stefansson-wrangel-09-32-067r

335 THE STORY OF ADA BLACKJACK

pedition, Aarnout Castel and August Masik, brought her
to see me at a hotel. During the next few days I saw
her several times, usually either with some member of one
of my expeditions or with Mr. E. R. Jordan, her before-
mentioned friend of long standing who had employed her
on Crawford’s behalf to go to Wrangel Island. There was
also in Seattle her sister, married to the half Eskimo young
man, Fred Wolki, who had been a member of my expedi-
tion for a year, 1917-18. Ada’s eight-year-old son, Ben-
nett, was always with her.

At first Ada had very little to say and I thought her
reticence temperamental, but once when I happened to be
alone with her for a while she began to talk freely. I have
since come to realize that she will talk openly enough to al-
most any sympathetic person if they are alone. What seems
to trouble her is not so much the presence of others as any
conversation that may be going on between them. She
is also curiously inhibited by definite promises which evi-
dently she did not quite understand when she made them
to someone before leaving Nome for Seattle. She had prom-
ised, for instance, that she would not sign her name to any-
thing. Evidently the person who extracted the promise
meant that she was not to sign any agreement or contract;
but Ada did not understand it so and accordingly refused
to autograph photographs of herself which she gave to
friends, her reason being that if she did that she would be
breaking her word. She had also promised not to answer
questions. Occasionally she does forget this prohibition if
the question is artfully put, but a direct interrogation
from practically anyone will stop her suddenly. But if
you sit receptively silent she will talk on for hours. Any-
one who understands Eskimo views of life will realize that
this is no indication of lack of intelligence on the part
of Ada Blackjack but only shows her idea of how promises
should be kept. Partly there is also a blending of ancient
taboo ideas when punishment through illness or accident
was believed to follow quickly on the doing of any for-
bidden thing.

Perhaps because of my official relation to herself and