Alaska -- Description and travel; Frontier and pioneer life -- Alaska
Mr. Q., a Swedish missionary, and his native preacher called Rock, have
arrived from Unalaklik, with the two visiting preachers at the Home, and
they held an evening service in the schoolhouse, which was fairly well
attended. There were seven white men, the three women in this house and
myself, besides many natives of both sexes. Grandmother was there with
Alice, Ageetuk and others, and the missionary spoke well and feelingly
in English, interpreted by Rock into Eskimo. One of the preachers sang a
solo, and presided at the organ. Some of the native women present had
with them their babies, and these, away from home in the evening,
contrary to their usual habit, cried and nestled around a good deal, and
had to be comforted in various ways, both substantial and otherwise,
during the evening; but the speakers were accustomed to all that, and
were thankful to have as listeners the poor mothers, who probably could
not have come without the youngsters.
Considerable will power and auto-suggestion is needed to enable me to
endure the fumes of seal oil along with other smells which are
constantly arising from the furs and bodies of the Eskimos, made damp,
perhaps, by the snow which has lodged upon them before entering the
room. Fire we must have. Those who are continually with the natives in
these gatherings do get "acclimated," but I am having a hard struggle
along these lines.
The three Swedish and one Eskimo preacher left today for the Home, after
I had taken a kodak view of them, and their dog-team. As the wind blew
cold and stiffly from the northwest, they hoisted a sail made of an old
blanket upon their sled.
There are many who are ingenious, and who are glad to help the sick
child, Jennie, pass her time pleasantly, and among them is the musician.
Being a clever artist as well as musician, he goes often to sit beside
Jennie, and then slate and pencils are brought out, and the drawing
begins. Indian heads, Eskimo children in fur parkies, summer landscapes,
anything and everything takes its turn upon the slate, which appears a
real kaleidoscope under the artist's hands. Jennie often laughs till the
tears run down her face at some comical drawing or story, or the
musician's efforts to speak Eskimo as she does, and both enjoy
themselves immensely.
Yesterday Mollie went out to hunt for ptarmigan. She is exceedingly
fond of gunning, has great success, and she and the child relish these
tasty birds better than anything else at this season. Ageetuk also is a
good hunter and trapper, and brought in two red foxes from her traps
yesterday, when she came home from her outing with Mollie. Little
Charlie ran up to Mollie on her return from her hunt, and cried in a
mixture of Eskimo and English:
"Foxes peeluk, Mamma?" meaning to ask if she did not secure any animals,
appearing disappointed when told by his mamma (for such she calls
herself to the child) that she did not find anything today but
ptarmigan.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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