THE ESKIMOS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 60, 21 December 1935, Page 8

THE ESKIMOS

A VANISHING PEOPLE. learning new ways. The Eskimo is as much a stranger to the average Canadian as to citizens of other countries. He lives in an Arctic waste, separated from civilisation, by many hundreds of miles; His only contact with the Government that controls his destiny is an : occasional glimpse of the scarlet coats of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or a visit to one or other of the scores of trading-posts -which now dot the Canadian. Arctic. - His' origin is claimed to. be identical with that of the North American Indian. Ages ago both came from Mongolia, crossing from Asia to.the American continent at the northern extremity. Ho,w. close together these migrations were it not known, but it is the fact that the two races cannot get along together. They regard each other with deep distrust, and. to-day, when Indians are invading, the Arctic, in pursuit, of fmvbearing animals, the police experience difficulty in preventing outbreaks of race hatred.

The Eskimos differ greatly from the Indians. They are born optimists. All who have lived with them speak of their light-heartedness and jollity. They are fishermen by instinct, and, while they know a good deal of trapping, they are not as efficient in this regard as either tlie Indian or the white man. They live by choice,' along the sea cost, and. their staple diet is seal meat. They 1 are nomads,, having no permanent places of residence In the summer'they live in tents; in winter they make snow houses. Their only means of transportation are their boast—kayaks—and dog teariis. They have no use for . money, as such, , requiring only the simplest of articles for their material comfort. These articles—rifles and ammunition, fishing equipment and so on—they obtain from trading posts. They -make no endeavour to provide for the future, depending upon the resources of the country for their needs.

Family Life The- Eskimos live in families. A number of families may spend a year or two together, but there is nothing binding about the arrangment. They do not .recognise tribal divisions, and they have'no chiefs. A§ human beings their most notable : characteristic is love of children. The marital tie is not regarded as nearly'as sacred or binding as it is with more civilised peoples. Thus Eskimos have . been known to send their wives to friends, and they frequently change their mates. Eskimo life is based' upon possession of full strength and vitality. They are notably indifferent to old people, frequently leaving them unprovided for, to die from want or exposure. .. The mentality of the Eskimo is rated by officials at Ottawa as distinctly superior to that of the Indian. They show remarkable intelligence in their natural pursuits. They are excellent fishermen and sound navigators In fact,, the Hudson Bay Company operates vessel in the Arctic waters manned entirely by Eskimos, and.they invariably act as pilots to Government ships in en+ering dangerous harbours to service police posts. In recent years they have acquired many gasoline launches, and their ability to keep these motors in operation is remark-. abie. _ , The 1931 census revealed an Eskimo population of 6470,. hut as the returns were by no means complete, is is probable that there is at least 7000 of them. They inhabit the Arctic islands and the coastal region running from Labrador to Alaska.. The ; natural increase in population is substantial, but the Eskimo is particularly susceptible to certain diseases, notably influenza and periodic epidemics take many lives. The influenza outbreak in 1919 literally decimated them, and the total population to-day is not as great as twenty years ago. Citizens By Right. Under Canadian law the Eskimo stands upon a different footing to the Indian. The Indian-is a ward of the. State, debarred as such from citizenship. Not unless, the Indian forsakes ment is lie entitled to the ballot. The' his reserve and forswears “treaty” pay-, law declares that tlie Crown can “never make “treaty” with-tlie Eskimo, He is, citizen in his own fight; ' Since the development of the aeroplane and the short-wave radio broadcasting, considerable progress has been made in 'extending the 'influence - o Government and Governmental agencies throughout the Arctic. Along the Mackenzie River, where wood is available, the Eskimos are beginning to conform to the white man’s mode ol living. They are building permanent homes of wood, and are sending then children to schools. Elsewhere the w-orkings of civilisation are slowly spreading. Education and medicine are largely in the hands of missionary organisations supported by the religious denominations. The Government, also, 3S showing a much keener concern in the physical welfare of the Eskimo. While able to look after their own food requirements, they are subject to all the dangers of a nomadic people. ■ For clothing, and, to a minor degree, for food, they depend upon the caribou, which still abound, although in reduced numbers. It is hoped, however, that the reindeer introduced from Alaska will soon provide the Eskimos with the necessities of life.