MOTHER AND CHILD.
THE mother was proud that this first baby was a boy. She liked to dream
of what a great hunter he would become. In a few years he would do his
part to keep the wolf from the door, in more senses than one. He would
bring home the seal, the walrus, now growing so scarce, the grim white
bear, and make many a feast for his people. Oh, no, girls could never
do such things as these! She was a happy woman, indeed.
This Eskimo mother had a pleasant, sunny face, even though the chin was
tattooed with three long lines from the mouth downwards. She firmly
believed that it would be looked upon as a sign of goodness, when she
reached the next world. It might help in bringing her to heaven.
The work was done by her own hands and must have been quite painful.
The sinew of a reindeer furnished the thread which she blackened with
soot. Fastening it in her bone needle, she drew it under and through
the skin till the lines were plainly marked. They would stay that way
as long as she lived.
She bustled about at her work without fuss or hurry. More than once
the children playing in the room got in her way, but she did not scold
nor even look cross. Now and then a hungry-looking dog poked his head
up through the doorway, only to be chased out of sight again when
discovered. As she worked she joined in the laughter and talk of the
women.
Hark! the sound of many feet could be heard, and the women and children
stopped their chatter to welcome the men of the household, who had
been away on a bear hunt for many hours.
"What luck? What luck?" all said at once, but there was no story of
brave fighting to tell this night; the long march over the icy plains
had met with no reward. But there was no danger of starving at present,
for great dishes of smoking seal soup stood ready for the hunters.
In a few minutes all the household were squatting on the floor around
the bowls. They ate the delicious supper to their hearts' content; and
how they did eat! It seemed as though their stomachs must be made of
elastic, for otherwise how were they able to stow away such immense
quantities of the rich, fatty food?
With Etu's people it is either a feast or a famine all the time. They
have no regular time to eat, no such thing as breakfast, dinner, and
supper. If there is a good supply of food on hand, they will keep on
eating hour after hour in a way to fill other people with wonder. But
if there is nothing in the larder they are able to go several days
without eating; yet they seem to keep well and strong.
All were satisfied at last, and baby Etu waked up in time to be held
and petted for a while before bedtime.
His mother did not have any dishes to wash, but before she could settle
herself for the night she had to arrange a net over the seal-oil lamp,
and spread her husband's wet clothing in it to dry. She must rouse
herself during the night to watch and turn it from time to time, for
that is a woman's work, she has been taught.
But where were all these people going to stow themselves for sleeping?
There was no sign of a bed in the whole house. That question was easily
settled, for a portion of the platform was set aside for each family.
They arranged their fur rugs upon it, and crept in side by side.
Then, taking off all their clothing, they buried themselves under the
warm covers. First in order lay the father of a family, next came the
mother, and close to her the youngest child was always nestled.
Baby Etu slept, warm and safe, that night and many afterward. Not once
during the long winter did he cry from colic.
As soon as he was able to sit up alone his mother gave him lessons
in what he needed most,--strength of body, and ease in moving every
muscle. She would sit on the floor or platform and stretch out her
legs in front of her. Then she would brace Etu against her feet, and,
holding his hands, would bend his arms in every possible direction. Now
they must be stretched upwards, now to the right, the left, behind him,
and so on. This would make him agile in hunting.
As soon as the baby could walk he began to have other exercises for his
legs, for he must make a good runner and dancer, also.
As soon as Etu began to take more notice of those around him, he
received many presents of toys. There were animals carved out of
ivory,--tiny whales and walruses, baby seals and reindeer. He could not
break them easily. They were fine things to press against his aching
gums when the first teeth pushed themselves into sight. If he had been
a girl he would have had an ivory doll, with a little dress of mouse
skin, but, of course, a boy would not care for such a plaything. It was
not to be thought of.
Soon the time came for his first suit of clothes, and, oh, how many
days of patient work his mamma spent on those little garments!
In the first place, there must be some long stockings of reindeer skin,
so made that the hairy side lay next his body. After that came socks
of the skin taken from eider-ducks. And outside of all he must wear
stout boots of sealskin with soles of thick whale hide. He must draw
these up to his hips over his two pairs of deerskin trousers, just as
his father and mother themselves did. His jacket was made of reindeer
skin, with a warm hood fastened to it to draw over his head while
outdoors in the searching winds. It had no buttons either before or
behind, but fitted quite loosely.
Some one asks: "How did he get into this garment, since there were no
openings except for the neck and sleeves?" He slipped it down over his
head, as American boys put on their jerseys. The skin had been tanned
and stretched and softened so beautifully by his mother that it was
quite easy to do this.
The baby's jacket was shaped round exactly like his father's, while his
mother's had a long pointed tail both in front and behind. Besides
this difference, her own jacket is always trimmed with a fringe of
coloured beads bought of the traders. This fringe reaches around the
neck, and also around both of the tails. It is very beautiful, her
neighbours all declare.
It seems quite wonderful to us that Etu's boots could be perfectly
water-tight, although they were home-made. This Eskimo mother is such a
fine seamstress with her coarse needle and thread, that a drop of water
cannot enter the skin boots after her work is done.
When his first suit was entirely finished, and Etu was dressed, he was
ready for the coldest weather. As soon as he could walk easily, he
had no more need to ride in the warm hood on his mother's back. There
were times before this, however, when he cried with the cold even in
that snug place, and his mother had been obliged to stop in her walk,
loosen her jacket, and slip the baby inside of all her clothing next to
her own warm body. After that the crying would stop, and Etu would coo
softly as the two went on their way.
How many things had to be done before the baby's suit was finished! In
the first place, his papa must kill the animals which furnished the
warm skins. But when that was done, _his_ work was over. It was his
wife's turn now. She removed the skins from the dead reindeer and seal,
and stretched them out to dry, with the hairy side toward the earth.
After a few days they were ready for her to begin the hardest part of
the task. They must be scraped with a sharp knife until every atom of
flesh should be removed, as well as the inner tough skin. Now they were
flexible enough for all the clothing except the stockings, and these
must be very soft indeed for the tender baby feet. A piece of the skin
of a baby deer was chosen by the careful mother, who next proceeded to
chew it, inch by inch. Her teeth were beautifully white and sharp, but
the work was done so carefully that no hole, nor even mark, could be
seen in the skin when it was finished.
She was ready now to cut out the various garments with her odd
scissors,--but, after all, it is wrong to call the queer knife she
uses by the name of scissors. She speaks of it as an "oodlo," and it
is useful in so many ways, she really could not keep house without it.
It is shaped much like your mother's meat-chopper. It is made of bone
edged with iron, and when Etu's mother cuts with it, she moves it away
from her in a way which looks very awkward to us. It not only takes the
place of scissors, but is the hatchet, the knife, and also scraper with
which the flesh is removed from the skins.