found on the beach, and, leading
him home, taught him several letters of the alphabet and then baked him
a cake. This system of rewarding attendance with something to eat
rapidly brought other scholars. Older visitors followed, and he soon
had a school in active operation and then a lecture-room.
Prior to Dr. Driggs's arrival, the experiences which the natives had
had with the whites had not been universally satisfactory. Outside of
rare meetings with the officers and crews of the government's revenue
cutters, their white acquaintances had been pretty much confined to the
class known as "beach-combers," or deserters from the steam-whaling
fleet. These are described as a rough, unscrupulous set of fellows, too
worthless to obtain better employment in San Francisco, where they are
enlisted. Some of these undesirable visitors had already appeared at
Point Hope and had outrageously abused the peaceful inhabitants before
our author's arrival there.
In contrast with such men as these, Dr. Driggs proved himself a friend
indeed to the poor natives, and succeeded in due time in winning the
affection and confidence of their entire tribe. Little by little he
mastered their language, until he has become so proficient in it that
he is now planning to write a grammar.
During the summer months many of the Point Hope natives are away from
home for long intervals in quest of game or on fishing expeditions, and
the doctor would frequently follow their example, making long
excursions along the coast, as far north as Icy Cape, if not further;
and southward, along the shores of Kotzebue Sound. Similarly for many
winters, wearied with confinement to the house during the long night,
he was wont to set out, accompanied by some native guide and wife with
dog-team and sledge, to make trips of several hundred miles over ice
and snow, exposed to blizzards such as we have no conception of,
camping out when weary in an improvised snow-house, or sleeping,
perhaps, in some native settlement, where the only fare would be
uninviting frozen fish. These last excursions, however, he has been
obliged to discontinue in consequence of having frozen one of his feet,
several years since, when he fell from an ice floe into the ocean, and
was with difficulty dragged out by his companions.
And right here it might be as well to observe that the pretty picture
which childhood's memories depict as adorning a page in our Physical
Geography, with its fur-clad traveler sitting comfortably on his
sledge, brandishing his whip and dashing gaily along behind a row of
trotting dogs, is more imaginative than accurate. The real use of the
dog-team, it would appear, is merely to drag the traveler's baggage.
The men plough along through the snow in front, and the animals,
harnessed in single file, drag the sledge behind them, following the
woman, to whom they are accustomed to turn for their food.
Thrown thus into close contact with Dr. Driggs, their physician when
ill, their teacher in health, their friend and protector always, the
natives gradually learned to discard the suspicion with which they must
have originally regarded him, and confided to him their traditions and
legends, which primarily they would naturally have guarded with the
most sedulous care. How many an evening camp-fire, how many a long
conversation must these primitive tales represent! How much patience,
upon the hearer's part, it must have required to corroborate these
traditions by comparing one account with another and noting their
remarkable similarity! These sketches are real native stories put into
readable English, without any attempt at embellishment or enlargement.
Near the native village of Tigara extends, for a considerable distance,
the ancient burial place of the tribe. Here, upon elevated platforms,
supported high above the ground on whales' jaws, out of the reach of
wild animals, have slumbered the dead for ages past. In and beneath
these places of sepulture, Dr. Driggs has found many interesting relics
of great antiquity, which he has brought away with him. Among these
were the original instruments used in bygone ages for making flint axes
and arrow-heads. These the reader will find described in the text.
The site originally selected for Dr. Driggs's house was too close to
the shore. He found this out one night when a storm brought the water
of the Arctic Ocean up over the land, and a succession of big waves
forced his door open. Carrying a native lad on his back, he was
compelled to wade, in total darkness, through the icy water, for
several hundred yards before he reached terra firma. After this
startling experience, his house was moved to higher ground and further
inland; but, proving always extremely cold, it was subsequently
replaced, as a dwelling, by another and smaller building which was
protected from the piercing wind by a thick casing of sod.
In conclusion, we will say that Dr. Driggs is a man of iron constitution,
strong physically and mentally, an excellent shot, and one who hardly
knows the meaning of the word _fear_. In years to come, his name will
rightly go down to history as that of a hero.
Preface
During many years spent within the Arctic Circle of Northwestern
Alaska, at Tig-a-ra (Point Hope Village), where I have lived at the
mission station of the Episcopal Church, acting as medical man and
teacher, and, later on, in deacon's orders, I have naturally become
interested in these ancient people, and have written the following
volume of short stories simply to show the nature, traditions and
legends of the In-u-pash.[1] I have also introduced a few brief
sketches, hoping to give a little insight into the simplicity of these
primitive people who have been isolated from the outside world from the
most remote time. There has been no attempt made to exhaust the
subject.
JOHN B. DRIGGS, M.D.
_April, 1905._
[1] IN-U-PASH--Native inhabitants of the coast of the Arctic
section of Alaska.
Contents
I. INTRODUCTION 17
II. THE TRAGEDY OF THE THREE BROTHERS 23
III. THE METIGEWEK 31
IV. ORIGIN OF MAN 35
V. WHAT BROUGHT AGE INTO THE WORLD 39
VI. TOONGNA 43
VII. THE "ONGOOTKOOT" 47
VIII. WEBUKSIDE 57
IX. BIRTH OF TOOLOOGIGRA 63
X. DAY AND NIGHT 69
XI. MAN'S FIRST CONSTRUCTED HOME 73
XII. THE MAMMOTH 81
XIII. FIRE-MAKING 85
XIV. INSTRUMENTS 89
XV. MUSIC 99
XVI. WOODEN FACES 105
XVII. THE EVOLUTION OF THE COOK 109
XVIII. CHOKARLUKE 117
XIX. INTRODUCTION OF TOBACCO 121
XX. WINTER EVENINGS AND STORIES 127
Allugua 130
Caterpillar 135
Tungnaluke's Perplexity 138
The Raven, the Barnacle Goose, and the Whale 142
XXI. COURTSHIP 149
XXII. THE WOOING OF BILLY FISHTAIL 155
XXIII. WRITING 159
Illustrations
The princess and her companion _Frontispiece_
_Facing page_
A group of In-u-pash 22
An elevated grave 96
Nanoona's descendants 124
Mr. and Mrs. Billy Fishtail 156
I
INTRODUCTION
Only those who have had the experience, know the pleasure of traveling
outside the beaten tracks and viewing new scenes that are not generally
known to the average tourist of to-day. Every year the Atlantic has its
throngs who are crossing the ocean to visit old places which have
become familiar to the majority of readers. There is a route for the
student of nature, which has been only partially opened of recent
years, that presents many points of interest. While nature has not yet
become defaced by the artificial scenes which the Atlantic tourist
meets throughout his journey, the traveler can try the newer way by
turning his steps toward the Pacific and visiting Alaska. There may not
be all the comforts one experiences on the Atlantic, but the ocean
voyage will be found plenty long, and there will be the satisfaction of
viewing one's own country.
Alaska is a vast and not thoroughly explored territory, with many
different tribes of people, whose history if it were but known, would
fill many an interesting volume. The signs of an advancing civilization
are to be noted in the way of small towns and mining camps, extending
even as far north as Nome; then, if the journey is continued through
the Behring Straits into the Arctic regions--where in winter, the moon
forms its circle in the heavens, while in summer, the sun remains up as
if trying to make amends for its long winter's absence--up as far as
Point Hope to the village of Tigara, the tourist will find there an
interesting and friendly people. His first impression probably is, what
a bleak and barren coast! but, should he allow his thoughts to wander
back to the remote past, he can imagine how in ages gone by this may
have been an Eden with its luxuriant vegetation and a much milder
climate. The huge mammoth roamed freely through the forest, along with
many other animals that have long since passed into the forgotten
history of long ago. Then through the changes of nature the warming
ocean currents were shut off, causing this to become the bleak and
barren country it is now, enveloped in ice the greater portion of the
year. The belt of cold, acting as a barrier, isolates the people from
the outside world, and they have continued living in their primitive
condition until the present awakening.
Should the geologist inform the villager that North America was once
under water, only the tops of the highest mountains extending above the
one great ocean, like so many islands, and that then the ocean currents
carried their warmth to the Pole, the Tigara man would reply: "Yes, in
very old times only three mountain-tops extended above the ocean, and
it was at a very remote day that my ancestors first appeared."
Should the evolutionist inform the villager that man did not at first
stand in an erect position as at present, but went round on his hands
and feet; that the sperm whale originated from an animal akin to the
bear; and that other great changes have taken place among the various
members of the animal kingdom, the Tigara man would again reply: "Yes,
the earliest men did not have their lower extremities developed for
walking; the Bow-head whale originated from an animal similar to the
deer, while another member of the whale family, called the Killer,
armed with large teeth instead of baleen, originated from an animal
akin to the wolf; the deer of old was a hornless and carniverous
animal, having teeth like those of the bear, its canines being quite
long, and when it appeared in herds the earlier inhabitants were
alarmed, as it used to attack and devour the people." He will also tell
you that its fat was similar to the blubber of the seal, or perhaps
more like that of the domestic hog, but the animal for some unknown
reason began eating the salmon-berries called "achea," and in time
became herbivorous; with the change of diet it gradually changed its
habits, growing horns and losing its back teeth, ultimately becoming
the caribou of the present.
The man of Tigara, through his traditions, has known all these things
for ages past, while the man of science is only finding them out
through his patient investigations.
[Illustration: A GROUP OF INUPASH]
The visitor can now enter into an interesting train of thought while
saying to himself: "What need is there of crossing the wide ocean, with
the delusion we are visiting the old world, while there are here in our
own country the oldest Americans, a race of men who, according to their
traditions and the rude architecture of their homes, can antedate any
people to be seen by the tourist on his beaten lines of travel?"
II
THE TRAGEDY OF THE THREE BROTHERS
In the east not far from the region of the Romanzoff Mountains, toward
the land of the Cogmoliks, there lived during the early days four
brothers. The eldest had taken a trip on the ocean in his kyak or light
skin boat. As the day drew to a close he had not returned, but it
excited no attention among the members of the family, as it was a usual
thing for any of the people to stay a few days at a friendly iglo[2]
without leaving word at home where they were going, or how long they
would be absent. Some acquaintances coming along reported that they had
not seen anything of the missing man; then suspicion began to be
aroused that everything might not be right and a search was instituted,
but no trace could be found of him or his kyak; no one along the coast
seemed able to throw any light on his whereabouts, although they lent
their aid by joining in with the searching party.
[2] Iglo, a mound house.
As time went by, all hopes of the missing one's return were abandoned.
The people talked about the case as one of those mysteries which had no
solution. Then later on, a second brother, venturing on a trip,
disappeared as completely as did the first. The remaining brothers were
much alarmed and did not know what to do. A third brother started out
determined if possible, to make a more thorough investigation, but
disappeared the same as the others.
There now remained only Ahvooyoolach[=a], the youngest of the four. He
was bowed down with grief at the great loss he had sustained, but it
remained for him to solve the mystery. He went out in his kyak and had
not proceeded far from shore when his attention was attracted by what
appeared to be a whale in the distance. It was a common sight so he
gave it no heed, and even when the supposed whale came closer he paid
no attention to it.
Not until the creature came very near and charged him with a huge open
mouth armed with great teeth, did he become alarmed. What to do he did
not know; there was no chance to escape to the shore; he was unarmed,
with the exception of a spear which seemed altogether too insignificant
an instrument to defend himself with against such a huge monster; yet
in his dilemma it was the only chance he had. Grasping the spear with a
hand rendered firm by despair, he awaited the right moment, and just as
the animal was about to close its massive jaws to crush him and his
frail kyak (aiming down the throat, his fright lending strength to the
action) he cast the spear with great force. The aim had been good and
the throw a powerful one. The creature instantly dove remaining down
for quite a while, then floated to the surface, dead. Upon examining
the body, it was found to be as large as that of a whale, at the same
time resembling that animal in appearance, but in addition it had four
legs. The mystery had been solved and Ahvooyoolach[=a] at last knew the
fate of his three brothers.
THE WHALES OF ALASKA
There are two varieties of the whale much sought for on account of the
baleen they yield. The Right Whale of the Behring Sea, as well as of
other waters, and the Bow-head that makes its summer run along the
American coast as far as the Arctic Archipelago. In September it
strikes westward to Herald Island, and in October back to the Behring
Sea, where it is supposed to spend the winter months at the southern
edge of the ice. It is one of the large members of the whale family,
sometimes attaining a length of sixty feet or more and yielding
whalebone sometimes over twelve feet in length. The Bow-head is a
timid, peaceful animal, preferring to visit the small bays and secluded
nooks of the northern coast, where it can feed unmolested.
All along the coast of Arctic Alaska, there are lagoons of various
sizes; many of them have streams as feeders, while others have no
feeders but have openings into the ocean, which become temporarily
obliterated by sand when there is a heavy sea breaking on shore.
It was into the latter form of lagoon that, a very long time ago, a
school of Bow-heads had entered. The wind blowing on shore had
obliterated the entrance, so the whales were entrapped with apparently
no means of escape, yet they all crossed the beach and regained the
ocean, a feat they probably could not accomplish to-day. The people
watched them as they worked their way over the beach, the large ones
making rapid progress while the small ones were very slow.
The Killer is one of the larger members of the whale family, which the
natives prefer not to attack, as it can be very vicious at times. Even
much further south than Alaska, the creature has the reputation among
the shore whalemen, of chasing the boats to the shore occasionally and
has had many victims. Its chief food is the seal and beluga, while its
sly disposition enables it also to capture the water birds. Placing
itself just beneath the surface, with open jaws, it emits a substance
that attracts the birds who settle down on the waves and begin feeding;
the Killer then darts forward, capturing the birds which it quickly
devours. It is also said sometimes to attack as large an animal as the
Fin-back.
III
THE METIGEWEK
The Metigew[=e]k was the largest of the numerous traditionary birds of
Tigara. Its enormous size and strength enabled it to seize and bear to
the interior the whales on which it used to feed. Even to-day when the
older inhabitants find the skeleton of a whale, back from the coast in
the interior of the country, they declare it was the victim of a
Metigew[=e]k at some remote time of the past.
One of the earlier inhabitants has been credited with a somewhat
similar experience to that of Ganymede.
A hunter having killed a deer was in the act of cutting it up
preparatory to carrying it home. Noticing a shadow coming over the
ground, he looked up just as a Metigew[=e]k swooped down and seized him
in its enormous claws and bore him aloft. The bird carried him to a
great height, so that the earth was almost lost to view. The man having
retained his spear began stabbing the bird; at last the wounds proving
fatal, the Metigew[=e]k gradually descended and reached the earth just
as it expired. That night the hunter slept under the wing of the bird,
ultimately reaching his home in safety.
IV
ORIGIN OF MAN
There is a fascination at the camp-fire. Men that have remained silent
through the day will become entertaining under the genial influence of
the crackling logs as they blaze and send their myriads of sparks
skyward. So this evening as I examine the notes in my Polar log-book,
collected at many of those fires, I find that man, no matter how
humiliating the admission may be, is forced to yield the palm of
antiquity to woman and--chewing gum. Yet as we pause to consider the
subject, from the Polar man's point of view, it is but natural that
woman should be first, for without her aid there certainly would be no
men.
My log-book says that at a very early time of the world's history, long
before day and night had been created, or the first man had made his
appearance, there lived an old woman, indeed very old, for the
tradition of her having had a beginning, if there ever was such a one,
had been lost. We must bear in mind that during the first stage of the
world everything remained young and fresh; nothing grew old. It was not
until a much later date that the indiscretion of a boy brought those
physiological changes known as growing old into the world and placed a
limitation to the period of youth. The old woman was like a young girl
in her appearance and feelings, and being the only inhabitant of the
earth, naturally felt very lonesome and wished for a companion. She was
one time chewing "pooy[=a]" (chewing gum) when the thought arose in her
mind that it would be pleasant to have an image to play with, so taking
her "pooy[=a]" she fashioned a man, then by way of ornamentation placed
a raven's beak on his forehead.
She was delighted with her success in making such a lovely image and on
lying down to sleep placed it near her side. On awakening her joy was
great, for the image had come to life and there before her was the
first man.
V
WHAT BROUGHT AGE INTO THE WORLD
At a time long ago, before old age had been introduced and while our
early ancestors were still enjoying a state of perpetual youth, a boy
was living with his grandmother. One day she remarked that they were
out of provisions, to which he replied: "Never mind, grandma, I will
set a snare and we will quickly have an owl to feast on." He skipped
merrily off and soon had ensnared a large white owl. On approaching the
bird, the following conversation took place:
Owl--"What are you going to do with me?"
Boy--"I am going to kill and eat you."
Owl--"Don't you do it."
Boy--"Why not?"
Owl--"If you kill me, I will make you an old man."
Boy--"Grandma and I are hungry, and we are going to eat you."
Owl--"Again I warn you, if you kill me I will make an old man of you."
Notwithstanding the warning, the boy killed the owl and started to
carry it home.
Household duties did not hang heavily on the ladies of that day, so
grandma was killing time by watching for the boy's return. At last,
slowly approaching and dragging a large white owl, she saw a withered
old man, stricken with the infirmities of age. It was her grandson who
had left her but a short time previous, a merry, happy youth.
So old age was introduced into the world for the first time and has
continued ever since. And often since that day many an old Inupash[3]
who has felt the infirmity of age coming on has sighed and sincerely
wished that the boy had shown more discretion by hearkening to the
warning of the owl.
[3] Inupash, native Arctic inhabitant.
VI
TOONGNA
The belief in an evil spirit is in all probability as old as the
inhabitated world. It seems to be one of those traditions that has
descended with man from the most remote times, not having lost but
having gained strength through its long ages of descent. No matter
where one may travel, he finds the majority of mankind firm believers
in such a spirit.
Even here in the far North among the Polarites there is such a belief.
"Toongna," the evil one, is supposed to be the adversary of man, and to
him is ascribed all the misfortunes that afflict the people. Some he
makes sick, while others he causes to be unfortunate in their
undertakings. If a mother loses her new-born babe, Toongna was at the
bottom of the misfortune, and she is placed under the superstitious ban
called "Karookto," not being allowed to mingle with the rest of the
villagers for a number of months, and the same tribal law is enforced
in all families where death has occurred. Should a hunting party visit
the interior in quest of deer and not meet with success, Toongna has
followed them and been the cause of their failure. Should foul weather
with heavy gales arise at an undesirable time, Toongna has been the
cause. Hence the necessity for some one having the power to expel this
evil spirit that afflicts man in such various ways; and the
"ongootkoot," rising to the emergency of the occasion by pretending to
have the desired power, early became the important man of the tribe.
"Toongna" seems to have been one of those unfortunate spirits unworthy
of having a history, for if he ever was on earth as a mortal his
parents disowned him, and no one seems to have the least ambition to be
considered one of his descendants.
He is simply a nagger of men that has had his day. Under the growing
enlightenment of the people, his supposed power is diminishing, and the
"karookto" is becoming a thing of the past.
VII
THE "ONGOOTKOOT"
The "Ongootkoot" is the sorcerer, prophet and historian. He claims to
have the power of expelling "Toongna" by his enchantments, and can do
such marvelous things as change the wind, drive off eclipses, avert or
drive off misfortunes and expel the evil one from the sick. There are
two ways of becoming an "Ongootkoot"--one is by inheritance, the other
by claiming to have performed some marvelous act. The Polar inhabitants
are a primitive, confiding people, so when one claims to have performed
an act contrary to the laws of nature, there are no questions asked or
inquiry made; the statement is simply accepted as a truth.
At one time long ago there lived a villager who had lost both his feet.
He, being an invalid, remained in his iglo, simply existing as an
object of charity to the neighbors, who were in the habit of supplying
him with food. During the fall of the year, when the weather was
growing cold, there occurred an eclipse of the sun, at the same time a
severe earthquake gave the inhabitants great alarm. The ground moved
and rolled like the ocean waves, while large crevices opened in many
places allowing smoke and sulphurous vapors to escape.
The people in their fright rushed out from their homes; the invalid,
forgetting his crippled condition, also sought the open air and began
jumping down the beach on his stumps, or as the people said, "He jumped
big." No doubt the alarm added to his alacrity in his effort to escape,
thus gaining for him the reputation of being an excellent jumper. The
eclipse passed off, so also did the earthquake, but the villagers all
declared that it was the jumping of the invalid that caused the
phenomena of nature to cease, and after that, instead of being an
obscure cripple, an object of charity to his neighbors, he arose to the
dignity of being one of the greatest of "Ongootkoots." If any of the
inhabitants were taken ill, the cripple's aid was solicited, and he
would jump around the sick one a few times, exorcising the evil spirit
and commanding it to depart. If hunting parties were about to start on
expeditions, they could not expect to meet with success unless the
cripple had jumped around them and their sled a number of times. His
fame extended throughout the surrounding country, his services being
solicited from far and near, and he soon became quite prosperous, the
rule among "Ongootkoots" being the greater the pay, the more
efficacious the treatment.
At a far more recent day it was discovered that a certain Puneunau had
a great admiration for his neighbor's dogs, he considering them a
toothsome dish. The chief banished him from the tribe, with the warning
that if he returned, the death penalty would be inflicted. In his
wanderings Puneunau led quite a checkered career with its accompanying
hardships. Several times starvation seemed to stare him in the face. It
was during one of these latter occasions that he discovered the art of
running a small slim stick down his throat without injury or great
discomfort.
After the death of the chief, Puneunau returned to the village,
claiming he could perform a marvelous feat, and in proof of the
assertion he ran the stick down his throat, then went around uttering
guttural sounds. The thing seemed wonderful in the eyes of the
villagers, gaining for him the reputation of being an "Ongootkoot."
One thing troubled Puneunau, however: he was still a widower, much
against his will, not for any lack of perseverance in offering himself
to all the neighboring widows, but because none of them would accept
his offer. At last that slight difficulty was removed. A widow
belonging to another tribe came to the village with her children, and
her son being ill, Puneunau offered his services to cure the lad. Day
after day he would go to the iglo, run the stick down his throat, then
walk around uttering gutteral sounds, but the boy refused to be cured
and finally died. This, however, did not relieve the widow of her
obligation to pay the "Ongootkoot" for his valuable services, and as
she was very poor and had nothing with which to meet it, Puneunau took
the widow herself for his fee.
The Inupash believe there are spirits wandering through space.
Occasionally one of them, becoming discontented, desires to enter the
world as a human being. It looks around, then selects some young woman
about ready to enter womanhood, one that is noted for her virtue and
other good qualities, to become its mother. Having made the selection,
it awaits the opportunity and uses her as the medium for gaining its
desire. In due course of time a child is born, which on maturity
becomes an "Ongootkoot" of the first grade. Such births of spirits,
desirous of entering the world as human beings, it is said, have
continued down until comparatively recent times. These earth-born
spirits had the reputation of being men with charmed lives who could
not be killed.
"Kownalia" was such an one. His descendants will often relate how, when
just born, he began talking with the people, conversing like an adult.
At one time while visiting further North, he and a number of men
ventured on thin ice; the ice broke and all were precipitated into the
water. "Kownalia," stepping on the backs of the struggling men, walked
to the shore uninjured, while all the others perished.
The claims for "Ungmana," another "Ongootkoot" of the first grade, were
that he could lay his abdomen open, then, placing fuel inside, set the
mass on fire, the people being allowed to witness the blaze and smoke.
He would then remove the charred mass, and on closing the wound there
would be no sign left of an injury having been inflicted.
These "Ongootkoots" have undoubtedly rendered a service to their people
in the past by acting as their historians in preserving their
traditions; they have also done good in the class of cases where
nothing more than a faith cure is needed for the sick. Concerning the
latter, the Polarites are not to be too much condemned when we consider
the large amount of superstition exhibited by some of the more
civilized inhabitants of the States, who have unbounded confidence in
their "Faith Healers." The marvelous claims that are made for these
"Ongootkoots" are undoubtedly due to the zeal of their descendants, who
are naturally anxious to place their ancestors in as favorable a light
as possible, especially if they themselves aspire to become
"Ongootkoots" by inheritance. It is also doubtful if the marvelous
deeds were ever known until the man had been dead fifty years or more.
The "Ongootkoot," however, has had his day and is now on the decline.
One often hears the older people say, as they shake their heads, that
he is not the wonderful man he was in the days of old. The young
people, through their growing enlightenment, are also losing confidence
in the man and his claims. Of those who were confirmed by the Bishop of
Alaska at Point Hope in the summer of 1903, four were directly
descended from spirits entering the world as human beings; but they
discarded their supposed birthrights and have become zealous church
workers. Others have been baptized and married to their wives, and are
making good citizens as well as earnest Christian workers.
Should one take a trip through the Arctic portion of Inupash land, it
is doubtful if he would meet with very many really non-Christians, for
the people are now accepting the Nazarene as their great good spirit.
The workers in the field truly taking an interest in the people and
trying to benefit their condition have been few, but the people
themselves have spread the teachings they have received, and the seed
has fallen on fertile ground. It is true there is yet much of the old
superstition of the past, but it has had its day and is gradually
lessening its hold on the people.
VIII
WEBUKSIDE
There is a firm belief among the Polarites that a time is to arrive
when the world will come to an end, it being known as "Webukside" or
the Judgment Day. "Tooloogigra," the great and good spirit who was once
on earth as a mortal, will be present to judge the quick and the dead.
All are to be examined. The wicked, who through the sinful lives they
led while on earth have not merited eternal happiness, are to be
rejected and consumed in the great fire which will finally destroy the
world. Those whose good lives have earned for them eternal joy are to
be saved; they are to pass with "Tooloogigra" into their future home,
where they will live forever, free from all cares, or sorrows, or
suffering of any kind.
When a man dies, it is believed that after the third night some member
of the tribe, who has made the journey before, visits the grave to
conduct the new one to his home where he is to remain while awaiting
the coming of "Webukside." On the fourth day after a death, some member
of the family strikes four blows with a hammer, at the recent home of
the deceased, which is a sign of farewell and means that the spirit is
not to return to that iglo again. With a woman, it takes one day longer
to pass to the place of waiting, so not until after the fourth night
are the knocks made. The dead have deer-skin masks over their faces and
their hands are encased in mittens.
Like the Jews who have so long been awaiting the coming of their
Messiah, so the Inupash have been waiting and looking for the return of
"Tooloogigra" for ages past. Besides liberating day and night from
their confinement (during his childhood), "Tooloogigra" has been
credited with one miracle. When grown to manhood, he was once making a
long ocean voyage with some companions in their kyaks, and being
thirsty, he longed to reach some land where fresh water could be
procured. His thirst becoming urgent, he cast his spear, and the
western portion of the land now known as Point Hope arose from the
water. The village of Tigara is at the extremity of the storm swept
point, which used to extend westward much further.
When "Tooloogigra" had fulfilled his time on earth, he did not die as
an ordinary mortal, but ascended into the sky, the people standing
below, watching him until he had faded from sight in the distance.
IX
BIRTH OF TOOLOOGIGRA
At the remote time of the earth's history when these northern regions
were clothed in a verdure of ferns and trees, nature presenting a far
different appearance than at present, men had begun to multiply on the
face of the earth and were living in a state of pristine contentment.
The necessity for building homes to shelter the people had not yet
arrived; the trials and perplexities of the busy world were unknown,
and the ambition for riches had not become the absorbing problem of the
day. Day and night, according to tradition, had not been liberated from
their confinement to bestow their many benefits on the human race,
neither had that heedless youth been born who introduced old age with
its undesirable sequelæ into the world.
At this time there lived a man who was looked upon as a powerful
chieftain. His home was a simple shelter, furnished in the rude fashion
of those days, but what seemed to place him above his fellow men and
stamped him as being no ordinary mortal were two balls hanging up in
his home, which he guarded zealously; one was bright and beautiful, the
other dark. Living with the chieftain were his wife and daughter, the
latter just budding into womanhood. She was noted for her many virtues,
while her laughing, merry disposition rendered her a favorite among the
people, and her society was much sought.
Wandering through space just then was a spirit grown tired of the
aimless life it was leading. It longed to enter the world, to become a
mortal like the merry, happy people whom it daily saw. There was but
one way in which the spirit could gain its desire; that was to be born
into the world. On looking around in its wanderings, it fell in love
with the great virtue and beauty of the chieftain's daughter and
decided she should be its medium for entering the world, and therefore
hovered around awaiting its opportunity.
One day the young woman's mother requested her to visit the spring as
she wished some fresh, cool water. The girl, like a dutiful daughter,
skipped off merrily to fulfil her mother's command.
The spirit having heard the mother's request, hastened forward and
entered the spring. The day was warm, the water looked inviting, and
the young princess, being thirsty, first dipped up for herself some of
the clear sparkling water, and with it dipped up the spirit. Taking a
long drink, which seemed particularly refreshing, she swallowed the
spirit, and returning to her mother, not dreaming of what had occurred,
she was soon at play with her companions. As time went by the spirit
grew and the princess became the mother of a son. She named him
"Tooloogigra," and the oldest Americans of the Arctic have ever since
looked upon him as their great spirit.
X
DAY AND NIGHT
Young "Tooloogigra," inheriting his mother's happy disposition, was
soon the pet of his grandparents. As he began to run around, he became
infatuated with the bright ball that he saw hanging in his home, but
his grandfather would let him have only the dark one to play with. He
rolled it around in his childish play, yet it did not meet with his
fancy. He often cried and teased grandpa for the other one. The old
chieftain, although very affectionate and indulgent in every other
respect, refused to let his young grandson have the bright ball that he
had been guarding so faithfully for so many years.
At last an opportunity arrived for the boy to gain his desire. The
chieftain was absent from home and some people venturing into the place
were amazed at the great beauty of the balls. Curiosity has always been
a strong element in the human character, and as the people of that day
were no exception to the rule, they soon experienced a desire to examine
those balls. Unfastening the bright one from its place of confinement,
they carried it outside to admire, when little "Tooloogigra," gaining
possession, broke the ball with his hands. Instantly a bright light,
which had been kept in confinement, escaped, flooding the world with
daylight for the first time. The people in their amazement threw up
their hands and cried "couru," which has ever since remained the name
for daylight.
Not satisfied with their experience and the changed condition of
things, they soon had the second ball unfastened and in their hands,
when little "Tooloogigra," gaining possession of this also, broke it as
he had the first. A dark vapor was liberated, which, spreading over the
earth, extinguished the bright light. The people then cried "oongnoo,"
from which has been derived "oongnoorpuk"--night.
Ever since that time, many a polar mother has interested her children
by telling them how young "Tooloogigra" liberated day and night from
their confinement.
XI
MAN'S FIRST CONSTRUCTED HOME
North America, having gradually emerged from the water, had come into
existence. To the east of Alaska, the warm Atlantic currents had become
restricted by the rising land and did not flow so freely as formerly.
To the south, the Seward Peninsula was forming, first appearing as a
string of islands with shoals, then gradually rising more and more,
until it restricted the ocean currents from the Pacific. The Arctic
regions, being deprived of their warming influences, were beginning to
feel the cold of winter.
The birds had taken the warning and were commencing to form their
migratory habits by flying south to escape the cold and to find regions
where their food supply was more abundant, returning north each summer
to their earlier homes for the nesting season. The mammoth had also
apparently tried to make its escape, but had perished in large numbers
in the region of Escholtz Bay, at a section often called the Mammoth
Graveyard. The birds and ducks seemed to be trying to overtake the
retreating sun as it worked its way southward, the godwit continuing
its flight as far as New Zealand, where it yet continues to spend the
winter months.
Many of the inhabitants of Alaska, in trying to make their escape from
the cold, apparently preferred to follow the sun in its western course.
These people had progressed far enough to know the art of canoe
building. The remains of three of their canoes are to be seen to-day on
mountains inland, where they have been well preserved by the ice and
snow, remaining as silent witnesses of an early day and showing where
the ocean used to be in the remote past. Also on higher ground inland
can be seen the skeleton of a whale; while on the Seward Peninsula, on
land between four and five hundred feet higher than the ocean, an
acquaintance found a driftwood log in a fair state of preservation. The
people, following the chain of islands which separate Behring Sea from
the Pacific Ocean, reached Siberia, which they probably crossed. We
read that there lived in Europe at a very early date, a rude race of
hunters and fishers, closely allied to the Eskimos, who were apparently
driven there from the east by the increasing cold. They seem to have
made an impression on the older languages of Europe in the line of
their words and grammar, and it is also probable that their tradition
of the earliest state of man may have led to the fable of the sea
nymph.
The Seward Peninsula continued rising until at last it entirely emerged
above the water, disclosing those wonderful deposits of gold that of
late years have made Nome famous throughout the world. The rising land
formed a barrier against the warming influence of the Japan current.
Then the Arctic winters set in with their utmost severity, continuing
until at last Nature came to the relief of this ice-bound region. A
portion of the land nearest Asia sank, forming what is now known as the
Behring Straits, again admitting the Japan current to exert its
ameliorating influence on the Arctic sections. Our seasons then assumed
pretty much the same conditions they have now. Tradition states that in
the past there have been severe earthquakes in this section and it may
be due to such a cause that the land subsided.
As the seasons grew more and more severe, Nature, according to
tradition, took care of the seal and the wolf, by changing the fat of
the former to the blubber of to-day, and by causing the thin, short
hair of the latter to grow into the thick, warm fur of the present.
Man, with his superior intellect, was left to solve his own problem.
Those people who had remained behind soon found that their cave-dwellings
were not a sufficient protection against the cold, which was recurring
with greater severity each succeeding winter, and undoubtedly many
perished. The polar bear had solved the problem of sheltering herself
by building a home, according to circumstances, either on the land, or
on the ocean ice, and it was the latter that suggested to man how to
construct his first mound house, called iglo.
The female bear, in making the winter home in which her cub is born,
selects a site where the ocean ice extends up against a cliff, and
where the snow has drifted the deepest; with her massive paws she digs
into the drift, throwing the snow behind her. The entrance becomes
filled, while the drifting snow soon obliterates any external sign of
her presence. A good-sized room is formed and a small hole in the roof,
made by the warmth inside, acts as a ventilator. The escaping steam is
the sign which shows the hunter where a bear is to be procured. She
makes a hole in the ice, at one end of the room, through which she can
dive to procure a seal when hungry. Here she has a warm, comfortable
home for herself and cub, where they remain until the warmer weather of
spring reminds the family that it is time to begin their travels with
the ice pack.
Man imitated the bear in constructing his iglo. First excavating the
ground for a short distance, he erected over it a frame of driftwood
and whale jaws. At one end of the room the excavation was made somewhat
deeper, a hole large enough to admit a man being left in the floor over
the excavation to serve as an entrance, and a driftwood passageway
ending at a mound left open at the top, whose elevation prevented the
snow drifting in, made an exit to the outer world. A small hole in the
roof of the one room acted as a ventilator and a larger one covered
with the dried intestines of a seal served as a window. All was then
covered over with sods and earth, making a home constructed on the same
principle as that of the bear; one that resisted the cold and could be
easily warmed by the seal-oil lamp. The same principle is still adhered
to in constructing the modern iglo, though a small room has been added
at the entrance to serve as a cooking room, while for the hole in the
floor for an entrance a small door has been substituted.
XII
THE MAMMOTH
The traditions regarding the mammoth, called the "keleegewuk," are few
and short. They are not of an interesting nature, further than to give
some idea of the great age of these traditions. They were undoubtedly
much longer at first, but by their descent through a vast length of
time, they now appear in their present curtailment. There is one that
gives a slight insight into the condition of those early days, both as
regards the heat of the weather, and the changes that have taken place
with the wolf.
A man had gone into the interior on a hunting expedition. The weather
proved to be very warm, so he sought the shelter of a cave, intending
to await the passing of the heat of the day. He had not been in the
shelter long before the sound of a heavy animal passing rapidly over
the earth greeted his ears, and on looking out he saw a mammoth in full
flight, the huge creature exhibiting great fear, as it was being chased
by a thin, short-haired wolf. The man watched the two until they had
passed from sight.
The fear exhibited by the mammoth for so small an animal as the wolf
puts one in mind of the reports that the modern elephant will
occasionally exhibit much alarm when a mouse appears in its exclosure.
XIII
FIRE-MAKING
The art of fire-making was known among these people at a very remote
time. The earliest method appears to have been through the agency of
iron pyrites, called "cozgeen" or "igneen," and from the latter has
been derived "ignek," the Tigara word for fire. Two pieces of "igneen,"
being struck together, would emit a spark; a small-sized heap of tinder
being placed on the ground the operator would continue striking the
glancing blows until a lucky spark ignited the mass. The operation, to
say the least, must have required a great amount of patience on the
part of the operator. It was the only method of fire-making known for a
great length of time; then the second method was happily discovered.
It had been found that a small round stick with a piece of flint
inserted in the end, revolved by hand, would bore through bone, ivory
or even stone. Later on some inventive genius introduced the bow and
string, to revolve the instrument more rapidly, while a wooden
mouth-piece was used to exert pressure and to steady the instrument. It
is still in use for boring, a piece of wire having replaced the flint.
After the introduction of the bow and string and the mouth-piece, it
was found that the rapidly revolving tool excited friction enough to
produce fire. That was the second method known, but it did not displace
the "igneen" which continued in use until rendered obsolete by the
well-known flint and steel. This last is of comparatively recent
introduction, iron not having been known in Alaska until the past fifty
or sixty years. The domestic match, however, has now almost displaced
all the other methods, although the flint and steel are still in use
with some of the older smokers.
XIV
INSTRUMENTS