The Eskimos occupy the whole Arctic coast from Behring Strait to
Labrador and Greenland. They have also a few isolated villages on the
extreme eastern point of Siberia. Notwithstanding a general uniformity
of cultural life, there are marked differences between the Eskimo of
the region west of the Mackenzie River and the eastern group. The
Eskimo of Greenland are considerably modified by European contact. The
group to which the tale refers are the Eskimo of Baffin Land, the large
island extending from Hudson Strait northward and forming the west
coast of Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, more particularly of the eastern
shore of the island. The total number of individuals living in this
area does not exceed 400.
Individuals belonging to these villages make extensive travels and come
into contact with the natives of the northern coast of Hudson Bay and
of the mainland northwest of Hudson Bay. Only Eskimo tribes are known
to them.
The principal descriptions of these tribes are found in the following
publications:
BOAS, FRANZ. The Central Eskimo (6th Annual Report of the Bureau of
Ethnology, Washington, 1888).
The Eskimo of Baffin Land and Hudson Bay (Bulletin, vol. XX,
American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1901, 1907).
Other important publications may be found in the bibliographies
attached to these volumes. The most important recent publication on the
Eskimo of Greenland is:
THALBITZER, WILLIAM. The Ammassalik Eskimo; Meddelelser om Gronland,
vol. XXXIX, Copenhagen, 1914.