Kalli, the Esquimaux Christian: A MemoirMurray, T. B. (Thomas Boyles)
Religion
Kalli, the Esquimaux Christian: A Memoir
Murray, T. B. (Thomas Boyles)
Eskimos; Kallihirua, approximately 1834-1856
It is believed that Kalli never omitted his morning and evening
prayers by his bed-side, and his utterance was full of devout
earnestness. Mr. Bailey remembers once travelling with him to Deal,
and while in the railway carriage, the youth quietly took out of his
pocket a little book, which was afterwards found to be a collection of
texts for each day in the year. For some time he was reading
thoughtfully the text for the day. No notice was taken of this to him;
and as for himself, never perhaps was any one more free from the least
approach to ostentation.
Greenland Esquimaux Vocabulary
In the year 1853, Kalli rendered essential Service in the preparation
of a Greenland Esquimaux Vocabulary, for the use of the Arctic
Expedition of that year. The work was printed by direction of the
Lords of the Admiralty, with a short Preface acknowledging the
advantage of his assistance. Captain Washington, R.N., Hydrographer of
the Admiralty, says in the Preface, "Every word has now been revised
from the lips of a native. In the Midsummer vacation in 1852
Kallihirua passed some days with me, and we went partly over the
Vocabulary. I found him intelligent, speaking English very fairly,
docile and imitative, his great pleasure appearing to be a pencil and
paper, with which he drew animals and ships. At the Christmas
holidays, we revised more of the Vocabulary, &c."
A member of the Expedition afterwards visited St. Augustine's College
and stated that the Vocabulary had been found to be of much service.
Visit to Kalli at College
The writer of this Memoir well recollects the circumstances of a visit
which he paid with his family to St. Augustine's College, Canterbury,
on a bright day, in August, 1853, when (it being the vacation) only
three students remained in residence. These were 1. Kallihirua, 2. a
young Hindoo by name Mark Pitamber Paul, and 3. Lambert McKenzie, a
youth of colour, a native of Africa, sent to the College by the Bishop
of Guiana. Kalli, who was the only one of these personally known to
the author, did not at first appear. He had strolled out to witness a
cricket-match in a field near Canterbury, but Blunsom, the College
porter, said that he had promised to return by two o'clock, and that
he was very punctual.
It is here due both to Blunsom and his wife, to say that they were
most kind friends to Kalli, watching over him with the most thoughtful
attention, and the tenderest care throughout.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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