Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 November 1890 — DWARFS IN THE SNOW. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DWARFS IN THE SNOW.

DWELLERS AMONG GREENLAND’S ICY MOUNTAINS. An Almost Extinct Bae* of Esquimaux— Tbelr Hard Struggle for ExistenceStrange Social Customs Miss 010 l Krarer. a Representative of This Queer Little People, Now Visiting This Country.

most intercstin g mite o f humanity that has visited this country in many years is Miss Olof Krarer, the Greenlander, who has been lecturing on her native country and its people. Miss Krarer, says the Chicago Herald, is thirtytwo years old, forty inches in

height, weighs 140 pounds, and was born on the east coast of Greenland. She calls herself an Esquimaux, but she is very unlike the Esquimaux Indians on the west coast of the island, and belongs really to a separate race of people, which numbers about 500 souls, and is rapidly becoming extinct. The Danish historians say that this race is the descendant of a Danish colony founded at Angmagsalik, in 986, by Eric the Rod. Miss Krarer says that the traditions of her country make its people the descendants of the Scandinavian seamen who were wrecked on the coast from time to time, and were never able to escape. But however the colony may have been planted, the complexion and language of the people demonstrate their Caucasian origin. When the dirt is scraped off their faces they are as fair as any Dane. Several Scandinavian discoverers have visited them in the interests of history and ethnology. Graah's expedition was

made in 1829, Holm’s in 1883, and Nordenskiold's in 1888. Captain Holm has only recently returned to Denmark, and has made an elaborate and almost heartrending report concerning Miss Krarer’s countrymen. He lived among them two years, and took more than one census of them They then numbered 548, of whom 413 inhabited the fiords around Angmagsalik. They are much smaller than Europeans, but larger than other Esquimaux. One remarkable fact concerning their physique is noted by Captain Holm. Their arms are of ordinary length and very muscplar, while their legs are short, slender, and weak. The cause of this physical development is obvious. The men live by the harpoon. They spend their lives in diminutive boats, in which their legs are as motionless and constrained as the foot of a Chinese woman

Incased in an iron shoo, while their arms are in constant exercise in the throwing of the harpoon. During the winter these Esquimax live in long houses made of stone and turf. There is only one house in each settlement, and one house often contains as many as ten families. These ; houses are from twenty-four to fifty feet In length, according to the number of families to bo accommodated, and from twelve to sixteen feet in width. They are generally built on land sloping toward the sea, and the front, where the entrance opens for light are, generally faces the ocean. The oldest man in the house is regarded as the chief of the household, provided he has been a good hunter, or has a son who is skillful in the chase. They consider it their first duty to care for those who live in the same house with them, and especially their kindred. So long as they live together in the same house, each inmate has his proper share of the food and clothing, so that a sort of communism exists. This communism is of great benefit to them, as otherwise they would be without help in case of accidents while himting.-' These Esquimaux are subject to no determined law, but their social life is based upon rules to which they tacitly give a legal character, and the transgression of which at least exposes them to the reprobation of their comrades. In some respects their rules Impose upon them as great restraints as are imposed by the laws of civilized society. The average population of each house is thirty-two persons. The building is partly underground, and the Walls are very thick. The space within is divided into compartments, Something like the stalls In a stable, one family occupying each stall. In the spring time the Esquimaux Jcave. their turf and stone* huts and live in tents. The community is then broken up, and only near relatives live together. It some-

times happens that the occupants of one hut are inimical to the occupants of another hut, but that does not prevent them from appearing to be upon the best terms when they happen to meet in one of the houses, as hospitality is with them a necessary duty. Thefts are not rare, according to Captain Holm, among the people of Angmagsalik, and they steal as often to gratify revengeful feelings as to satisfy their own wants. Captain Holm had rea-

son to know this, as they stole from him not only bread, hardware and clothing, but also articles of which they did not make the slightest use, such as teaspoons and forks. Murders are quite frequent considering the small population. The only trial for such a crime is a public meeting, where the accuser and the accused tell their stories in a chant to an accompaniment from a drum. After the auditors have heard both sides they manifest their approval or disapproval and there the matter ends. Amid

these chants of accusation and denial the adversaries betray no hostile feefing, but frequently appear as if they did not have the slightest cause of difference. Family ties among the dwellers at Angmagsalik, or at least ties of blood, are regarded as imposing the obligation of mutual aid under all circumstances.

But, strange to say, marriage is not regarded as a family tie. The slightest tie of kindness is an enduring bond, but the wife is treated as a mistresss or servant, from whom the man may separate whenever he pleases. When the wife becomes a mother, .however, her position is more assured. The husband is always the head of the family, and after him come the sons, even if they are quite small, because they are regarded as the future of the family, who are to provide for their parents in old age. As long 41s the parents live, therefore, the sons dwell with them and contribute to their support. East Greenlanders often marry before they reach an adult age, if they are in condition to support a woman. No one is. permitted to marry any relation that is as near as a cousin. Skillful hunters frequently have two wives. This is not often against the wish of the first wife, who, in many cases, when she is unable to prepare all the skins her husband takes, demands that ho shall take another wife. Sometimes a man takes two wives in order that he may have two rowers to his boat. But Captain Holm saw no instance in which a man had more than two wives. The Esquimaux family lives entirely on meat, and they have no regular meals nor meal hours.

but every one eats when; he, is hungry. The inhabitants are by no means longWhen one of them dies his body is claii in his be St winter garments. The pelisse which he wore in his kajak is

Trapped around him. His head Is co?.ered with a cap and his legs are tired together with a fox skin. If one of his ancestors perished in his kajak, which is almost certain to have been the case, the body is thrown into the sea, or placed on the beach where the rising tide will carry it off. It is frequently the case that the body will be seen distinctly at the bottom of the sea, not far from the hut of the deceased person, a long time after his death. But the ancient way of disposing of the dead is to lay them on the ground and cover them with stones, and this is still done to a considerable extent. To economize stones, which are not very abundant, the body is doubled up so that a smaller number of them will cover it. Strange to say, it is a rule among people that the name of a dead person must never be pronounced. If a man happens to have the name of a dead man, he changes it at once, so that the dead man’s name may never be pronounced. Even if the dead man bore the name of an animal, as soon as he dies the name of the animal's species must be changed by the whole tribe. The consequence is that the language is in a constant state of change. The natives of Angmagsalik are great astronomers in their way. They have definitely determined, to their own entire satisfaction, that the stars are of the size of a fox-skin. They have wit enough to observe that the moon governs the tides, and the fact coines in for frequent mention in their legends. They know just where the sun is at any hour of the day and at any time of the year. They have great talent for geography and a remarkable memory for places. They can describe accurately places they havje not seen for twenty year's, and even draw a pretty good map of them. They can also tell exactly how long it takes to go from one place to another.

The legends of this strange people afford a singular confirmation of the Old Testament history. They teach that the world was at first without sea or mountains, and that the Great Spirit, not liking the men who then inhabited it, destroyed it. Ift: opened caves, into which men fell, and then water covered the face of the earth, filled the caves, and drowned them. When the earth appeared anew it was all covered with glaciers. These glaciers melted in large parts,. and there fell from heaven two beings who repeoplcd the earth. The people of Angmagsalik are sprightly and intelligent. They are persevering and intrepid hunters. They are polite, hospitable, and obliging one to another, and yet reserved, suspicious, and deceitful. Such sentiments as love, friendship, and devotion are rarely met among them.

Miss Krarer says that In her country the days and the nights are of the same length. For four long months the people sit in darkness, with only the light of the moon and stars. Then for two months there is a period, which is the pleasantest of the year. Then for six months the sun is seen above the horizon. Sunrise to the poor Esquimaux is a jubilee something like Christmas in other countries. It is the only thing that ho can measure time by. He takes no reckoning of any period shorter than a year. The east coast of Greenland, she Lays, is the coldest and most dismal spot in the Arctic regions. Her first recollections are of the snow-hut which was her home, and the bitter cold and frequent hunger from which she and every one about her suffered. Fuel, properly Speaking, there was none, as there was no vegetation, and what feeble fires her race could afford were fed with the flesh of reindeer, and the bones of fish and of the walrus. These fires were kindled by a Hint, but even flints were scarce An Esquimaux mother who tells her child that she will punish it always keeps her word, oven if she is not in a hurry about, it, and when she gets ready her penalty is a. 3 barbarous as it is unique! Her. threat is that she will burn her little daughter with a bone, and sura enough sho'talies,a ,grqnt,boap#tj|i heats it at the fire, tahd then presses it on some part of the little girl’s body until there is an excruciating burn. The sear is a long reminder to the little one of the danger of lilial disobedience, but the mother must draw the lino somewhere, so she never burns the child’s face. As may readily be judged from this fact,

there is very little true affection among the Esquimaux, and even a mother's love is an uncertain quantity. She never fondles nor pets them, and when they are ailing she neglects them just as a brute does. As soon as they are able to sit alone they are put upon the fur-cov-ered floor to take care of themselves, and there they sit day after day, if the expression may be allowed concerning that latitude, mutlled in their little sealskin jackets, the fur side turned in, with their little arms hugging their bodies to keep warm. As they spend their lives in this constrained position their arms become bent and deformed. All the women have the aijln short and crippled, but the boys, wiio live more out of doors, escape the deformity. The Esquimaux women have a very indolent as well as a very chilly time of it. There is no sweeping, dusting, cooking or washing to do. The bill of fare consists entirely of whale blubber, bear meat and fish, and these articles are eaten raw and frozen. Thb'furniture of an Esquimau’s house IS, as might be expected, very simple. The walls, floor and seats of the*but are all of snow. There is a rug of furS on the floor, cushions of fur on the seats and hangings of Tur around the walls. The furs are sewed with fish bones for needles and reindeer sinews for thread. There are a few rude implements, all made of bone. All working tools and hunting implements are made of the same material. The flesh of the reindeer, which is the sole article of food in Lapland, cannot be eaten in Greenland on account of its coarseness. There is no. outdoor occupation for the women, except that once In a while a man will give his wife an airing, which she greatly needs, on his sled. The only bed in the house is a large bag made of fur into which the whole family creeps at bed-time arid slumber until they get tired. They go to bed when they are sleepy and eat when hungry. Experiments- by an Italian physician indicate that tuberculosis of fowls is i different from that of man, and is not transmitted to the latter.

A MARRIED COUPEE.

ESQUIMAUX WOMEN AND CHILDIIEN.

MISS OLOF KRABBE.

AN ESQUIMAUX SAW.

WHERE THEY LIVE.

ESQUIMAUX DOG SLED.