Northward over the great ice : a narrative of life and work along the shores and upon the interior ice-cap of northern Greenland in the years 1886 and 1891-1897, with a description of the little tribe of Smith Sound Eskimos, the most northerly human beings in the world, and an account of the discovery and bringing home of the Saviksue or great Cape York meteorites . STRETCHING A HARPOON LINE. amusement varied frequently by the excitement of amoonlight conflict with a polar bear. Their amusements are few. In summer there aretests of strength between the young men of the tribe,consisting of wres
Northward over the great ice : a narrative of life and work along the shores and upon the interior ice-cap of northern Greenland in the years 1886 and 1891-1897, with a description of the little tribe of Smith Sound Eskimos, the most northerly human beings in the world, and an account of the discovery and bringing home of the Saviksue or great Cape York meteorites . STRETCHING A HARPOON LINE. amusement varied frequently by the excitement of amoonlight conflict with a polar bear. Their amusements are few. In summer there aretests of strength between the young men of the tribe,consisting of wrestling, pulling, lifting, and a rudekind of boxine. In winter the sole amusements aremarital pleasures, and the songs and improvisationsof the angakoks, or medicine-men, of the tribe. In. 5o6 Northward over the Great Ice the choruses of these the entire assembled companyjoin. In several ways these Eskimos are unique amongaboriginal tribes, and their idiosyncrasies in thesematters compel my admiration and respect. They have no unnatural or depraved appetites orhabits ; no stimulants or intoxicants ; no narcotics ;no slow poisoning. Nor do they in any way muti-late or disfiorure the form the Creator crave them, ormodify or pervert the natural functions. Neitherhave they any medicines. Their diseases are princi-pally rheumatism and lung andbronchial troubles. The causesof death amonor the men comelargely under the terse Westernexpression, with their bootson. A kayak capsizes, and the oc-cupant is hurled into the icywater ; a hunter harpoons a wal-rus or bearded seal from theice, a bight of the line catchesround arm or leg, and the bigbrute drags him under to his death ; an iceberg cap-sizes as he is passing it; a rock or snow-slide from thesteep shore cliffs crushes him ;
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecteskimos, bookyear1898
