The Central Eskimo Part 14

500.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 497. Plan of Hudson Bay house. (From Hall II, p. 128.)]

Besides these snow houses a more solid building is in use, called qarmang. On the islands of the American Archipelago and in the neighboring parts of the mainland numerous old stone foundations are found, which prove that all these islands were once inhabited by the Eskimo. It has often been said that the central tribes have forgotten the art of building stone houses and always live in snow huts. At the present time they do not build houses, but cover the walls of an old hut with a new roof whenever they take possession of it. There is no need of any new buildings, as the Eskimo always locate in the old settlements and the old buildings are quite sufficient to satisfy all their wants.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 498. Plan and sections of qarmang or stone house.]

Those in good condition have a long stone entrance (ka'teng) (Fig. 498), sometimes from fifteen to twenty feet long. This is made by cutting an excavation into the slope of a hill. Its walls are covered with large slabs of stone about two and a half feet high and three feet wide, the s.p.a.ce between the stone and the sides of the excavation being afterwards filled up with earth. The floor of the pa.s.sage slopes upward toward the hut. The last four feet of the entrance are covered with a very large slab and are a little higher than the other parts of the roof of the pa.s.sageway. The slab is at the same height as the benches of the dwelling room, which is also dug out, the walls being formed of stones and whale ribs. The plan of the interior is the same as that of the snow house, the bed being in the rear end of the room and the lamps on both sides of the entrance. The floor of the hut is about eight inches higher than that of the pa.s.sage. The roof and the window, however, differ from those of the snow house. In the front part of the hut the rib of a whale is put up, forming an arch. A great number of poles are lashed to it and run toward the back of the house, where they rest on the top of the wall, forming, as it were, the rafters. The whole curve formed by the rib is covered with a window of seal intestines, while the poles are covered with sealskins, which are fastened in front to the whale rib. At the other end they are either fastened to the ribs in the wall or, more frequently, are steadied by stones. The roof is covered with a thick layer of _Andromeda_, and another skin, which is fastened in the same way, is spread over both covers. This kind of hut is very warm, light, and comfortable. The stone banks forming the bed are covered as already described.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 499. Plan of large qarmang or stone house for three families.]

If three families occupy one house the whale's rib which forms the window is placed a few feet farther forward than in the previous case, at the end of the large slab which forms the roof of the last part of the pa.s.sage.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 500. Plan of stone house in Anarnitung, c.u.mberland Sound. (From a drawing by L. k.u.mlien.)]

By means of poles and bones a small side room is built (qareang), the ceiling of which is sewed to that of the main room (Fig. 499). The large slab which is in front of the window (at the end of the pa.s.sage) is utilized as a storeroom for both families living on that side of the house, a place being left open only in the middle, where the spy hole is. In some instances this side room is inclosed in the stone walls of the hut.

Fig. 500 and Fig. 501 present sketches of plans of some of these houses.

From such sketches it appears that several houses might have a common entrance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 501. Plan of group of stone houses in Pangnirtung, c.u.mberland Sound.]

In Anarnitung I observed no pa.s.sage at all for the houses, the walls being entirely above the ground and piled up with bowlders and sod. They are, however, covered in the same way as the others and the entrance is made of snow.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 502. Plan and sections of qarmang or house made of whale ribs.]

A winter house built on the same plan is represented in Fig. 502. The wall is made entirely of whale ribs, placed so that their ends cross one another. The poles are tied over the top of the ribs and the whole frame is covered with the double roof described above. A few narrow snow vaults form the entrance. The front rib forms the door, and thus the hut becomes quite dark. Huts of this kind are also called qarmang or qarmaujang, i.e., similar to a qarmang.

In Ukiadliving I found, along with a great number of fine qarmat, some very remarkable storehouses, such as are represented in Fig. 503.

Structures of this kind (ikan') consist of heavy granite pillars, on the top of which flat slabs are piled to a height of from nine to ten feet.

In winter, blubber and meat are put away upon these pillars, which are sufficiently high to keep them from the dogs. Sometimes two pillars, about ten feet apart, are found near the huts. In winter the kayak is placed upon them in order to prevent it from being covered by snowdrifts or from being torn and destroyed by the dogs. In snow villages these pillars are made of snow.

The purpose of the long, kayak-like building figured by k.u.mlien (see Fig. 500) is unknown to me. I found a similar one, consisting of two rows of stones, scarcely one foot high but twenty feet long, in Pangnirtung, c.u.mberland Sound, but n.o.body could explain its use.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 503. Storehouse in Ukiadliving. (From a sketch by the author.)]

In the spring, when the rays of the sun become warmer, the roofs of the snow houses fall down. At this season the natives build only the lower half of a snow vault, which is covered with skins.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 504. Plan and sections of tupiq or tent of c.u.mberland Sound.]

Still later they live in their tents (tupiq) (Fig. 504). The framework consists of poles, which are frequently made of many pieces of wood ingeniously lashed together. The plan (Fig. 504 _a_) is the same as that of the winter houses. At the edge of the bed and at the entrance two pairs of converging poles are erected. A little below the crossing points two cross strips are firmly attached, forming the ridge. Behind the poles, at the edge of the bed, six or eight others are arranged in a semicircle resting on the ground and on the crossing point of those poles. The frame is covered with a large skin roof fitting tightly. The back part, covering the bed, is made of sealskins; the fore part, between the two pairs of poles, of the thin membrane which is split from the skins (see p. 519), and admits the light. The door is formed by the front part of the cover, the left side (in entering) ending in the middle of the entrance, the right one overlapping it, so as to prevent the wind from blowing into the hut. The cover is steadied with heavy stones (Fig. 504 _c_). In c.u.mberland Sound and the more southern parts of Baffin Land the back of the hut is inclined at an angle of 45; in Davis Strait it is as steep as 60, or even more. In the summer tent the bed and the side platforms are not raised, but only separated from the pa.s.sage by means of poles.

Farther north and west, in Pond Bay, Admiralty Inlet, and Iglulik, where wood is scarce, the Eskimo have a different plan of construction (Fig.

505). A strong pole is set up vertically at the end of the pa.s.sage, a small cross piece being lashed to its top. The entrance is formed by an oblique pole, the end of which lies in the ridge of the roof. The latter is formed by a stout thong which runs over the top of both poles and is fastened to heavy stones on both sides. If wood is wanting, then poles are made from the p.e.n.i.s bones of the walrus. Parry found one of these tents at River Clyde, on his first expedition, and describes it as follows (I, p. 283):

The tents which compose their summer habitations, are princ.i.p.ally supported by a long pole of whalebone, 14 feet high, standing perpendicularly, with 4 or 5 feet of it projecting above the skins which form the roof and sides. The length of the tent is 17, and its breadth from 7 to 9 feet, the narrowest part being next the door, and widening towards the inner part, where the bed, composed of a quant.i.ty of the small shrubby plant, the _Andromeda tetragona_, occupies about one-third of the whole apartment. The pole of the tent is fixed where the bed commences, and the latter is kept separate by some pieces of bone laid across the tent from side to side. The door which faces the southwest, is also formed of two pieces of bone, with the upper ends fastened together, and the skins are made to overlap in that part of the tent, which is much lower than the inner end. The covering is fastened to the ground by curved pieces of bone, being generally parts of the whale.

This kind of tent differs from the one described by me only in the construction of its door.

I could not find a description of the tent of the Hudson Bay Eskimo.

There is only one ill.u.s.tration in Klutschak (p. 137) and one in Ross (II, p. 581) representing tents of the Netchillirmiut. In the former there are a few conical tents, such as are used by the eastern tribes before a sufficient number of skins for a large tent can be procured.

The same kind is represented in Ross's book. The other tent drawn by Klutschak is similar to the Iglulik one, but the arrangement of the poles in the back part is invisible. The entrance is formed by two converging poles and a rope runs over the ridge and is tied to a rock.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 505. Plan and sections of tupiq or tent of Pond Bay.]

The small tents which are used in the spring are made of a few converging poles forming a cone. They are covered with a skin roof.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 506. Plan and sections of double winter tent, c.u.mberland Sound.]

Some families, instead of building snow houses or stone houses in winter, cover the summer tent with shrubs and spread over them a second skin cover. In front of the tent snow vaults are built to protect the interior from the cold. In some instances several families join their tents (Fig. 506). In the front part where the tents adjoin each other the covers are taken away and replaced by a whale rib which affords a pa.s.sage from one room to the other.

The plans of the feasting houses, will be found in another place (p. 600).

CLOTHING, DRESSING OF THE HAIR, AND TATTOOING.

The styles of clothing differ among the tribes of the Central Eskimo. In summer the outer garment is always made of sealskins, though the women wear deerskins almost the entire year. The sealskin clothing is made from the skins of _Pagomys ftidus_, yearlings being used, and also from those of _Callocephalus_, if they can be obtained. The latter particularly are highly valued by the natives. The inner garment is made either of the skin of the young seal in the white coat or of a light deerskin. It is cut entirely with the woman's knife and is sewed with deer sinews.

The prettiest clothing is made by the tribes of Davis Strait. Both men and women wear boots, trousers, and jackets. The style of the men's clothing may be seen from Figs. 397 and 399, which represent men in the winter clothing, and 412 and 435, which show them in summer clothing.

The summer boots are made from the hairless skin of _Pagomys ftidus_, the soles from that of _Phoca_, the sole reaching to the top of the foot. The leg of the boot is kept up by a string pa.s.sing through its rim and firmly tied around the leg. At the ankle a string pa.s.ses over the instep and around the foot to prevent the heel from slipping down. On the top of the foot a k.n.o.b (qaturang) is sometimes attached to the string as an ornament (Fig. 507). The stocking is made of light deerskin. It reaches above the knee, where it has a tr.i.m.m.i.n.g made from the white parts of a deerskin, whereas the boot ends below the knee.

Next to the stocking is a slipper, which is made of birdskin, the feathers being worn next to the foot. This is covered with a slipper of sealskin, the hair side worn outward and the hair pointing toward the heel. The boot finishes the footgear. In the huts the birdskin slippers are frequently laid aside.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 507. Qaturang or boot ornament. (Museum fur Volkerkunde, Berlin. IV A 6850.)]

The breeches of the men consist of an outside and an inside pair, the former being worn with the hair outside; the latter, which are made of the skins of young seals or of deer, with the hair inside. They are fastened round the body by means of a string and reach a little below the knee. Their make will best be seen from the figures. Only the southern tribes trim the lower end of the trousers by sewing a piece to them, the hair of which runs around the leg, while above it runs downward. This pattern looks very pretty.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 508. Woman's jacket. (National Museum, Was.h.i.+ngton.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 509. Ivory beads for women's jackets, _a_ (Museum fur Volkerkunde, Berlin. IV A 6841) _b_, _c_ (National Museum, Was.h.i.+ngton. 34134.) 1/1]

The jacket does not open in front, but is drawn over the head. It has a hood fitting closely to the head. The back and the front are made of a sealskin each. The hood of the Oqomiut is sharply pointed, while that of the Akudnirmiut is more rounded. The jackets are cut straight and have a slit in front. Some have a short tail behind, particularly the winter jackets. The cut of the winter clothing, which is made of deerskin, is the same as the former, and it is frequently trimmed with straps of deerskin. The jacket is rarely worn with the hood down, as it is only used while hunting and traveling. It is never brought into the huts, but after being cleaned from the adhering snow with the s...o...b..ater (tiluqtung, as named by the eastern tribes; arautaq, as called by Hudson Bay tribes) is kept in the storeroom outside the house.

The women's trousers are composed of two pieces. The upper one fits tightly and covers the upper half of the thigh. It is made of the skin of a deer's belly. The other parts are, as it were, leggings, which reach from a little below the knee to the middle of the thigh and are kept in place by a string running to the upper part of the trousers. The women's jacket (Fig. 508) is much more neatly trimmed than that of the men. It is frequently adorned with ivory or bra.s.s beads running round the edge (Fig. 509). It has a wide and large hood reaching down almost to the middle of the body. In front the jacket has a short appendage; behind, a very long tail which trails along the ground (see Fig. 508).

If a child is carried in the hood, a leather girdle fastened with a buckle (Fig. 510) is tied around the waist and serves to prevent the child from slipping down. The first specimen given in Fig. 510 is remarkable for its artistic design.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 510. Girdle buckles. _a_, _c_, _d_ (Museum fur Volkerkunde, Berlin.) _b_ (National Museum, Was.h.i.+ngton. 34125.) 1/1]

Among the Akudnirmiut of Davis Strait another fas.h.i.+on is more frequently in use much resembling that of Iglulik. The women have a wider jacket with a broader hood, enormous boots with a flap reaching up to the hip, and breeches consisting of one piece and reaching to the knees.

Unfortunately I have no drawing of this clothing and must therefore refer to Parry's engravings, which, however, are not very well executed, and to the figures representing dolls in this costume (see Fig. 528).

When children are about a month old they are put into a jacket made from the skin of a deer fawn and a cap of the same material, their legs remaining bare, as they are always carried in their mother's hood. In some places, where large boots are in use, they are said to be carried in these. The cap is separate and is always made of the head of a fawn, the ears standing upright on each side of the head. The jacket is either quite open in front or has a short slit. Children of more than two years of age wear the same clothing, with trousers and boots (Fig. 511). When they are about eight years old they are clothed like men (Fig. 512).

Girls frequently wear the same kind of dress for some time, until they are from nine to ten years old, when they a.s.sume the clothing of the women.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 511. Infant's clothing. (Museum fur Volkerkunde, Berlin.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 512. Child's clothing.]

As to the mode of clothing of the other tribes I give the descriptions of the authors.