They have, besides this, another sort of diversion, accompanied with singing, which consists in swopping or bartering. He that performs the office of drummer and singer, exposes one thing or other to sale, at any rate he thinks fit; if any of the company has a liking to it, he shows his consent by giving the seller a slap on his breech, and the bargain is done, and cannot be retrieved, whether good or bad. The boys and lads have also their pastimes and plays, when they meet in the evening. They take a small piece of wood, with a hole in it at one end, to that they tie a little pointed stick with a thread or string, and throwing the piece with the hole in it up into the air, they strive to catch it upon the pointed stick, through the hole. He that does it twenty times successively, and without failing, gains the match, or party, and he that misses gets a black stroke on his forehead for every time he misses. Another boy’s play is a game of chance, like cards or dice; they have a piece of wood pointed at one end, with a pin or peg in the midst, upon which it turns; when the boys are seated around, and every one laid down what they play for, one of them turns the pointed piece of wood with his finger, that it wheels about like a mariner’s compass; and when it has done, he that the point aims at, wins all that was laid down. Ball playing is their most common diversion, which they play two different ways. They divide themselves into two parties; the first party throws the ball to each other; while those of the second party endeavour to get it from them, and so by turns. The second manner is like our playing at foot ball. They mark out two barriers, at three or four hundred paces distance one from the other; then being divided into two parties, as before, they meet at the starting place, which is at the midway between the two barriers; and the ball being thrown upon the ground, they strive who first shall, get at it, and kick it with the foot, each party towards their barrier. He that is the most nimble footed and dextrous at it, kicking the ball before him, and getting the first to the barrier, has won the match.
Thus (they will tell you) the deceased play at foot ball in Heaven, with the head of a morse, when it lightens, or the North-light (aurora borealis) appears, which they fancy to be the souls of the deceased.
When their acquaintance from abroad come to see them, they spend whole days and nights in singing and dancing; and as they love to pass for men of courage and valour, they will try forces together, in wrestling, struggling, and playing hook and crook, which is to grapple with the arms and fingers made crooked, and intangled like hooks. Whoever can pull the other from his place, thinks himself a man of worth and valour. The women’s or rather the maiden’s plays, consist in dancing around, holding one another by the hand, forming a circle, and singing of songs.
CHAP. XVI.
Of their Language.
THOUGH the Greenland language has not affinity with other European tongues, yet it seems to have borrowed some words from the Norwegians, who formerly inhabited part of the land; for such words agree both in name and signification; as, for example, Kona, a Woman; Nerriok, to eat, from the Norway word Noerrie. The herb Angelica, which they in Norway call Quaun, the Greenlanders call Qvaunnek. A Porpoise, in Norway called Nise, they call Nise. Ashes, in Norway, Aske, in Greenland, Arkset. A Lamp, in the Norwegian, Kolle, in the Greenlandian, Kollek. Some of their words resemble Latin words of the same signification; as, Gutta, a drop; in the Greenland tongue, Gutte, or Kutte. Ignis, Fire, they call Ingnek. And some they have got from Hebrew roots, as, Appa, a word the children use to name their father, and some others.
The accent and pronunciation of it is hard and difficult, because they speak very thick, and in the throat. The same language is spoke throughout the whole country, though the accent and pronunciation differs here and there as different dialects; chiefly towards the Southern parts, where they have received and adopted many foreign words, not used in the Northern parts. But the angekuts, or divines, make use of a particular speech, whenever they conjure; for then they use metaphorical locutions and words in a contrary sense. The women-kind also have a particular pronunciation peculiar to themselves, and different from that of the men, making use of the softest letters at the end of words, instead of hard ones; for example, Am for Ap, that is, Yes. Saving, for Savik, a Knife. Their language, in common, wants the letters, c, d, f, q, x. They have besides many double and unknown consonants, which is the cause, that many of their words cannot be spelt according to their manner of pronouncing them. For the rest, their expressions are very natural and easy, and their constructions so neat and regular, that one would hardly expect so much from a nation so unpolite and illiterate. The language is very rich of words and sense, and of such energy, that one is often at a loss and puzzled to render it in Danish; but then again it wants words to express such things as are foreign, and not in use among them. They have monosyllables and polysyllables, but most of the last. Their words, as well nouns as verbs, are inflected at the end, by varying the terminations, without the help of the articles or particles, like the Greek and Latin. The adjectives always follow their substantives; but the possessive pronouns are joined to the nouns, as the Hebrew suffixa[35]: nor have the nouns alone their suffixa, but the verbs also. To satisfy the reader’s curiosity, I have hereto joined a list of some of the words and a sketch, showing the construction and inflections of this language.
VOCABULARY
OF THE
LANGUAGE OF GREENLAND.
The construction with Possessive Pronouns is thus.