ESKIMO FOLK-TALES COLLECTLD BT KNUD RASMUSSEN EDITED AKD RE-VDERED
IiYTO EKCLISH BT W. WORSTER FPITH 1.55 USTRATIONS B 2 NATIYE
ESKIkTO ARTISTS GYLDENDAL 11 BURLEIGH ST., COVENT GARDEN, LONDON,
W.C.2 COPENHAGEN CHRISTIANIA 1921 ESKIMO FOLK-TALES INTRODUCTION T
HESE stories were collected in various parts of Greenland, taken
down from the lips of the Eskimo story-tellers themselves, by Knud
Rasmussen, the Danish explorer. No rnan is better qualified to tell
the story of Greenland, or the stories of its people. Knud
Rasmussen is himself partly of Eskimo origin his childhood was
spent in Greenland, and to Greenland he returned again and again,
studying, exploring, crossing the desert of the inland ice, making
unique collections of material, tangible and otherwise, from all
parts of that vast and littIe-known land, and his achievements on
these various expeditions have gained for him much honour and the
appreciation of many learned societies. But it is as an interpreter
of native life, of the ways and customs of the Eskimos, that he has
done his greatest work. Icunhguaq -that is his native name-is known
throughout the country and posscsses the confidence of the natives
to a superlative degree, forining himself, as it were, a link
between then1 and thc rest of the world. Such work, as regards its
hither side, must naturally consist to a great extent of sciertific
treatises, collections of facts and specimens, all requiring
previous knowledge of the subject for their proper comprehension.
These have their great value as additions to the sum of human
knowledge, but they remain unknown to the majority of men. The
present volume is designed to be essentially a popular, as distinct
from ascientific work. The original colIection of stories and
legends made by Knud Rasmussen under the auspices of the Carlsberg
Foundation has never yet been published. In making the present
selection, I have endeavoured to choose those which are most
characteristic and best calculated to give an idea of the life and
thought of the people. The clearest variants have been chosen, and
vague or doubtful passages omitted, so as to render the narratives
easiIy understandable for the 5 6 INTRODUCTION ordinary reader. In
many cases also, the extreme outspokenness of the primitive people
concerned has necessitated further editing, in respect of which, I
can confidently refer any inclined to protest, to the unabridged
English version, lodged with the Trustees of the Carlsberg
Foundation in Copenhagen, for my defence. For the rest, L have
endeavoured to keep as closely as possible to the spirit and tone
of the originals, working from the Eskimo text and Knud Ras-
mussens Danish version side by side. The iIlustrations are by
native Eskimo artists. They are not drawn to illustrate the
particular stories, but represent typical scenes and incidents such
as are there described. In the selection of these, preference has
been given to those of unusual character, as for instance those
dealing with the tupilak theme, and matters of wizardry or
superstition generally, which the reader would find more difficult
to visualize for himself than ordinary scenes of daily life. As
regards their contents, the stories bring before us, more clearly,
perhaps, than any objective study, the daily life of the Eskimos,
their habit of thought, their conception of the universe, and the
curious spirit world which forms theirprimitive religion or
mytholog-. In point of form they are unique. The aim of the Eskimo
story- I teller is to pass the time during the long hours of
darkness if he can send his hearers to sleep, he achieves a
triumph. Not infrequently 1 a story-teller will introduce his
chef-dauvre with the proud declaration that no one has ever heard
this story to the end...
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