the skin boat, propelled by the oars of the women, approached the shores. on the bundles of caribou skins which were piled up in the stern, steering cautiously through the floes of drift ice that dotted the surface of the sea, sat pakkak, the boat-owner. the boat was heavily laden and a strong tide was running so that the women had to exert themselves, two on each oar, to make headway. pakkak’s son accompanied the boat in his kayak. he had been out seal hunting in order to keep the traveling party supplied with provisions. the seals lay on the narrow deck of his boat which zig-zagged swiftly through the water, propelled by the strokes of the single paddle which he held in the middle, and which struck the water, now at the right and now at the left.
the young man was the first to reach the shore. he brought his boat sideways close to the beach and climbed out of the small central hatch in which he had been sitting. he took off his harpoon and lance, his bird spear and float from under the holding thongs. then he unlashed the seals, and hauled them ashore. after everything had been taken off, he lifted the light boat out of the water, turned it over, put his head into the opening and carried it up the shore.
meanwhile, the whole party in the large boat had reached the land. it was nearly high water. the travelers jumped ashore. the children and old people scrambled out of the boat, and the tent covers, poles and household goods were taken ashore. the caribou skins, which were the spoils of the summer’s hunt inland, were deposited on a dry spot. while the women climbed the barren hills to gather brush for building a fire, the men hauled up the boat, and put up the tent. the framework was quickly set up, the skin cover was thrown over it, and the lower part of the skin was ballasted with stones. when the women came back, the shrubs were put down in the rear of the tent. they were covered with heavy caribou skins, and thus the bed of the family was prepared. the seals were put down at the right and left of the doorway, inside.
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after a short time, the boats of pakkak’s brothers came in. they had started together in the morning, but had made unequal progress through the lanes of water that opened between the shifting ice floes. after unloading the boats, the brothers also put up their tents.
some of the women had piled up the fuel nearby. pakkak fanned into flames the smoldering slow match which he was carrying along. as soon as he had obtained fire, the shrubs were lighted. meanwhile, the hunter had opened one of the seals and removed the skin with the attached blubber. he cut off pieces of the blubber and threw them into the flames. the rectangular kettle, hollowed out of a block of soft soapstone, was filled with water and placed over the fire. the seal meat was put into it, and soon the water began to boil. when the meat was done, the men and women had finished their work, and pakkak stood next to the kettle and shouted, “boiled meat, boiled meat!”
the men sat down in a circle near the fire. the women formed another circle. pakkak took one piece of the meat out of the kettle, and handed it to one of the men; he gave another piece to one of the women. the first person bit into the meat and cut off a mouthful close to his lips. then he passed the meat to his neighbor, who in the same way cut off a mouthful and passed the meat on. thus, the whole company was provided for.
the travelers were tired from their exertions, and retired to their beds in the rear of the tent where the whole family lay down, their heads toward the door. they covered themselves with the large blanket of caribou skins which extended over the whole width of the bed from one side of the tent to the other.
pakkak and his brothers, and usuk, the half-witted old bachelor who lived with them, were the first to arrive at the place of the winter village, but within a few days other families came, who had been hunting in various districts. men and women would sit together until late at night, telling of their summer experiences and of their success in hunting. pakkak and his brothers had been hunting on the shores of the inland lake to which they used to resort, where they had fallen in with large herds of caribou. some of the men drove the animals into the water, while others pursued them in their frail boats. the animals were easily overtaken and killed with the lance.
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pakkak was the oldest one of five brothers who were all skillful hunters, and provided well for their families. they were renowned for their daring and enterprise. therefore, their friendship was valued and their enmity feared. pakkak was held in particular awe, for he was not only strong in body and skilled in the use of the knife, lance and bow, but he was endowed with supernatural powers. as a child he had sat on the knees of the old medicine man, shark, who had been known to visit the moon and the great deity that controls the supply of sea animals. through contact with him, the supernatural power had passed into pakkak’s body, and now his services were needed whenever sickness and famine visited the village. thus it happened, that pakkak and his brothers were both sought as protectors and shunned as possessed of unusual power.
pakkak did not misuse his power, but one of his brothers, ikeraping, was rash in anger and overbearing in manner, and he was feared and hated. if it had not been for the combined strength of the brothers, the people of the winter village would have agreed to do away with ikeraping in order to rid themselves of his aggressions.
among the later arrivals was no-tongue, whose party had been unsuccessful in the summer hunt. he had hunted in the narrow valleys between the ice covered highlands, and by mischance he had come at a time when the caribou had left for another feeding ground. he had only a few skins for his whole family, hardly sufficient to provide himself, his old mother petrel, his wife, attina, and his children, with the necessary winter clothing. however, he was not greatly perturbed. he relied upon good luck and the help of his friends who might be expected to assist him, in case they should have skins to spare.
gradually, one party after another arrived, and on the island which a short time ago had been solitary and quiet, little groups of huts sprang up and there was great activity. the women were busy with their household duties, getting fuel and mending clothes, while the men went out hunting in their kayaks and brought home game for their evening meal. the skins of the seals were scraped by the women, and stretched on the ground to be dried and later on worked into tent covers.
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the wind had shifted seaward, and the floating ice had been driven away from the shore. it was getting cold, and the ponds began to be covered with a thin sheet of ice. before the sea began to freeze over, it was necessary to bring the dogs back from the islands on which they had been placed over summer, and where they lived on what they could find on the beach or what they could hunt on the hills. only a few of them had been taken along on the summer hunt, and with them were brought back a few litters of pups that were carefully nursed by the women.
when the new ice began to form on the sea, the hunters could not go out any more in their boats, because the sharp edges of the ice would have cut the skin covers. for a few days, all were confined to the land. the hunters brought in ptarmigans and hares, but everybody looked anxiously forward to the time when the ice would be strong enough for the hunters to go out. a few days without new supplies are likely to empty the larder all too quickly. besides, it was getting cold, and work on winter clothing could not be started until the sea was covered with ice. the sea-goddess would take bitter revenge if such a sin were committed.
this year the weather was favorable, and the anxious days between summer and winter were not needlessly prolonged. after three cold days, the men could go out on the sea ice and wait at the edge of the open water for the seals to come up to breathe. since the wind had brought back the drifting ice, the stretch of open water was not very wide, and the seals came near enough to be harpooned without difficulty, and to be drawn up to the ice. it was even possible to venture out in the open water in the kayak, for the ice was not forming very rapidly. thus an ample supply of meat was obtained.
meanwhile, the women were busy scraping and cleaning the caribou skins, and making the winter clothing for the family—the warm shirts and drawers of young caribou skins, and the heavy jackets and trousers of heavy skins; the stockings of light skins of young caribou, and the boots made from the skin of caribou legs, with soles of ground sealskins. poor no-tongue had just enough for his family, and a few skins to spare. unfortunately the catch of the whole community had been rather light, notwithstanding pakkak’s good luck.
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from now on, the men went out regularly every morning and came back in the evening, generally with an ample catch. one day they had gone out again and were scattered along the edge of the ice, watching for seals. during the day the sky clouded up, and a strong, seaward wind began to blow. it increased in strength, and an ominous cracking of the ice gave warning of danger. hurriedly the men loaded their sledges, and sped landward. under their feet the ice began to crack and to yield to the pressure of the wind, but they succeeded in reaching land before the floe gave way and drifted out to sea.
only no-tongue’s sledge was missing. he had been hunting on a projecting point of ice, and before he was even aware of his danger, the whole point had broken off and was rapidly drifting out to sea. there was nothing for him to do but yield to his fate, and see whether the gale would exhaust itself soon, and whether by chance the floe that carried him might be blown back to land. fortunately he had just killed a seal. he flensed it and made a little shelter of the fresh hide. his lance had to serve as a tent pole. he protected his tent cover against the wind by piling snow all over it. he made a receptacle for the blubber out of a piece of skin, and thus improvised a little lamp. fortunately, too, he carried his fire drill and a little of the moss which is used for wicks; so that he was able to start a little fire in his shelter. the gale was still blowing, and the angry waves threatened to break up the floe on which he was drifting. when day dawned the land was far away. soon, however, the wind subsided, and a swift tide carried the ice floe back, nearer and nearer the land.
it had grown very cold. an icy slush was forming on the surface of the sea and the waves were rapidly calming down. the breaking up of the floe which seemed imminent through the night was no longer to be feared and immediate danger of drowning had passed. still it was doubtful how the drift would end. with the changing tide, the current changed again, and the floe drifted away from the shore. the play of tides continued for days. now the shore seemed near, so that the hopes of no-tongue were raised to a high pitch, and now the shore receded. in these days of anxiety no-tongue never lost courage, but, mocking his own misfortune, he composed this song:
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aya, i am joyful; this is good!
aya, there is nothing but ice around me, that is good!
aya, i am joyful; this is good!
my country is nothing but slush, that is good!
aya, i am joyful; this is good!
aya, when indeed, will this end? this is good!
i am tired of watching and waking, this is good!
his endurance and patience were finally rewarded. after a week of privations, he reached the shore not very far from the winter village. a few days of hard travel over the ice covered sea, and rocky hills brought him home to his family and friends. they had almost given him up for lost.
as it grew colder the light tent no longer offered adequate protection. the women sewed a new cover of sealskins and gathered loads of brush. they placed them on the outside of the summer tent, and spread the new covers over the whole structure. the door flap was also transformed into a solid wall, and only a low opening was left, through which the people had to pass, stooping down low. this darkened the inside of the tent, which before had been fairly light because the front part of the tent cover was made of the transparent inner membrane of sealskin. therefore the lamps were put into place. the long, rectangular entrance of the tent with its roof-shaped cover still served for keeping provisions, but just in front of the beds, the soapstone lamps—long crescent-shaped vessels—were placed. the wife of the tent owner took her seat on the bed in front of the lamp, where she sat in kneeling position letting her body rest between her heels. the lamp was filled with blubber that had been chewed to release the oil, and the straight front edge of the lamp was provided with a wick of moss which, when carefully treated with the bone pointer, gave an even, yellow flame that lighted and heated the hut pleasantly.
soon the snow began to fall, and the autumnal gales packed it solid in every hollow in the ground, and piled it up against the sides of the huts. the heather-like shrubs were deeply buried under the snow, and all domestic work had to be done inside. the soapstone cooking vessels were placed over the lamps, and all the meals were prepared in the house. the entrance to the hut was protected 369 against the cold by a low passage, built of snow. as it grew colder, the snow accumulated, and most of the people exchanged their tents for snow houses. the men cut out of an even snow bank blocks about thirty inches by eighteen inches high, and six inches wide. these they placed on edge, in the form of a circle. at one point, the upper edge of the row was cut down to the ground, and then sliced down to the right, so that it slanted up gradually. at the place where it had been cut down, a new block of snow was put on, leaning against the end of the first row and slightly inclined inward. one man was cutting the snow blocks outside, while his helper was placing the blocks from the inside,—each block being inclined slightly more inward so that a spiral wall was gradually formed. finally the key block was inserted, and the builder cut a little door through which he came out. in the rear half of the circular room, a platform was built for the bed which was elevated a couple of feet above the ground, and at the same level, at the right and left of the entrance, a bank was erected. the bed platform was covered with shrubs and skins. the tent cover was used to line the inside of the snow house, being held to the wall by means of pegs and ropes, thus protecting the snow against the heat of the living room. the lamps were put in place on each side of the front of the bed platform, and the pots were hung over them. in front, just above the door, a window was cut which was covered with a translucent sheet, made of seal intestines sewed together, and a series of low vaulted structures was erected in front of the door, forming a passageway which protected the inside against the wind.
when everything was done the family moved into the snow house. two families occupied one house and each housewife had her seat in front of her lamp. the stores of meat were placed on the platforms at the right and left. now the regular winter life began. it was bitter cold. the dogs huddled together in the entrance passages of the snow houses.
early in the morning, the men went out to the sledges. the shoeing of the runners, which were made of split and polished bone of whale, was covered with a thin sheet of ice. the hunter took some water in his mouth, and allowed it to run slowly over the shoeing. then he polished it with his mittened hand. after the icing had been made smooth, he turned the sledge right side up.370 the harpoon was lashed on, the knife was suspended from the antlers that form the back of the sledge, which are used in steering it through rough ice. the hunters then put the dogs in harness. the light team started down to the beach. during the continued cold weather, the rise and fall of the high tides was forming a broken mass of heavy ice on the beach which, as the winter progressed, was constantly increasing in thickness. a beaten path led down through the broken masses to smooth floe. the sledge sped down, and the hunters went off to the sealing ground. at first the unwilling dogs had to be coaxed to go forward, and even spurred on by cries and by the use of the short handled whip, which the driver handled with skill and accuracy, calling upon the lazy dogs, and hitting them at the same time with the points of the whip. gradually, the dogs warmed up, and ran along swiftly over the smooth floe. when they reached a part of the ice that was broken up by gales, and in which the uplifted floes were frozen together, the driver had to lift his sledge over the sharp edges and broken masses, and progress was slow and difficult.
finally the hunting ground was reached. the dogs took the scent of the breathing hole of a seal, and they rushed forward with such speed that the driver could hardly restrain them. at some distance from the hole he succeeded in stopping his team. he tied the dogs to a hummock so that they should not run away and then he inspected the seal hole to see whether it was still being visited by the seal. it was completely covered by snow, and discernible only to the experienced eye. he piled up a few blocks of snow on which he sat down. he laid his harpoon down cautiously, and waited. for hours he remained seated there, waiting for the snorting of the seal. the slightest noise would frighten away the wary animal, and, notwithstanding the intense cold, the hunter could not stir. at last he heard the seal. cautiously he lifted his harpoon, and sent it down vertically into the snow. it hit the seal which tried in vain to escape. the hunter broke the snow covering of the hole, and hauled the animal upon the ice where, with a swift blow on the head, he killed it. before he loaded it on his sledge he cut it open, and took out the liver which served him as lunch.
meanwhile the short day had come to an end! the dogs were harnessed to the sledge, and the hunters returned home. when they arrived, they unloaded the sledge, unharnessed the dogs, and took off 371 the heavy outer clothing. the hunter patted his coat carefully to remove the ice formed by the freezing of his breath. then he put his coat in the storeroom and entered the house. as soon as he came in he took off his sealskin slippers, bird-skin slippers and stockings, which protected his feet against the cold, and his wife placed them on the rack over the lamp to dry. then she looked them over and mended them carefully so that they should be ready on the following day.
when all the hunters had come back, those who had brought home no game flocked to the house of one of the successful hunters, who butchered his seal and gave to each man a share to eat in the house, or to take home to his family. they talked over the events of the day until late at night.
this life had been going on quietly for all, without exciting events, when no-tongue’s youngest child became ill. the boy refused food and drink, and household remedies did not avail. in her anxiety for the life of her darling, attina appealed to pakkak and asked him to find out what ailed the child, and if possible to cure him. pakkak went to no-tongue’s hut. as soon as he came in, the lamps were lowered. he sat down on the bed facing the rear wall of the hut and began his incantation. his body shook violently when he called his protecting spirits to help him. he uttered unintelligible sounds and cries.
finally his incantation stopped. he addressed himself to attina and said, “have you sinned? have you eaten forbidden food? have you done forbidden work? what tabus have you transgressed?” she had asked herself what she might have done to bring about her child’s sickness, and she remembered that she had scraped the frost from the window of her house, and that she had eaten seal meat and caribou meat on the same day.
she replied, at once, “i confess! i have scraped frost from the window of my house. i have eaten caribou meat and seal meat on the same day. i have sinned.”
pakkak replied, “it is well, my daughter that you have confessed. now the evil consequences of your sins are forgiven. the black halo that i saw surrounding your body, and that has affected your child, has disappeared and the boy will soon recover.”
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the lamps were lighted again. the confession of attina’s transgressions had appeased the supernatural powers and therefore the parents hoped for the recovery of their son.
for a while the little boy seemed to improve, but suddenly he suffered a severe relapse, and before the help of pakkak could be summoned, he died. at once no-tongue prepared to bury the boy. he stuffed his own nostrils with caribou hair to prevent contamination by the exhalation from the corpse. the limbs were tied up with thongs and no-tongue carried his dead child out of the hut and up the hills. there he cut the thongs, and thus released the soul of the child. no-tongue covered the body with a vault of stones, being careful that no stone should weigh on it. he deposited the child’s toys and returned home. for three days the whole family stayed in the house. no-tongue did not go out a-hunting. attina did not clean her lamps. she did not move the caribou skin of the bed. she did not mend any clothing. to transgress these rules would have resulted in new misfortunes.
after four days all the members of the family threw away their clothing which had been contaminated by the breath of the dead child, and it was only with the greatest difficulty that they secured enough skins from their neighbors to make a new set for the whole family. through the charity of friends they were finally provided for.
the death of the child, and the cares of the family weighed heavily on the mind of petrel, no-tongue’s mother. he himself was light-hearted and consoled himself with the thought that they might have other children in the future; but she was an old woman, and felt that she could not carry the burden of her years much longer. she loved her son and her grandchildren, and the thought haunted her mind that she might die in the hut, and that they might be compelled to throw away another set of winter clothing and be exposed to the hardships of the winter without adequate protection. if only she could die away from home, and thus spare her dear ones the consequences of another sickness and death. the thought preyed on her mind and finally she resolved to end her own life.
the long arctic night had set in, and only at noon came the sun near enough to the horizon to spread the faint light of dawn over the ice and mountains. one night when it was bitterly cold and the 373 snow was drifting, lashed by a strong wind, old petrel left the house and walked across the ice to a small island. there in a nook of barren rocks she piled up a wall of stones, and sat down behind it, in order to allow herself to freeze to death. her thoughts dwelled with her children, and she was satisfied that she was not going to die of sickness in her bed, for then her future life would have been one of agony and torture in the lower world where there is only want and famine, where cold and struggle prevail all the year round. by choosing her own death she looked forward to a happy life in the upper world. there she was going to play ball, and her friends would see her joyful motions in the rays of the aurora borealis. she would enjoy comfort and plenty and the cares of this world, as well as the tortures of the lower world would be spared her. her limbs became numb with the cold and she went to sleep, her mind filled with pleasant visions.
during the night attina roused herself to trim her lamp. she chanced to look about, and noticed that petrel was not there. she called her husband who at once guessed what had happened. he gave the alarm and soon all the sledges were out. no tracks were to be seen in the drifting snow, and the whole party scattered in different directions to search for the old woman. to right and left along the coast, north and south they went on their sledges. usuk, the bachelor, who did menial work for pakkak, had joined the party. he, the despised and ridiculed one, found the old woman in time to save her from death. notwithstanding her resistance, he carried her to his sledge, and hurried home. she was taken into the house, covered with a warm blanket and scolded for the unnecessary worry that she had given to her family and to her neighbors. she was ill-satisfied with her rescue, but submitted to the friendly influence of her light-hearted son.
it seemed that with this event the ill luck of no-tongue had spent itself, and the rest of the winter passed quietly. the weather was propitious and no long continued gales kept the hunters at home. the snow was hard and crisp so that the hunting ground could be reached without difficulty. early in february, the first rays of the sun struck the high mountains and although the cold was still intense, the daylight made hunting and work easier.
now and then visitors came in from distant villages to see their 374 relatives. everybody flocked to the hut where they were visiting, to hear the news. there was much to tell about success in hunting, about marriage and birth, sickness and death. for months, the village had been cut off from all intercourse with the outside world, because the strong currents that washed the foot of the promontories prevented the formation of ice, and only after the cold had continued long enough, was the sea covered by a continuous floe, which allowed the villagers to travel unhampered from place to place.
one day a number of travelers were discovered, whose sledge, dogs and gait did not seem familiar. the news spread rapidly through the village and the women and children assembled on a point of vantage, straining their eyes in an attempt to discover who the visitors were. soon, pakkak recognized an old friend who lived many days’ journey away, and whom he had not seen for many years. he shouted, “there is eiderduck.” when the women knew that the visitors were friends of pakkak, they burst forth in song and laughter. they waved their arms and jumped about. the frightened children hid, crying, behind their mothers. most of the men went down to the ground ice to meet the strangers, and to help them to unload their sledges. pakkak led eiderduck and his companions to a snow house, and treated them hospitably with frozen seal meat.
while they were eating, the people crowded into the house. they sat on the bed platform, and squatted on the floor until there was no more room. those who could not get into the house crouched in the entrance to get a glimpse of the visitors, and to hear what they had to say. all the older people had some friends in the villages through which the travelers had passed, and therefore their reports were listened to with keenest interest, interest which communicated itself to the younger generation, who thus learned about the family relationships and the history of all the people who lived many miles up and down the coast line.
one of the saddest stories that eiderduck had to tell was that of some people who had been caribou hunting in the fjord muddy-water. in the fall, when they were preparing to move camp, the frost set in very suddenly, covering the sea with ice. heavy snows fell in calm weather. the sledges and the dogs sank deeply into the soft snow so that the people were practically unable to move. soon they were starving. many died. in one house lived an old woman 375 with her three sons and a daughter. her oldest son, powlak, decided to go to the neighboring village to seek aid of the people. he left his only surviving dog with his mother, that she might use it for food after he was gone. then he started on his dangerous tramp through the soft snow.
a short time after powlak had left, his mother missed the dog. she went in search of it, and found that its footprints led to one of the neighboring huts and did not come out again. for some time no sound had been heard in that hut. she thought that the people were dead and she had avoided going in. now, however, when she needed the dog, she overcame her fear. she called in through the entrance and found that the people were alive, although hardly able to stir. she asked, “is my dog here?” the house owner denied that it was there, saying that she had not seen it. the old woman, however, searched, and finally when she lifted the heather on the bed she found its skinned body. she became very angry and took the meat. the people were so weak and famished that they could not resist. she took the dog home and she and her children lived on it. her neighbors soon died of exhaustion. the pangs of hunger had so hardened powlak’s mother, at other times a kind-hearted woman, that she only thought of her own salvation, and felt no pity for the sufferings of others.
when powlak reached the neighboring village, he found that the people had caught two whales in the fall of the preceding year. he told them that the people in muddy-water were starving,—that a few had tried to reach other places, but that they must have perished in the attempt, since nothing had been heard from them. powlak’s friends were very kind to him. they gave him food to eat and for a few days they did not let him return to his starving mother. they said to him, “stay here. why do you want to perish? your mother, your brothers and your sister are certainly dead by this time.” powlak, however, said, “i am sure they are alive.” when he insisted on returning as soon as he had recuperated, his friends gave him an old dog and a whale-bone toboggan which they loaded with whale meat, skin and blubber. he started on his way back.
when he reached his home after untold difficulties, he went to the window of his mother’s hut and asked, standing outside, “are you all dead?” his mother replied, “there is life in us yet.” then he 376 went in, gave them the whale meat and whale skin, and learned of what had happened during his absence. the food which he had obtained gave him the strength to go out, and he had the good fortune to find a seal hole and as the season progressed, conditions became better and he was able to supply his family with food and clothing. a great number of the villagers, however, had starved to death....
it was late in the night when the crowd began to dwindle leaving eiderduck and the other visitors to sleep.
as the season progressed and the sun rose, the seals whelped. the skin of the young seal is white and wooly and highly prized for warm clothing. therefore, the whole village set out to hunt for them. the dogs take the scent of the seal hole, and the poor pup is dragged out with a hook and the hunter kills it by stepping on it.
one day when pakkak was out hunting young seals, he found himself suddenly confronted by a great polar bear, which was also out in pursuit of seals. he always made it a point to raise good hunting dogs, and the large wolf-like gray creatures were eager to attack the bear which tried to escape. pakkak never hesitated when there was a chance to get a bear. he cut the traces of two of his strongest dogs, which ran in pursuit. when the bear saw that the dogs were about to overtake him, it climbed an iceberg and took its position on a narrow ledge where its back was protected by the sheer ice wall. it sat up on its haunches. the dogs scrambled up the slippery ice, and when pakkak saw that they held the bear at bay, he cut the traces of the others, jumped off the sledge, and approached lance in hand. his knife was hanging in its scabbard at his side.
the bear defended itself with its paws and teeth, and already one of the dogs lay bleeding on the ice. the bear, however, could not move on account of the swift attacks of the dogs. pakkak approached fearlessly. with a swift throw he tried to pierce the bear’s heart his position was dangerous. the bear held the ledge, and by a single movement of its forelegs might throw the hunter down the steep side of the iceberg. with a swing of its powerful forelegs, it broke the lance. if pakkak had not jumped back, he might have been caught in the embrace of the bear. there was nothing to do now, but attack the bear with the long hunting knife. he approached again, and watched until the bear, turning to the worrying dogs,377 exposed its side. then with a powerful stroke, pakkak stabbed it in the side. however, he was not quick enough, and, with its claws, the bear tore a deep gash in his shoulder. then it rolled over, and fell down to the ice floe.
without paying any attention to his wound, pakkak skinned the bear and butchered it and rolled it on the sledge. he spliced the traces of the dogs and turned back home where his success was greeted with joy.
then pakkak tied the bladder and gall of the bear, together with his drill, to the tip of his spear which he put upright in the ground in front of his house. by this rite, the bear’s soul which remains for three days with the body, must be appeased.
the people asked pakkak about his wound and his battle with the bear. he scoffed at the danger in which he had been pretending that to kill a fierce bear was to him no more of a task than to harpoon a harmless seal. his wife tended his wound, which was so deep that it took weeks to heal.
one day, no-tongue had been out sealing with pakkak’s brother, ikeraping. as luck would have it he was very successful, while ikeraping, the strong and skillful hunter, had not killed a single seal. this annoyed ikeraping, who was ashamed to go home without game. therefore, he demanded of no-tongue that he should give up his seals to him. no-tongue refused, but ikeraping became so furious and aggressive that no-tongue, who was by nature timid, gave way and let him have what he wanted. the injustice, however, rankled in no-tongue’s mind. it was not the first time that ikeraping had lorded it over no-tongue, and no-tongue was afraid that sometime, in a quarrel with ikeraping, he might be killed. no-tongue talked the matter over with the other people, but they were all too much afraid of ikeraping and pakkak and their brothers, to venture to do away with the aggressive ikeraping.
now no-tongue was prompted to leave the village in which he had spent many years. for a long time he had been talking of the distant home from which he had come with his mother, when he was a very young man. at that time he wanted to see the world, and he had drifted from village to village along the whole coast line until finally he had settled down with his wife. the memory of his old 378 home had never left him, and he longed to go back and see his relatives and the scenes of his childhood. the quarrel with ikeraping strengthened his decision to leave this year, despite the ties which held him to the village where his children were born and were growing up.
although the feeding of many dogs was a burden, on account of the large amount of meat they demanded, no-tongue had strengthened his dog team by raising a number of pups. he had now an excellent team of ten dogs. his sledge was in good repair. and so, before the melting of the snow made traveling difficult, no-tongue was determined to depart. his wife would accompany him into the distant country which, to her, was a foreign land. it would take several years to accomplish the journey.
the departure of no-tongue was the beginning of the breaking up of the winter village. the families were already planning for the summer hunt. soon, the brooks would be running. the walrus would come near the shore. whales would come blowing in the open water. salmon would ascend the rivers. young geese would be plentiful, and the caribou would come back. the time of happiness was approaching of which no-tongue once sang:
ayaya, beautiful is the great world when summer is coming at last!
ayaya, beautiful is the great world when the caribou begin to come!
ayaya, when the little brooks roar in our country.
ayaya, i feel sorry for the gulls, for they cannot speak,
ayaya, i feel sorry for the ravens, for they cannot speak.
ayaya, if i cannot catch birds i quickly get plenty of fish.
ayaya!
franz boas
the end
