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
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a look-out, who was withdrawn when it was over, as well as from some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
m~om=ek-poke. They seem, however, to take great delight in it; and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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