A Umiak and Eskimo Dogs and Sledge.
The best sledges are made by the tribes of Hudson and Davis Straits, for in these regions the most substantial pieces of driftwood are to be found. The dog team is strong, intelligent, and willing to work; so ready to start that the Eskimo driver may be in danger of being left behind. Careful training of the animals is necessary, and sometimes there is a great deal of harshness before they are fit to harness; perhaps the worst qualities of the dogs are extreme ferocity and pugnacity. Dr. Boas says:
“The Eskimo rarely brings up more than three or four dogs at the same time; and if the litter is larger than this number the rest are sold or given away. The young dogs are carefully nursed, and in winter they are allowed to lie on the couch, or are hung up near the lamp in a skin cradle. When almost four months old the pups are first put to the sledge, and gradually they become accustomed to pull with the others. If food is plentiful the dogs are fed every alternate day, and then their share is by no means a large one. In winter they are fed with the heads, entrails, bones, and skins of seals, and they are so voracious at this time of the year that nothing is secure from their appetite. Any kind of leather, particularly books, harness, and thongs, is eaten whenever they can get at it. In the spring they are better fed, and in summer grow quite fat, but at any time of their life food may not be procurable for five or six days. In Cumberland Sound, Hudson Strait, and Hudson Bay, where the rise and fall of the tide are considerable, the dogs are carried in summer to small islands, where they live upon what they can find on the beach: clams, codfish, etc., and if at liberty, they seem very happy, and well able to provide for themselves.”
Dr. Boas remembers two runaway dogs which had lived on their own account from April to August, during which month they returned quite fat.
CHAPTER VI
Tales told by the Eskimo
Interior of an Eskimo Snow Hut.
If we could creep along the narrow underground passage leading to the snow hut, we might have the good fortune to find the Eskimo family crowded together round the small, evil-smelling oil lamp, which from time to time is replenished by a new supply of fat from the seal or whale. Around the small, dome-shaped snow dwelling are low seats constructed from blocks of frozen snow, which, covered with several layers of skin and fur, make comfortable couches for the inmates. Already the small room has become so warm that most members of the family have cast aside their outer fur garments, and each person is settling down to the evening task. The women are busy chewing skin of the reindeer in order to make it soft and pliable, so that it may be sewn into boots and jackets, while the men are constructing harpoons, mending harness for the dogs, or perhaps cleverly engraving small sketches on pieces of ivory obtained from the tusks of the walrus.
