described. Our first knowledge of them was obtained from Greenland,—for
the native inhabitants of Greenland are true Esquimaux,—and hundreds of
years ago accounts of them were given to the world by the Danish
colonists and missionaries—as also by the whalers who visited the coasts
of that inhospitable land. In later times they have been made familiar
to us through the Arctic explorers and whale-fishers, who have traversed
the labyrinth of icy islands that extend northward from the continent of
America. The Esquimaux may boast of possessing the _longest_ country in
the world. In the first place, Greenland is theirs, and they are found
along the western shores of Baffin’s Bay. In North America proper their
territory commences at the straits of Belle Isle, which separate
Newfoundland from Labrador, and thence extends all around the shore of
the Arctic Ocean, not only to Behring’s Straits, but beyond these,
around the Pacific coast of Russian America, as far south as the great
mountain St. Elias. Across Behring’s Straits they are found occupying a
portion of the Asiatic coast, under the name of Tchutski, and some of
the islands in the northern angle of the Pacific Ocean are also
inhabited by these people, though under a different name. Furthermore,
the numerous ice islands which lie between North America and the Pole
are either inhabited or visited by Esquimaux to the highest point that
discovery has yet reached.
There can be little doubt that the Laplanders of northern Europe, and
the Samoyedes, and other littoral peoples dwelling along the Siberian
shores, are kindred races of the Esquimaux; and taking this view of the
question, it may be said that the latter possess all the line of coast
of both continents facing northward; in other words, that their country
extends around the globe—though it cannot be said (as is often
boastingly declared of the British empire) that “the sun never sets upon
it;” for, over the “empire” of the Esquimaux, the sun not only sets, but
remains out of sight of it for months at a time.
It is not usual, however, to class the Laplanders and _Asiatic Arctic_
people with the Esquimaux. There are some essential points of
difference; and what is here said of the Esquimaux relates only to those
who inhabit the northern coasts and islands of America, and to the
native Greenlanders.
Notwithstanding the immense extent of territory thus designated,
notwithstanding the sparseness of the Esquimaux population, and the vast
distances by which one little tribe or community is separated from
another, the absolute similarity in their habits, in their physical and
intellectual conformation, and, above all, in their languages, proves
incontestably that they are all originally of one and the same race.
Whatever, therefore, may be said of a “Schelling,” or native
Greenlander, will be equally applicable to an Esquimaux of Labrador, to
an Esquimaux of the Mackenzie River or Bhering’s Straits, or we might
add, to a a Khadiak islander, or a Tuski of the opposite Asiatic coast;
always taking into account such differences of costume, dialect, modes
of life, &c., as may be brought about by the different circumstances in
which they are placed. In all these things, however, they are
wonderfully alike; their dresses, weapons, boats, houses, and house
implements, being almost the same in material and construction from East
Greenland to the Tchutskoi Noss.
If their country be the longest in the world, it is also the
_narrowest_. Of course, if we take into account the large islands that
thickly stud the Arctic Ocean, it may be deemed broad enough; but I am
speaking rather of the territory which they possess on the continents.
This may be regarded as a mere strip following the outline of the coast,
and never extending beyond the distance of a day’s journey inland.
Indeed, they only seek the interior in the few short weeks of summer,
for the purpose of hunting the reindeer, the musk-ox, and other animals;
after each excursion, returning again to the shores of the sea, where
they have their winter houses and more permanent home. They are, truly
and emphatically, a _littoral_ people, and it is to the sea they look
for their principal means of support. But for this source of supply,
they could not long continue to exist upon land altogether incapable of
supplying the wants even of the most limited population.
The name _Esquimaux_—or, as it is sometimes written, “Eskimo,”—like many
other national appellations, is of obscure origin. It is supposed to
have been given to them by the Canadian voyageurs in the employ of the
Hudson’s Bay Company, and derived from the words _Ceux qui miaux_ (those
who mew), in relation to their screaming like cats. But the etymology
is, to say the least, _suspicious_. They generally call themselves
“Inuit” (pronounced enn-oo-eet), a word which signifies “men;”—though
different tribes of them have distinct tribal appellations.
[Illustration]
In personal appearance, they cannot be regarded as at all
prepossessing—though some of the younger men and girls, when cleansed of
the filth and grease with which their skin is habitually coated, are far
from ill-looking. Their natural color is not much darker than that of
some of the southern nations of Europe—the Portuguese, for instance—and
the young girls often have blooming cheeks, and a pleasing expression of
countenance. Their faces are generally of a broad, roundish shape, the
forehead and chin both narrow and receding, and the cheeks very
prominent, though not angular. On the contrary, they are rather fat and
round. This prominence of the cheeks gives to their nose the appearance
of being low and flat; and individuals are often seen with such high
cheeks, that a ruler laid from one to the other would not touch the
bridge of the nose between them!
As they grow older their complexion becomes darker, perhaps from
exposure to the climate. Very naturally, too, both men and women grow
uglier, but especially the latter, some of whom in old age present such
a hideous aspect, that the early Arctic explorers could not help
characterizing them as _witches_.
The average stature of the Esquimaux is far below that of European
nations, though individuals are sometimes met with nearly six feet in
height. These, however, are rare exceptions; and an Esquimaux of such
proportions would be a giant among his people. The more common height is
from four feet eight inches to five feet eight; and the women are still
shorter, rarely attaining the standard of five feet. The shortness of
both men and women appears to be a deficiency in length of limb, for
their bodies are long enough; but, as the Esquimaux is almost constantly
in his canoe, or “kayak,” or upon his dog-sledge, his legs have but
little to do, and are consequently stunted in their development.
A similar peculiarity is presented by the Comanche, and other Indians of
the prairies, and also in the Guachos and Patagonian Indians, of the
South-American Pampas, who spend most of their time on the backs of
their horses.
The Esquimaux have no religion, unless we dignify by that name a belief
in witches, sorcerers, “Shamans,” and good or evil spirits, with some
confused notion of a good and bad place hereafter. Missionary zeal has
been exerted among them almost in vain. They exhibit an apathetic
indifference to the teachings of Christianity.
Neither have they any political organization; and in this respect they
differ essentially from most savages known, the lowest of whom have
usually their chiefs and councils of elders. This absence of all
government, however, is no proof of their being lower in the scale of
civilization than other savages; but, perhaps, rather the contrary, for
the very idea of chiefdom, or government, is a presumption of the
existence of vice among a people, and the necessity of coercion and
repression. To one another these rude people are believed to act in the
most honest manner; and it could be shown that such was likewise their
behavior towards strangers until they were corrupted by excessive
temptation. All Arctic voyagers record instances of what they term petty
theft, on the part of certain tribes of Esquimaux,—that is, the
pilfering of nails, hatchets, pieces of iron-hoops, &c.,—but it might be
worth while reflecting that these articles are, in the eyes of the
Esquimaux, what ingots of gold are to Europeans, and worth while
inquiring if a few bars of the last-mentioned metal were laid loosely
and carelessly upon the pavements of London, how long they would be in
changing their owners? Theft should be regarded along with the amount of
temptation; and it appears even in these recorded cases that only a
_few_ of the Esquimaux took part in it. I apprehend that something more
than a few Londoners would be found picking up the golden ingots. How
many thieves have we among us, with no greater temptation than a cheap
cotton kerchief?—more than a few, it is to be feared.
In truth, the Esquimaux are by no means the savages they have been
represented. The only important point in which they at all assimilate to
the purely savage state is in the filthiness of their persons, and
perhaps also in the fact of their eating much of their food (fish and
flesh-meat) in a raw state. For the latter habit, however, they are
partially indebted to the circumstances in which they are placed—fires
or cookery being at times altogether impossible. They are not the only
people who have been forced to eat raw flesh; and Europeans who have
travelled in that inhospitable country soon get used to the practice, at
the same time getting quite cured of their _dégoût_ for it.
It is certainly not correct to characterize the Esquimaux as mere
_savages_. On the contrary, they may be regarded as a civilized people,
that is, so far as civilization is permitted by the rigorous climate in
which they live; and it would be safe to affirm that a colony of the
most polished people in Europe, established as the Esquimaux are, and
left solely to their own resources, would in a single generation exhibit
a civilization not one degree higher than that now met with among the
Esquimaux. Indeed, the fact is already established: the Danish and
Norwegian colonists of West Greenland, though backed by constant
intercourse with their mother-land, are but little more civilized than
the “Skellings,” who are their neighbors.
In reality, the Esquimaux have made the most of the circumstances in
which they are placed, and continue to do so. Among them agriculture
is impossible, else they would long since have taken to it. So too is
commerce; and as to manufactures, it is doubtful whether Europeans
could excel them under like circumstances. Whatever raw material their
country produces, is by them both strongly and neatly fabricated, as
indicated by the surprising skill with which they make their dresses,
their boats, their implements for hunting and fishing; and in these
accomplishments—the only ones practicable under their hyperborean
heaven—they are perfect adepts. In such arts civilized Europeans are
perfect simpletons to them, and the theories of fireside speculators,
so lately promulgated in our newspapers, that Sir John Franklin and
his crew could not fail to procure a living where the simple Esquimaux
were able to make a home, betrayed only ignorance of the condition of
these people. In truth, white men would starve, where the Esquimaux
could live in luxurious abundance, so far superior to ours is their
knowledge both of fishing and the chase. It is a well-recorded fact,
that while our Arctic voyagers, at their winter stations, provided
with good guns, nets, and every appliance, could but rarely kill a
reindeer or capture a seal, the Esquimaux obtained both in abundance,
and apparently without an effort; and we shall presently note the
causes of their superiority in this respect.
The very dress of the Esquimaux is a proof of their superiority over
other savages. At no season of the year do they go either naked, or even
“ragged.” They have their changes to suit the seasons,—their summer
dress, and one of a warmer kind for winter. Both are made in a most
complicated manner; and the preparation of the material, as well as the
manner by which it is put together, prove the Esquimaux women—for they
are alike the tailors and dressmakers—to be among the best seamstresses
in the world.
Captain Lyon, one of the most observant of Arctic voyagers, has given a
description of the costume of the Esquimaux of Savage Island, and those
of Repulse Bay, where he wintered, and his account is so graphic and
minute in details, that it would be idle to alter a word of his
language. His description, with slight differences in make and material,
will answer pretty accurately for the costume of the whole race.
“The clothes of both sexes are principally composed of fine and
well-prepared reindeer pelts; the skins of bears, seals, wolves, foxes,
and marmottes, are also used. The seal-skins are seldom employed for any
part of the dress except boots and shoes, as being more capable of
resisting water, and of far greater durability than other leather.
“The general winter dress of the men is an ample outer coat of
deer-skin, having no opening in front, and a large hood, which is drawn
over the head at pleasure. This hood is invariably bordered with white
fur from the thighs of the deer, and thus presents a lively contrast to
the dark face which it encircles. The front or belly part of the coat is
cut off square with the upper part of the thighs, but behind it is
formed into a broad skirt, rounded at the lower end, which reaches to
within a few inches of the ground. The lower edges and tails of these
dresses are in some cases bordered with bands of fur of an opposite
color to the body; and it is a favorite ornament to hang a fringe of
little strips of skin beneath the border. The embellishments give a very
pleasing appearance to the dress. It is customary in blowing weather to
tie a piece of skin or cord tight round the waist of the coat; but in
other cases the dress hangs loose.
“Within the covering I have just described is another, of precisely the
same form; but though destitute of ornaments of leather, it has
frequently little strings of beads hanging to it from the shoulders or
small of the back. This dress is of thinner skin, and acts as a shirt,
the hairy part being placed near the body: it is the in-doors habit.
When walking, the tail is tied up by two strings to the back, so that it
may not incommode the legs. Besides these two coats, they have also a
large cloak, or, in fact, an open deer-skin, with sleeves: this, from
its size, is more frequently used as a blanket; and I but once saw it
worn by a man at the ship, although the women throw it over their
shoulders to shelter themselves and children while sitting on the
sledge.
“The trowsers, which are tightly tied round the loins, have no
waistbands, but depend entirely by the drawing-string; they are
generally of deer-skin, and ornamented in the same manner as the coats.
One of the most favorite patterns is an arrangement of the skins of
deer’s legs, so as to form very pretty stripes. As with the jackets,
there are two pair of these indispensables, reaching no lower than the
knee-cap, which is a cause of great distress in cold weather, as that
part is frequently severely frost-bitten; yet, with all their experience
of this bad contrivance, they will not add an inch to the established
length.
“The boots reach to the bottom of the breeches, which hang loosely over
them. In these, as in other parts of the dress, are many varieties of
color, material, and pattern, yet in shape they never vary. The general
winter boots are of deer-skin; one having the hair next the leg, and the
other with the fur outside. A pair of soft slippers of the same kind are
worn between the two pair of boots, and outside of all a strong
seal-skin shoe is pulled to the height of the ankle, where it is tightly
secured by a drawing-string. For hunting excursions, or in summer when
the country is thawed, one pair of boots only is worn. They are of
seal-skin, and so well sewed and prepared without the hair, that
although completely saturated, they allow no water to pass through them.
The soles are generally of the tough hide of the walrus, or of the large
seal called Oō-ghĭoo, so that the feet are well protected in walking
over rough ground. Slippers are sometimes worn outside. In both cases
the boots are tightly fastened round the instep with a thong of leather.
The mittens in common use are of deer-skin, with the hair inside; but,
in fact, every kind of skin is used for them. They are extremely
comfortable when dry; but if once wetted and frozen again, in the winter
afford as little protection to the hands as a case of ice would do. In
summer, and in fishing, excellent seal-skin mittens are used, and have
the same power of resisting water as the boots of which I have just
spoken. The dresses I have just described are chiefly used in winter.
During the summer it is customary to wear coats, boots, and even
breeches, composed of the prepared skins of ducks, with the feathers
next the body. These are comfortable, light, and easily prepared. The
few ornaments in their possession are worn by the men. These are some
bandeaus which encircle the head, and are composed of various-colored
leather, plaited in a mosaic pattern, and in some cases having human
hair woven in them, as a contrast to the white-skins. From the lower
edge foxes’ teeth hang suspended, arranged as a fringe across the
forehead. Some wear a musk-ox tooth, a bit of ivory, or a small piece of
bone.
“The clothing of the women is of the same materials as that of the men,
but in shape almost every part is different from the male dress. An
inner jacket is worn next the skin, and the fur of the other is outside.
The hind-flap, or tail, is of the same form before described, but there
is also a small flap in front, extending about half-way down the thigh.
The coats have each an immense hood, which, as well as covering the
head, answers the purpose of a child’s cradle for two or three years
after the birth of an infant. In order to keep the burden of the child
from drawing the dress tight across the throat, a contrivance, in a
great measure resembling the slings of a soldier’s knapsack, is affixed
to the collar or neck part, whence it passes beneath the hood, crosses,
and, being brought under the arms, is secured on each side the breast by
a wooden button. The shoulders of the women’s coat have a bag-like
space, for the purpose of facilitating the removal of the child from the
hood round to the breast without taking it out of the jacket.
“A girdle is sometimes worn round the waist: it answers the double
purposes of comfort and ornament, being composed of what they consider
valuable trinkets, such as foxes’ bones (those of the rableeaghioo), or
sometimes of the ears of deer, which hang in pairs to the number of
twenty or thirty, and are trophies of the skill of the hunter, to whom
the wearer is allied. The inexpressibles of the women are in the same
form as those of the men, but they are not ornamented by the same
curious arrangement of colors; the front part is generally of white, and
the back of dark fur. The manner of securing them at the waist is also
the same; but the drawing-strings are of much greater length, being
suffered to hang down by one side, and their ends are frequently
ornamented with some pendent jewel, such as a grinder or two of the
musk-ox, a piece of ivory, a small ball of wood, or a perforated stone.
“The boots of the fair sex are, without dispute, the most extraordinary
part of their equipment, and are of such an immense size as to resemble
leather sacks, and to give a most deformed, and, at the same time,
ludicrous appearance to the whole figure, the bulky part being at the
knee; the upper end is formed into a pointed flap, which, covering the
front of the thigh, is secured by a button or knot within the waistband
of the breeches.
“Some of these ample articles of apparel are composed with considerable
taste, of various-colored skins; they also have them of
parchment,—seals’ leather. Two pairs are worn; and the feet have also a
pair of seal-skin slippers, which fit close, and are tightly tied round
the ankle.
“Children have no kind of clothing, but lie naked in their mothers’
hoods until two or three years of age, when they are stuffed into a
little dress, generally of fawn-skin, which has jacket and breeches in
one, the back part being open; into these they are pushed, when a string
or two closes all up again. A cap forms an indispensable part of the
equipment, and is generally of some fantastical shape; the skin of a
fawn’s head is a favorite material in the composition, and is sometimes
seen with the ears perfect; the nose and holes for the eyes lying along
the crown of the wearer’s head, which in consequence, looks like that of
an animal.”
The same author also gives a most graphic description of the curious
winter dwellings of the Esquimaux, which on many parts of the coast are
built out of the only materials to be had,—_ice and snow_! Snow for the
walls and ice for the windows! you might fancy the house of the
Esquimaux to be a very cold dwelling; such, however, is by no means its
character.
“The entrance to the dwellings,” says Captain Lyon, “was by a hole,
about a yard in diameter, which led through a low-arched passage of
sufficient breadth for two to pass in a stooping posture, and about
sixteen feet in length; another hole then presented itself, and led
through a similarly-shaped, but shorter passage, having at its
termination a round opening, about two feet across. Up this hole we
crept one step, and found ourselves in a dome about seven feet in
height, and as many in diameter, from whence the three dwelling-places,
with arched roofs, were entered. It must be observed that this is the
description of a large hut, the smaller ones, containing one or two
families, have the domes somewhat differently arranged.
“Each dwelling might be averaged at fourteen or sixteen feet in diameter
by six or seven in height, but as snow alone was used in their
construction, and was always at hand, it might be supposed that there
was no particular size, that being of course at the option of the
builder. The laying of the arch was performed in such a manner as would
have satisfied the most regular artist, the key-piece on the top, being
a large square slab. The blocks of snow used in the buildings were from
four to six inches in thickness, and about a couple of feet in length,
carefully pared with a large knife. Where two families occupied a dome,
a seat was raised on either side, two feet in height. These raised
places were used as beds, and covered in the first place with whalebone,
sprigs of andromeda, or pieces of seals’-skin, over these were spread
deer-pelts and deer-skin clothes, which had a very warm appearance. The
pelts were used as blankets, and many of them had ornamental fringes of
leather sewed round their edges.
“Each dwelling-place was illumined by a broad piece of transparent
fresh-water ice, of about two feet in diameter, which formed part of the
roof, and was placed over the door. These windows gave a most pleasing
light, free from glare, and something like that which is thrown through
ground glass. We soon learned that the building of a house was but the
work of an hour or two, and that a couple of men—one to cut the slabs
and the other to lay them—were laborers sufficient.
“For the support of the lamps and cooking apparatus, a mound of snow is
erected for each family; and when the master has two wives or a mother,
both have an independent place, one at each end of the bench.
“I find it impossible to attempt describing everything at a second
visit, and shall therefore only give an account of those articles of
furniture which must be always the same, and with which, in five
minutes, any one might be acquainted. A frame, composed of two or three
broken fishing-spears, supported in the first place a large hoop of wood
or bone, across which an open-meshed and ill-made net was spread or
worked for the reception of wet or damp clothes, skins, etc., which
could be dried by the heat of the lamp. On this contrivance the master
of each hut placed his gloves on entering, first carefully clearing them
of snow.