Page:Material Culture of the Iglulik Eskimos.djvu/85

To a nation living such a roving life as that of the Iglulik Eskimos, means of conveyance naturally are of great importance. As a consequence of the lack of permanent habitations. these people are practically always travelling; and, even if they have settled down at a certain place for some time, the struggle for existence makes it necessary for the men to make trips, and indeed sometimes long journeys, lasting several days, in order to find and kill game. Thus travelling is looked upon as a very natural form of existence; it is not regarded as being unusual or troublesome, as a necessary evil to be brought to an end as quickly as possible. If a man at Repulse Bay is seized with a desire to visit a relative at Ponds Inlet and he has sufficient dogs for the journey — it is surprising how few dogs are required — he sets off with his family, makes a halt where there is game for as long as he feels inclined, and then on to Ponds Inlet sometime sooner or later — if not this year, then perhaps next year; time is of no importance whatever. It is this complete lack of respect for time which one often has to contend with while travelling with these people. To travel quickly through a country with so many caribou is an absurdity to them.

In dealing with the means of conveyance of the Iglulik Eskimos it must be realised that the sea is covered with ice nine or ten months of the year; and at any time during the short period of open water the sea may be filled with drift ice which makes any sort of navigation impossible. It will thus be understood that land journeys predominate and, as the country is covered with snow for nine months, it is with the dog sledge that most Eskimo journeys are undertaken. During the months when there is no snow they travel to the interior on foot, man and dog carrying what necessaries are required. In the short period of open water the whale boat and the kayak are used; the latter, which by the way has disappeared from the whole of the southern part of the country, is however rather a hunting accessory than a means of conveyance; the whale boat was only acquired through intercourse with European whalers.