The first is a group of
WIDOWS AT NAIN. It was a good day for lonely Eskimo women of this
class when the Gospel came to their shores. I made a point of
inquiring at each station as to the status of the widows and the
fatherless, and found that everywhere they are well cared for. Indeed,
the widows invariably stand in the first rank of those for whom
regular employment is found by the Society for the Furtherance of the
Gospel. They gratefully acknowledged this. Several of them also gave
me a special commission, which I hereby discharge to the best of my
ability. It was this, "_Give my greeting to all the widows in
Europe._" Perhaps they thought it would be as easy for the visitor
from England to do this on his return, as to inquire after all the
widows in Labrador.
The five aged women in our picture are Adolfina (standing behind),
Marta (seated to her right), and Hulda and Beata (to her left). Amalia
(in the centre of the foreground) is attired in skirts after European
fashion, though she has on a pair of the Eskimo boots indispensable in
such a land. The rest are dressed in full Eskimo costume. It will be
seen that their sillapaks and trousers are ornamented with broad
coloured braid, and the hood, which falls back over their shoulders,
is edged with dog's skin and adorned with a strip of embroidery.
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