File:In the Alaskan wilderness (1917) (14754392056).jpg

Identifier: inalaskanwildern00gord (find matches)
Title: In the Alaskan wilderness
Year: 1917 (1910s)
Authors: Gordon, G. B. (George Byron), 1870-1927
Subjects: Eskimo languages Alaska -- Description and travel
Publisher: Philadelphia : The John C. Winston Company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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who informs me that thecrows foot is the same as one from TorresStraits already recorded. I found in 1905 similar games but with differentnames and different figures along the coast ofBering Sea between St. Michael and Cape Princeof Wales, and the practice or invention, if onemay so call it, is very prevalent and very highlydeveloped among the Western Eskimo generally.It is, however, an invention that is found amongprimitive peoples in all parts of the world and isabsolutely unknown as to its origin or originalsignificance.* An old man at Mamtrelich village in develop-ing some of his more elaborate figures accom-panied his motions by a kind of incantation orrhythmical recitation, the words of which, sofar as I could make out, had no meaning. Itappears that some, if not all, of the string figuresof the Eskimo of the Kuskokwim have theirappropriate corresponding verbal formulas which *See THE CATS CRADLE by Kathleen Haddon andSTRING FIGURES FROM MANY LANDS by CarolineFurness Jayne. I30
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are repeated in time with the motions of thefingers. By way of experiment I tried to induce the oldman whom I have mentioned to develop one ofhis string figures without the recitation. Hisattempt to do so seemed to result in confusionand he had in each case to begin again and finallyto repeat his formula. I suppose that his stateof mind may have been similar to my own whenI try to find a word in the dictionary, and in orderto do so I have to repeat the whole alphabet todiscover where I am at. 131 CHAPTER VIIIThe Lament of the Native The missionaries told us that the Kuskwog-amiut are remarkably quick to learn butvery reluctant to give up their ancient customsand habits of life. They were especially dis-turbed because these simple and primitive peopleinsisted on performing every winter their cus-tomary dances, recitals and dramatic representa-tions. All this the missionaries objected to andtried to suppress, and by their methods of inter-ference had given great offense, as we soon lear

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