There the matter ends; or, if the offender
declines to settle, the case may be referred to the ish-u-mat-tah, who
will probably insist that payment be made. And yet should the
delinquent still prove contumacious and refuse to pay, the matter rests
there--there is no punishment for his offence. The well-behaved will
talk to the refractory one and say, "ma-muk-poo-now" (no good), but
that is all. Should he be hungry or his family unprovided for, the
others will all assist him just the same as if he did well and obeyed
their laws and customs. He can come into their igloos and chat with
them upon the topics of the day, or join in the meal that is under
discussion, and the stranger would never know but that the utmost
harmony existed among them. If you were one for whom the community had
respect, they might privately inform you that "so and so" was "no
good," but you would never suspect it from their actions toward him.
So it is in the treatment of their children. Punishment for wrong-doing
is almost unheard of, and as for striking a male child, all would
recoil from such a thought with horror. The male child, and especially
the heir, is a prince in his own family circle. Everything is deferred
to his wishes unless he can be persuaded to surrender it. With female
children it is different. They must submit to every act of tyranny on
the part of their brothers at once, or feel the weight of a parent's
hand.
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