Journal of the Third Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West PassageParry, William Edward, Sir
History
Journal of the Third Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage
Parry, William Edward, Sir
Arctic regions -- Discovery and exploration -- British; Fury (Ship); Hecla (Ship); Northwest Passage
This being at an end, a new exhibition was commenced, in which ten or
twelve women took a part, and which our gentlemen compared to blind man’s
buff. A circle being formed, and a boy despatched to look out at the
door of the hut, Iligliuk, still the principal actress, placed herself in
the centre, and after making a variety of guttural noises for about half
a minute, shut her eyes, and ran about till she had taken hold of one of
the others, whose business it then became to take her station in the
centre, so that almost every woman in her turn occupied this post, and in
her own peculiar way, either by distortion of countenance or other
gestures, performed her part in the game. This continued three-quarters
of an hour, and, from the precaution of placing a look-out, who was
withdrawn when it was over, as well as from some very expressive signs
which need not here be mentioned, there is reason to believe that it is
usually followed by certain indecencies, with which their husbands are
not to be acquainted. Kaoongut was present indeed on this occasion, but
his age seemed to render him a privileged person; besides which his own
wife did not join in the game.
The most common amusement, however, and to which their husbands made no
objection, they performed at Winter Island expressly for our
gratification. The females, being collected to the number of ten or
twelve, stood in as large a circle as the hut would admit, with Okotook
in the centre. He began by a sort of half-howling, half-singing noise,
which appeared as if designed to call the attention of the women, the
latter soon commencing the _Amna Aya_ song hereafter described. This
they continued without variety, remaining quite still while Okotook
walked round within the circle; his body was rather bent forward, his
eyes sometimes closed, his arms constantly moving up and down, and now
and then hoarsely vociferating a word or two, as if to increase the
animation of the singers, who, whenever he did this, quitted the chorus
and rose into the words of the song. At the end of ten minutes they all
left off at once, and, after one minute’s interval commenced a second act
precisely similar and of equal duration, Okotook continuing to invoke
their Muse as before. A third act which followed this varied only in his
frequently towards the close throwing his feet up before and clapping his
hands together, by which exertion he was thrown into a violent
perspiration. He then retired, desiring a young man (who, as we were
informed, was the only individual of several then present thus qualified)
to take his place in the centre as master of the ceremonies, when the
same antics as before were again gone through. After this description it
will scarcely be necessary to remark that nothing can be poorer in its
way than this tedious singing recreation, which, as well as everything in
which dancing is concerned, they express by the word _mŏmēk-poke_. They
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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