Page:The Netsilik Eskimos (1931).djvu/258

It was a most difficult matter to obtain a coherent account of the beliefs of the Netsilingmiut. They never think of reasoning with themselves about them, but simply react to what some event or other may force upon their notice. And they have traditional rules of life to follow for any unusal situation. As a consequence, our talks on religious subjects were always split up on account of all the questions I had to put in order to learn anything at all. This applies to both men and women.

However, an evening came when Nâlungiaq suddenly, and quite without any solicitation on my part, began to tell me everything about the very things in their lives that she knew I took such a passionate interest in. The whole thing started so casually. A sunset revived memories of her childhood, and, once her recollections began to stream over her, she became chatty and. without fear of interrupting her, I was then able to interject various questions, with the result that all unconsciously she gave me a connected account of the views they hold of life. I admit that this had scarcely been possible if an intimate knowledge of her temperament had not enabled me to put my questions in the right way. psychologically. While she talked I could make no notes, for then she would quickly have discovered my intention and her free, almost pert delivery would have stiffened. Therefore it has been necessary to reconstruct our conversation as well as I could immediately after it took place.

For half a year Nâlungiaq and her husband Inutuk had been my housemates and all that we had gone through in the time we lived together had made them most trustful towards me. I suppose Nâlungiaq was about forty-five years old. Her life had not been entirely the usual one. In her young days she had been very pretty, and clever into the bargain, and consequently an unusually courted woman. Her present marriage was her third. Her first husband, Pualrina, had been murdered out of jealousy by her second husband Pujatoq, who