Women in the Hierarchy of Eskimo Society

Many characteristics are shared among most of the Eskimo groups. Eskimos live in small, isolated villages, usually in groups of only 10 to 50 people, though the exception could be as large a group as 800. Most villages would have perhaps six dwellings. The Eskimo world is small and self-contained not only in terms of the size of the village and the size of the home but also in terms of the circle familiar to a single Eskimo. Relatives constitute the primary world of the Eskimo. The Eskimo family consists of the conjugal unit, a husband, wife, and their children. At the time of first European contact, most women had only two or three children, though Eskimo couples wanted to have as many children as possible. There were two reasons for this fact: 1) there was a high rate of infant mortality; and 2) ther

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age of 14, and until that time she had no responsibilities except to care for a smaller child. From adolescence on, though, she acquired adult skills: When she married, she not only cared for her children but butchered the animals killed by her husband, processed skins and sewed them into garments, and cooked all the food. Women likewise built and repaired the houses. Only after her sons married and brought their wives into the house were a woman's domestic chores lightened; she then fully controlled the activities of her daughters-in-law (Oswalt, 1979, 99). In the earliest study of the Polar Inuits, Crantz described the practice of "bride capture," though there is some question as to how much of his account was a description of what was observed and how much was his imagination. Marital arrangements were made by the parents. Old women sent by the grooms parents would go to the girl's parents and extend the formal request, and the prospective bride would then become agitated: She tore her hair and might faint or try to run away, but in the end she was dragged to the groom's home, where she sat looking disheveled and not eating for days. Although modesty partially explained her behavior, she probably feared that she would
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Eskimo Eskimo, Marriage Eskimo, Inuits Crantz, Polar Inuit, Polar Inuits, , Eskimo Eskimos, oswalt 1979, burch 1988, Eskimo Relatives, Oswalt WH, eskimo society, low status, Nunamiut Eskimos, western observers, polar inuits, 1979 99, oswalt 1979 99, eskimo family, burch 1988 23, wife children, tools weapons, burch 1988 28,
Approximate Word count = 1951
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)