Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 2Parry, William Edward, Sir
History
Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 2
Parry, William Edward, Sir
Arctic regions; Northwest Passage; Parry, William Edward, Sir, 1790-1855
In point of intellect as well as disposition, great variety was, of
course, perceptible among the different individuals of this tribe; but
few of them were wanting in that respect. Some, indeed, possessed a
degree of natural quickness and intelligence which, perhaps, could
hardly be surpassed in the natives of any country. Iligliuk, though one
of the least amiable, was particularly thus gifted. When she really
wished to develop our meaning, she would desire her husband and all the
rest to hold their tongues, and would generally make it out while they
were puzzling their heads to no purpose. In returning her answers, the
very expression of her countenance, though one of the plainest among
them, was almost of itself sufficient to convey her meaning; and there
was, in these cases, a peculiarly decisive energy in her manner of
speaking which was extremely interesting. This woman would, indeed, have
easily learned anything to which she chose to direct her attention; and
had her lot been cast in a civilized country instead of this dreary
region, which serves alike to "freeze the genial current of the soul"
and body, she would probably have been a very clever person. For want
of a sufficient object, however, neither she nor any of her companions
ever learned a dozen words of English, except our names, with which it
was their interest to be familiar, and which, long before we left them,
any child could repeat, though in their own style of pronunciation.
Besides the natural authority of parents and husbands, these people
appear to admit no kind of superiority among one another, except a
certain degree of superstitious reverence for their _angetkooks_, and
their tacitly following the counsel or steps of the most active
seal-catcher on their hunting excursions. The word _nallegak_, used in
Greenland to express "master," and "lord" in the Esquimaux translations
of the Scriptures, they were not acquainted with. One of the young men
at Winter Island appeared to be considered somewhat in the light of a
servant to Okotook, living with the latter, and quietly allowing him to
take possession of all the most valuable presents which he received from
us. Being a sociable people, they unite in considerable numbers to form
a settlement for the winter; but on the return of spring they again
separate into several parties, each appearing to choose his own route,
without regard to that of the rest, but all making their arrangements
without the slightest disagreement or difference of opinion that we
could ever discover. In all their movements, they seem to be actuated by
one simultaneous feeling that is truly admirable.
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