When one of their friends has departed this life, they take all his property and scatter it upon the ground, outside of his cabin, to be purified by the air; but then in the evening they collect it together, and bury it by the side of his grave. They think it wrong for the men to mourn for their friends, and consider themselves defiled if they happen to touch the body of the deceased; and the individual who usually performs the office of undertaker is considered unclean for many days after fulfilling his duty. The women do all the wailing and weeping; and during their mourning season, which corresponds with the fame of the deceased, they abstain from food, wear their hair in great disorder, and refrain from every ablution. When a friendless man dies, his body is left upon the hills to decay, as if he had been a beast. When their children die, they bury the body of a dead dog in the same grave, that the child may have a guide in his pathway to an unknown land, to which they suppose all children go.
Polygamy, as such, among the Esquimaux is practised only to a limited extent; but married men and women are not over-scrupulous in their love affairs. Unmarried women, however, observe the rules of modesty with peculiar care; and the maiden who suffers herself to be betrayed is looked upon with infamy. When a young man wishes to marry, he first settles the matter with his intended, and then, having asked and obtained her father’s permission, he sends two old women to bring the lady to his lodge, and they are considered one. The Esquimaux mother is fond of her children, and never chastises them for any offence. Children are taught to be dutiful to their parents, and until they marry they always continue under the paternal roof.
The amusements of the Esquimaux do not differ materially from those of the Indian tribes generally. They are fond of dancing, playing ball, and a species of dice game; while the women know of no recreation but that of dancing and singing.
And thus ends my mite of information respecting one of the most extensive aboriginal nations of the far north.
Since my last chapter, written on the banks of the Saguenay, I have completed my pilgrimage through Lower Canada, but before leaving the province, I will give you the result of my observations respecting some of its people. These are divided into three classes—the descendants of the French colonists, (commonly called “Habitans,”) the British settlers, and the Indian tribes.