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1861 Dec 16 Mon
shoals save 3 or 4 near the Easterly side toward upper part of Main Bay. The safe entrance is probably the channel on the East end of Island (or right channel). On the right hand side on entering this channel is a monumental pile of rocks that the Innuits denominate.
It comes near being an Island.
[[image: drawing of Bay annotated Main Bay 6 ms deep, Ming-u-tur, Toung-wine]]
Here is sketch of the Bay, Island, Toung-wine, Ming-u-tur & Island Now-yurne. Also the [[underlined]] route up [[/underlined]] to the 2 tupiks & [[underlined]] route back. [[/underlined]]
As in the table on preceeding page Arrived back at Toung-wine hV-m05 PM.
Koo-choo-ar-choo ("Sampson") had not returned from his trip after took-too when I arrived.
I took off my outside took-too jacket & placed myself beside his noo-li-an-a with little Puk-e-ne-yer on my right. Thus seated, I awaited his arrival expecting that I would have a good supper on raw, frozen Venison when he came. I am glad to say that I was not disappointed. An hour after my entrance into the Igloo same came with 2 saddles & the carcasses of 2 deer! Where are they now? Hardly a morsel of it left. I have a small piece of venison & a frozen mass as big as my feast of the paunch contents laid away in the ice or snow meat house for my breakfast the remainder of what was left that was given me during the Feast that has been given in this Igloo to-night. I must relate the incidents of the evening. Soon as Sampson arrived the 2 saddles & carcases were thrown into the Igloo. The net-work over the Ik-ku-mer that is for the placing of articles of clothing upon to be dried, was cleared off
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1861 Dec 16 Mon
- following this the frozen masses of Took-too were placed carefully upon said net-work that the outside might part with some of its [[underlined]] burning [[/underlined]] qualities for let it be borne in mind that any thing exposed to such weather as we now are having (tho' not so cold as we are to have) if touched with the bare fingers the sensations are as if hot iron were handled. While this was going on invitations were being given to the Village Innuits for the took-too feast to come off at the Igloo of mine host. Soon the invited rushed in. The lady Innuits position of course is upon the bed platform. I doffed my Kum-mins & drew myself among the "Fair of Creation". All others of my sex had to take standing seats wherever they could get them down on the snow floor by the entrance.
Full 30 were crammed with our Igloo. I was sandwiched between the wife of Koo-Kin & wife of New-wat-che - the latter noo-loo-an-a is sister to Sampson's wife.
"Sampson" of course was the master of ceremonies.
He hade the crowd of ladies give way for a space on the bed in wh. he could act the capacity of "Carver". In this space Sampson placed the table cloth or crumb cloth if I may so denominate the article he spread down on wh. to [[strikethrough]] "carve" [[/strikethrough]] piece-meal the took-too. It was a huge seal-skin. This properly spread, on it he placed the huge carcase of a large deer. All eyes were upon it. In this present case, I think instead of calling eyes the "Windows of the Soul", it would be no unjust distortion to say the eyes of all assembled & looking upon that rein-deer carcase were but the windows of almost vacant stomachs. I must confess it was so in my case & I have nothing particular on wh. to base a doubt but it was equally so with all those around me. Subsequent events proved that it was so.
"Sampson" awaited for something I knew not for what. At length my curiosity wh. was getting to a high pitch was abruptly let down by some Innuit entering with a Boat hatchet in hand & passing it to "Sampson" who commenced at once chopping operations on deer (should I not say [[underlined]] dear [[/underlined]] (body)? carcase). Slabs of its sides were chopped & peeled off - chips of ice flew here & there oft times into the very faces of the guests at each stroke of the axe. As fast as "Sampson" rolled off venison other men Innuits took them & reduced them by means saw & huge seal knives to fingering size. As this was done "Sampson" distributed them one piece to each till all mills had grists to grind. Thus Sampson kept himself busily engaged chopping, splitting & prying away on the rock firm mass for a full 1/2 hour anon distributing to voracious eaters (we all come under this head) as already written. At last Sampson broke down or rather his hatchet handle broken close off to the head of the Axe. Another Axe was
