Across Arctic America

Narrative of the Fifth Thule Expedition

By
Knud Rasmussen

With 64 Illustrations
and 4 Maps

G. P. Putnam's Sons
New York—London
1927

*Contents*
		Page
Introduction		iii
Chapter
I.	Old Friends in New Skins	3
II.	Takornaoq Entertains Gentlemen Friends	12
III.	A Wizard and His Household	18
IV.	Finger-Tips of Civilization	36
V.	A People Beyond the Touch	55
VI.	Nomad's Life in the Barren Grounds	71
VII.	With No Editors to Spoil	87
VIII.	Between Two Winters	102
IX.	Faith Out of Fear	118
X.	"I Have Been So Happy!"	139
XI.	Separate Ways	154
XII.	Stepping Out	158
XIII.	Going Pretty Far With the Spirits	176
XIV.	An Innocent People	188
XV.	Truly Thankful	201
XVI.	From Starvation to Savagery	218
XVII.	Belated Honors	237
XVIII.	An Exuberant Folk	243
XIX.	The Play of Spirit	255
XX.	The Battle with Evil	268
XXI.	Among the Blond Eskimos	281
XXII.	Trade and Prosper	292
XXIII.	New Ways for the Eskimo	304
XXIV.	The Gift of Song and Dance	317
XXV.	Uncle Sam's Nephews	328
XXVI.	Cliff-Dwellers of the Arctic	340
XXVII.	The Bolshevik Contrast	357
XXVIII.	Sila	381

*Illustrations*
		Facing Page
Knud Rassmussen		Frontispiece
Dogs which Made the Whole Journey from Hudson Bay to Point Hope, Alaska		iv
"The Sea King" at Dane Island		viii
"The Blow-hole"		xii
The First Man to Greet us in these New Lands		4
Woman's Dress, Front View		16
Aua's Encampment of Snow Huts		22
Youth and Beauty		38
Chesterfield: The White Men's Place		50
Moving Day		54
Pukerdluk, Chief of the People of the Eddies		58
Igjugarjuk, Chief of the Willow Folk and a Notable Wizard		62
Simigaq and Her Two Husbands, Nilak and Inorajuk		66
Akjartoq, the Oldest Woman in the Tribe		72
Tatilgaq, who Described the Native Methods of Hunting		76
A Hut of Ice Blocks		82
Qingaruvdliaq, the Woman who Knew All the Men's Songs and Prompted Them when they Forgot the Words		92
Young Women		100
Ice on the Lakes		106
Remains of Eskimo Dwellings		112
Miteq Cutting Up a Newly Captured Seal		120
Snow Huts		124
A Promising Young Hunter on the Lookout for Game		130
Tertaq, the "Amulet Boy"		136
Typical Women of the Tribe		142
The Danish Members of the Expedition		154
Anarulunguaq, the Young Eskimo Woman from Greenland		158
A Family Party Setting Out for Repulse Bay		160
Native from Pelly Bay		164
Eskimo from the Magnetic Pole, Armed with Bow and Arrow		174
Quertilik, Nalingiaq's Pretty Daughter, Wife of the Chief Qaqortingneq		176
The Arrival		178
Niaqunguaq, the Wizard		186
Nulialik, the most Skilful Reindeer Hunter on the Great Fish River		192
Two Little Girls from Lake Franklin		198
"Tails Up!"		200
Netsilingmiut Catches Fish at Amitsoq, King William's Land		206
The Victim		218
Eqaluk and His Two Wives, Pamioq and Agsatog		232
Honor to the Dead		240
Leo Hansen, the Film Photographer		244
Arctic Cod		248
Setting Out in Search of a Native Village		254
The Return of the Sun		268
The Hunting Camp near Bernard Harbor		278
Our Host, Qanigag, a Typical Specimen of the "Blond" Eskimo of these Regions		282
Near Pierce Point		286
The Smoking Mountains, North of Horton River		290
Anguisinaoq, My Story-teller From Baillie Island		292
Young Woman and Child From Baillie Island		296
Inspector Wood of Herschel Island, Chief of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the Northwest Territory		300
Woman From Point Barrow		304
Point Barrow, the Most Northerly Settlement in America		306
The Nalukataq		314
Sagpluaq, from Colville River		318
Women from Point Barrow		322
Anarulunguaq with Two of our Dogs		328
Battlefields of Former Days		332
Nasuk, from Kotzebue Sound		336
View of the Beach at Noorvik		338
King Island, a Small Island in the Bering Straits		344
In Bering Straits		352
Dancing at the Native Festivals in Alaska		356
East Cape, Siberia, the Western Boundary of Eskimo Occupation		360
Representative of the Russian Soviet from Emmatown		364
The "Teddy Bear"		378
Maps
Map: Region North of Hudson Bay. Showing Headquarters at Danish Island		10
Map: Baffin Island to Mackenzie Bay		224
Map: Mackenzie Bay to East Cape		310
Routes of the Fifth Thule Expedition, 1921–24		382