In some of these they deposited their upper jackets, which they
usually take off in coming into their huts, as we do a greatcoat;
while in smaller ones, like little shelves in a recess, they kept
various articles of their Kabloona riches. These and similar
alterations and additions they were constantly making throughout
the winter; for their inexhaustible materials being always at
hand, it required but little time and labour to adopt any
arrangement that might suit their convenience.
After distributing a number of presents in the first four huts, I
found, on entering the last, that Pootooalook had been successful
in bringing in a seal, over which two elderly women were standing,
armed with large knives, their hands and faces besmeared with
blood, and delight and exultation depicted on their countenances.
They had just performed the first operation of dividing the animal
into two parts, and thus laying open the intestines. These being
taken out, and all the blood carefully baled up and put into the
_ootkooseek_, or cooking-pot, over the fire, they separated the
head and flippers from the carcass, and then divided the ribs. All
the loose scraps were put into the pot for immediate use, except
such as the two butchers now and then crammed into their mouths,
or distributed to the numerous and eager by-standers for still
more immediate consumption.
Pages:
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339