C Ihe Ladies c cu. V'VVAN - History and Classics, Department of

Eskimos at Aklavik 55Roman Gatholic Missionand Priest's Residence,AkJavik, 1926. John F.Moran. NAG PA102092.for a main street. On that day of our arrival the place was humming with bustleand activity. The place was hardly more than a single line of houses strung out ontop of a mud bank that was about 20 feet high. The river below was a sluggishchannel of the many-branching Mackenzie River Delta. There was a beach, moremud than sand, of considerable width and on that shore were crowds of Eskimosencamped in tents, with over a hundred huskies tethered to posts between thetents and the Eskimo schooners. These vessels had been brought in from theArctic Ocean to be outfitted for the whaling season and were either riding atanchor in the river or propped up on the beach.The whole population of the settlement had, of course, turned out to greet thearrival of the steamer, an event which spelt an end to the last nine months ofisolation, for the steamer brought welcome news from outside, personal mail,necessities, luxuries and, above all, supplies of drink.The people were moving about like a nest of ants suddenly disturbed. Therewere crowds everywhere, on deck and in the steamer's saloon, on the narrowgangplanks and the muddy foreshore and the top of the bank. There wereEskimos and Indians, whites and half-breeds. For two more days we couldremain on board, but we were both anxious to get the question of accommodationsettled, so I went ashore and began to search the place. The Roman Catholicmission at the far end of the settlement was too expensive. Finally I settled on alarge , airy, upper room in the convent of the Grey Nuns. It had a balcony that