I was told that the language of these people of Sedluk was
similar to that spoken by the fathers and grandfathers of the Iwillik
tribe. They had evidently the same origin, and while one became
improved by intercourse with foreign nations and adopted words from
foreign tongues, the other remained as it was in the past, unimproved
by interchange of ideas. I have never seen anything like a full
glossary of the Esquimaux language, and believe that at this time, when
Arctic affairs are attracting so much attention everywhere, a list of
the most important words used in communicating with the natives, and
the method of uniting them, would prove quite interesting. My
experience was that though we at first found it difficult to talk with
the interior tribes they soon caught the idea and conversation became
easy. Innukpizookzook, an Ooqueesiksillik woman who with her husband
joined our party on Hayes River, learned the method of communication in
two weeks, so that it was as easy to hold conversation with her as with
any of those who came with us from Hudson Bay and had been accustomed
to the peculiar language since their birth. In fact, as a general
thing, we found the women much brighter than the men, not only in
acquiring language but in understanding the descriptions of wonderful
things in the white men's country.
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