h man can stand the
pounding the longer.

Their fundamental acceptance of the proposition that might is right in
such matters sometimes extends to a man saying to the husband of a
woman: "I am the better man." In such case the husband has either to
prove his superiority in strength, or yield the woman to the other. If a
man grows tired of his wife, he simply tells her there is not room for
her in his igloo. She may return to her parents, if they are living;
she may go to a brother or a sister; or she may send word to some man in
the tribe that she is now at liberty and is willing to start life again.
In these cases of primitive divorce, the husband keeps one or all of the
children if he wants them; if not, the woman takes them with her.

[Illustration: ESKIMO MOTHER AND CHILD]

The Eskimos do not have many children, two or three being the usual
number. The woman does not take her husband's name in any case.
Akatingwah, for instance, will remain Akatingwah, whether she has had
one husband or several. Children do not address their parents as father
and mother, but call them by their names, though sometimes very small
children use a diminutive which corresponds to our "mamma."

Among the Eskimos the woman is as much a part of the man's property as
his dog or sledge--except in some rare cases. The cause of the
suffragettes has as yet made little headway in this region. I remember
one instance in which an Eskimo woman had a difference of opinion with
her husband, and proved her right to independence by blackening the old
man's eye; but I am afraid that the more conservative members of the
tribe attributed this unfeminine behavior to the corrupting influence of
contact with civilization.

As there are more men than women among the Eskimos, the girls marry very
young, often about the age of twelve. In many cases the marriages are
arranged between the parents when the children are quite young; but the
boy and girl are not bound, and when they are old enough they are
permitted to decide for themselves. In fact, they can make several such
decisions without losing caste. On the last expedition, as on those of
former years, I found that a number of matrimonial changes had taken
place among my Northern friends since I was last among them.

[Illustration: ESKIMO CHILDREN]

It would be worse than useless to attempt to engraft our marriage
customs upon these naive children of Nature. Should an arctic explorer
consider it his du