ESKIMO OF HUDSON'S STRAIT. BY F.
F.
PAYNF:.
Much Huh been written of the Eskirao hv iiavigutors and travellers in Arctic and Huh-Arctic Regions, and yet
we
writing at joast soiuething new to inteivst uh.
almost every
find in
In a short paper Huch
as this it would be useless attempting to describe all the customs and
habits
common to the whole race that have so often been descril>ed endeavour to confine myself as much as
before, I shall, therefore,
possible to a description of the more interesting parts «)f the mod»'s of
met with on the shores of Hudson's Htrait, and more had not met white men before, and with whom I lived during a period of thirteen life of
those
e8i)ecially those at Cape Prince of Wales, many of whom
months.
During the winter months the Eskimo, or Inuite as then- call themselves, are found occupying the ground at prouiinent points along the
Here the ever changing tides flowing and returning break
the coast.
up the ice and here the seals, on which they mainly subsist, are found. The prevailing winds during these months bein-^ from the north-we.st, snow is drifted to a great depth oi> the south-eastern sides of the hills. This they take advantage of and .soon after building their igloos many of them are completely hurried and are thereby well protected from
On visiting a village after a snowstorm I was struck with
the wind. its
resemblance to a lot of mole
little snow
the igloo
;
hills.
Nothing could be .seen but a
thrown up on each side of a hole l)y which a passage led to on a near approach, howeve windows were seen a little •,
below the surface from which the snow had been removed.
Upon
entering some of those igloos, pas.sage ways were found cut through
srow thereby connecting several of them, making it appear much like an underground village. the drifted
In these villages they live as long as possible, ami will not leave until they are compelled to do so through scarcity of food, but at this
time, when a report comes in from another part of the coast that seals are plentful they will sometimes leave in a body, and
where an hour