Hall questions Eveeshuk about cannibalism (1869 May 14)

Friday: May 14: 1869

Thick fog this morning Wind SE the weather warm.

Now noon & the wife of Tǔk-pee-too present in our Ig-loo at my request having understood that she has seen some of the skeleton bones of the 5 men who died on this island Kee-u-na (Todd's Isle).

Her name E-vee-shǔk.

I now with Inuk's aid as Interpreter ask her some questions: --

Did you see anything of the men who died on this island? Ans. She has seen 5 skulls of the White Men who died a long time ago here.

Did you see Too-loo-ark? Ans. Saw the bodies of the White Men in one place on the island & Too-loo-ark a little way from the 4. When she 1st saw them flesh & clothing all on the bones, the bodies entire & after making tupik near the dogs discovered much of the flesh of the Kob-lū-nas (Whites). It was some time after this that she saw the skulls she has spoke of as having seen.

She saw these bodies entire one winter after Poo-yet-a found them. - The clothes these men had on were black.

What makes you Ev-ee-shuk think one of these 5 men was Too-loo-ark? Had heard [from] her father all about Too-loo-ark, how he looked when at Eat-er-water-wig

[…]

Can bones – skeleton bones – be seen there now when snow & ice are gone. Ans. She thinks not for it is so muddy there & the mud soft that they have all sunk down into it — she continues one man's body when found by the Innuits flesh all on & not mutilated except the hands sawed off at the wrists – the rest a great many had their flesh cut off as if some one or others had cut it off to eat

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About this document ...

  • Written by: C.F. Hall
  • Archive: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington D.C.
  • Collection: Charles Francis Hall Collection
  • Reference number: ACNMAH 0702, Folder 103, Small Notebook no. 34
  • Date: 1869 May 14
  • Page(s): 1-3
Sunken ship