The Central Eskimo Part 26

(2) The Adlet or Erqigdlit. In the tradition treating of this tribe a similar change occurs. The Labrador Eskimo call the Indians of the interior Adlet, the tribes west of Hudson Bay call them Erqigdlit. The Baffin Land Eskimo and the Greenlanders have forgotten this relation altogether, but denote with the term a fabulous tribe with dogs' legs and a human body. The name Adla is used as far north as c.u.mberland Peninsula, the Akudnirmiut and the more northern tribes using the term Erqigdlit. It is difficult to account for the use of these different terms in both senses.

(3) The Ardnainiq, a tribe living in the extreme northwest. The men of this people are small, tiny, like children, but entirely covered with hair. They are carried about in the hoods of their wives, just like children. The women are of normal size. They do all the work, going out hunting in the kayaks and providing for the men.

(4) The Inuarudligang, dwarfs living in the cliffs near the sh.o.r.e.

(5) The Igdlungajung, a bandy legged people living inland.

(6) The Uissuit, dwarfs living in the depth of the sea (p. 621).

(7) The Ijirang.

(8) The Qailerte'tang, a people consisting of women only (p. 605).

Finally, I will mention the animals which are only known to the natives by reports of foreign tribes and are described as fabulous creatures.

These are the umingmang (the musk ox), which is represented as a fierce animal with black and red streaks and larger than a bear, and the agdlaq (the black bear), which, according to their belief, is also of enormous size. It is said to live inland and to devour everything that comes near it. I am unable to decide whether the report of an enormous fish, the idluk, which is said to live in the lakes, is altogether fabulous. The natives say that if they want to catch the fish they build a snow house on the lake and cut a hole through the ice, into which they sink the hook with a deer's ham for a bait and a stout thong for a fis.h.i.+ng line.

Six men hold the line by turns, and as soon as they feel the fish has nibbled they pull it up with all their strength.

The fabulous amaroq and avignaq of the Greenlanders are unknown, but the terms denote real animals, the wolf and the lemming.

Besides traditions of this kind the Eskimo have a great number of fables. Following is an example.

THE OWL AND THE RAVEN.

The owl and the raven were fast friends. One day the raven made a new dress, dappled white and black, for the owl, who in return made a pair of boots of whalebone for the raven and then began to make a white dress. But when he was about to try it on, the raven kept hopping about and would not sit still. The owl got angry and said: "Now sit still or I shall pour out the lamp over you." As the raven continued hopping about, the owl fell into a pa.s.sion and poured the oil upon it. Then the raven cried "Qaq! Qaq!" and since that day has been black all over.

COMPARISON BETWEEN BAFFIN LAND TRADITIONS AND THOSE OF OTHER TRIBES.

The similarity of the language and traditions of the Eskimo from Behring Strait to Greenland is remarkable, considering the distance which separates the tribes. Unfortunately the material from other tribes, except the Greenlanders, is very scanty, but it is probable that the same traditions or elements of traditions are known to all the tribes.

In the following table the above traditions are compared with Rink's Tales and Traditions of the Greenlanders and with those of other tribes:

Traditions of Greenlanders and other tribes:

Traditions of the Central Eskimo:

Qagsaqsuq, Rink, p. 93.

Qaudjaqdjuq, p. 630.

The man who recovered his sight, Rink, p. 99.

The origin of the narwhal, p. 625.

Igimarasugsuq, Rink, p. 106.

Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq, p. 633.

The man who mated himself with a sea fowl, Rink, p. 145.

It.i.taujang, p. 615.

Givioq, Rink, pp. 157 and 429.

Kiviung, p. 621.

Tiggaq, Rink, p. 162.

The visitor, p. 627.

A lamentable story, Rink, p. 239.

No. 1, sundry tales, p. 639.

The sun and the moon, Rink, p. 236. (L'homme lunaire, Pet.i.tot, Traditions indiennes du Canada Nord-Ouest, p. 7. Also found by Simpson at Point Barrow.) The sun and the moon, p. 597.

The moon, Rink, p. 440.

The angakoq's flight to the moon, p. 598.

The Tornit (from Labrador), Rink, p. 469.

The Tornit, p. 634.

A woman who was mated with a dog, Rink, p. 471.

(Fragmentary in J. Murdoch: "A few legendary fragments from the Point Barrow Eskimos," American Naturalist, p. 594, July, 1886.) Origin of the Adlet and the white men, p. 637.

Some of these stories are almost identical in both countries, for instance, Qaudjaqdjuq, the origin of the narwhal, &c., and it is of great interest to learn that some pa.s.sages, particularly speeches and songs, occur literally in both countries, for instance, the interesting song of Niviarsiang (page 637) and the conclusion of the Kiviung tradition. The tradition of the Tornit and the form of the second tale (origin of the narwhal) resemble much more those of Labrador than those of Greenland. The elements of which the traditions are composed are combined differently in the tales of Baffin Land and Greenland, but most of these elements are identical. I give here a comparative table.

Greenland.

Baffin Land.

Transformation of a man into a seal.

Rink, pp. 222, 224, 469.

Kiviung, p. 621.

Men walking on the surface of the water.

Rink, pp. 123, 407.

Kiviung, p. 622.

Harpooning a witch.

Rink, p. 372.

Sedna, p. 604.

Erqigdlit.

Rink, pp. 401 et seq.

Adlet, p. 637.

Sledge of the man of the moon drawn by one dog.

Rink, pp. 401, 442.

Qaudjaqdjuq, p. 631, and The flight to the moon, p. 598.