The stories in this little book are adapted from some of the great number gathered through many years by Dr. Daniel S. Neuman, of Nome. It was Dr. Neuman who painstakingly made the splendid and unequaled collection of Eskimo antiquities and modern implements now on exhibit in the territorial museum at Juneau. The acquiring of this collection for the Territory was one of my husband’s last official acts as governor.
I have endeavored to rewrite these tales for boys and girls in the hope that they may take an interest in that quaint people, living still in the stone age, who, on account of their contact with the so-called civilized races, are gradually vanishing into the past.
Foreword The Journey to Eskimo Land Ivango or the Lost Sister The Robin, the Crow and the Fox The Proud Mouse The Crow and the Daylight The Orphan Boy A Race Between a Reindeer and a Tom-Cod Why They Have Summer on St. Lawrence Island The Lost Son The Crow and the Owl The Running Stick The Treacherous Crow and His Cousin, the Mink Good and Bad Weather How the White Whales Happened A Giant and His Drum Lovek and Seranak The Caribou A Fox Story Mi-e-rak-puk
“‘Who are you?’ said the boy” “Looking up into the tree, saw Kaytak standing by his nest” “At last he saw that it was shining from a big snow house” “Stopped to say good-morning to the fish” “Poured the black oil all over the crow” “The bear came round by the same track and saw the salmon” “‘Lovek, I have you at my mercy now’” “_Snap_, Mr. Smart Fox was caught at last”
The big easy-chair was drawn up before the fire, its hospitable arms extended, to embrace a father with a little boy on one knee and a little girl on the other. It was story-telling time.
“Well,” said Father, “where shall we travel tonight?”
The glowing embers showed two eager little faces. “Take us to Eskimo Land!” they said. So the father settled deeper down in the cosy chair and stretched out his long legs.
“Very well, to Eskimo Land we shall go. I will take you inside a ‘kasga’ and let the Eskimos tell you their own stories; but before we go there I must explain to you that in every Eskimo village there is one house called a ‘kasga.’ Now this kasga is the place where they all go to pass the long, dark hours of winter, with song and story. Sometimes they dance to the weird music of beating drums and chanting voices, and again, they sit quietly mending their weapons, their fishnets or spears; or again, some of them will be carving beautiful pieces of ivory taken from a walrus tusk.