Paula Watkins, age 12, of Visalia, California, for her questions
Do Eskimos still live in igloos?
Today you are gathered, warm and cozy, around the Christmas tree. And way up in the snowy land of Santa Claus an Eskimo family is huddled in a little round igloo. But donut feel sorry for them. They would not change places with you far all the tea in China. They too are warm, cozy and happy to be together. True, life up there is full of hardships that we could. not endure. But the Eskimos have the reputation of being the most happy, merry, fun‑loving people on earth. They live on top of the world in more ways then one and make games out of their daily chores,
As for the igloo, there are two kinds, both round, dame‑shaped buildings. One is made of earth, rock and driftwood.. This is a permanent shelter and may last a family a whole winter. This is usually as long as most Eskimos care to stay in one place. They are great gadabouts, traveling hundreds of miles in search of food.
Often a hunt lasts many days. Each night finds the hunters far from home. There are no buildings of any sort, only a vast expanse of frozen snow. So the hunters cheerfully build themselves a shelter from what happens to be handy. They cut blocks of frozen show and build an igloo. It is a small dome with a tunnel leading to the door to prevent a draft. Inside, this snow igloo is very warm and cozy.
The snow igloo is used for only one night's sleep, not as a permanent home. It is used only by the Eskimos who live and hunt across the frozen wastes of the far north. In parts of Alaska, Canada and Greenland you may find Eskimos who have never made a snow igloo and would not know how to make one. Eskimos live over a vast area and their customs differ a great deal. Some who live near trading posts live dust like their neighbors from farther south.
Eskimo life in the far north is very differ it from ours, There they dress only in skins and furs. They eat only meat, no fruit or vegetables. Their ice cream is a mixture of frozen caribou fat, shaved thin and creamed with oil. There is no milk, cream or butter to be had. Some Eskimos gather birds eggs in the spring and freeze them for winter food.
Every member of the Eskimo family is always busy for there are a thousand and one things to be done. The men hunt, fish and. trap. They build boats, igloos and sleds. They tend their faithful sled dogs. The boys go along with the men to learn all the duties that one day will be theirs.
The women prepare the skins, often by chewing them. They sew the skins and furs into clothing and shoes for the family. They prepare the food, dry the fish and meat on racks or store it in Nature's deep freeze. They cook the meals on the only fire they have ‑ a shallow basin filled with whale oil and fed with a wick of moss. They tend the babies. These are the duties the girls learn from their mothers.