Eskimo Family (1959)

[Music] l for almost 10 months of winter the Arctic the land at the top of the world lies fiercely cold here trees can never grow the Sea and the land freeze deeply this is the world of the Eskimo avanak kluk the hunter ainga his wife little NAIA his daughter and Moses see their son for days in Winter the sun will never rise on days in summer it will never set with the coming of spring the sea ice breaks and drifts away from the islands this is the time of the year when the eskimos move from their winter camps to Spring hunting grounds anak goodlook and his family load all of their belongings on the sled called acromatic for the journey to distant bays in the East where they hope there will be better hunting some sometimes they travel with relatives or a few other families but never in large groups for there is seldom enough food for many miles seal provides nourishment for the family and the dogs who will pull the heavy loads part Wolf Part dog strong vicious these are no pets but without the the Eskimo could not manage for there is no other way to travel Moses's puppy is too young to run with the rest of the dogs so he rides on the [Applause] [Music] sled the Journey Begins [Music] it is difficult to bring the sleds through the high Ridges of ice which push up from the sea near the shore once on the smooth ice of the bay it is easier [Music] running sea ice can be treacherous this time of the year anak goodlook tests it with his Harpoon for he must know that it is solid and safe and will not break under the load of the sleds the dogs must rest along the way and when the family is hungry a stop is made to eat an oil stove is used to melt the snow which anak goodlook cuts to make tea nearly everyone drinks tea in the Arctic it helps keep one warm they say for the children a stop along the way means a chance to play [Music] [Applause] [Music] All Too Soon the chromatics are underway again the hissing of the runners on the ice The Barking of the dogs the sting of a freezing wind there are many miles ahead so it goes until it lasts a campsite is chosen the sleds are unloaded and it feels good to be on bare dry land again good now to be able to sleep and eat without the cold of the ice and snow beneath you the snow has begun to melt from the barren ground called Tundra and though frozen deep down the land thaws on top in the spring and summer most Eskimos live in canvas tents which they buy at the trading posts these are the summer igloo igloo is an Eskimo word meaning home spring is a happy time in the Arctic the children can play ball during the long days of warmer weather already the Arctic Berry the pawn rain is out it is a welcome change from seal which is the main food of the Eskimo seal meat is eaten raw the word Eskimo comes from an Indian language it it means Eater of raw meat besid seal the eskimos eat banic which is a kind of hard bread cooked over the oil stove tea sometimes substitutes for soap and water [Music] after the evening meal families gather together on the warm Caribou skins in the tent and enjoy stories of great hunts and great hunters they make jokes about one another and laugh there is little else to do Anna could look worries too about many things the weather will it stay fine net check the seal will he show himself through the ice there is little meat left but it is now time to rest for tonight it is good to be warm tomorrow there will be work for All Seal skin will be cut to make new boots and ainga will gossip much too with her friend Nuna it is Moses's job to feed the dogs food is scarce and they fight over every piece [Applause] there are lessons to be learned too mosy must know how to use and care for a rifle an Eskimo boy must become a good hunter or he cannot live the heavy Parkers made from Caribou skins will protect them from the cold of the sea ice during the many days of hunting which lie ahead the fur of the inner Parker is turned toward the body and the other to the outside this provides the greatest warmth for even though spring has come it can still be very cold in the Arctic as they search for [Music] food there were will be many hours crouching silently behind the white blind waiting for nervous neek to seal to come up through holes in the ice to drowse and Sun himself on the floors ANUK has seen neek should the seal wake the hunter can hide behind the Blind and not be seen silently he moves closer for a better shot [Music] mosy is learning the ways of a good Hunter but there are other things to learn too there are fish to be had for those who know how to get them a hole is chopped in the ice and the fish is speared as it swims by sometimes jigging is better a strip of bright cloth is tied to the hook and then jiggled to attract the fish anak goodlook set several traps to catch trenc the white fox whose fur he will trade the bait is placed near the Trap and covered with snow more snow is cut to cover the Trap it is shaved down to a very thin layer and when trenc the fox smells the seal meat and comes looking for it he will step in the Trap and Anna klook will have a fine fur which white men want not far from the spring camping grounds is the familiar red and white Hudson Bay Post to which the family comes to trade these visits to the post are the best times of the year the trader is an old friend and speaks the Eskimo language these are fine pelts anak klook they'll bring you a good price there are many things which Anna could look and get in trade for his furs a new rifle would be good ammunition is always necessary more and more the Eskimo depends upon Goods which white men provide things that ainger's mother probably never knew existed things that can help make life easier and more comfortable mosy needs a new Parker it is difficult now to find Caribou to make good ones most Eskimos now buy their parkas hanuk goodlook buys fuel for his stove and thinks maybe a mirror would be a good present for a vinga there are many things ainga would like things new to her like a baby's crib it would be hard to carry on the sled but many Eskimos now have these things for the Arctic is no longer isolated and shut off from the outside world as it once was ANUK goodlook sometimes visits relatives who live in a real town Eskimos who live in regular houses have regular jobs washing machines and even refrigerators white men are coming to the Arctic now in ever increasing numbers building air strips taking mineral wealth from The Frozen Ground Manning radar and air defense bases which stretch across the north there are jobs for Eskimos who learn very quickly about such things as repairing engines and building houses anak goodl look's brother works as a carpenter and his children go to a modern school here they learn about the outside world World which the esim so little of until only a few years ago there are few Eskimo in the whole Arctic now who do not have some contact with the white man they are adopting his dress speech and ways rapidly the airplane has brought the outside world to the Arctic and the white men who have come are doing much to change the way anak goodlook and his people have always lived each spring brings more change and as he sees these new things around him anak goodlook is glad for to the Eskimo it means that the Frozen and Once lonely Arctic is becoming an easier and better place in which to live to live