630 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



shaman discovers the tupilak he advises the people, who assemble, and 

 prepare to free it of its burden. All the shamans go in search of it, 

 each a knife in hand. As soon as they find it, they stab it with their 

 knives, and thus cut off the transgressions. Then the tupilak becomes 

 a soul again. The knives with which it was stabbed are seen by the 

 people to be covered with blood. 



The Central Eskimo believe that man has two souls. One of these 

 stays with the body, and may enter temporarily the body of a child 

 which is given the name of the departed. The other soul goes to one 

 of the lands of the souls. Of these there are several. There are three 

 heavens, one above another, of which the highest is the brightest and 

 best. Those who die by violence go to the lowest heaven. Those who die 

 by disease go to Sedna's house first, where they stay for a year. Sedna 

 restores their souls to full health and then she sends them up to the 

 second heaven. Those who die by drowning go to the third heaven. 

 People who commit suicide go to a place in which it is always dark and 

 where they go about with their tongues lolling. Women who have 

 had premature births go to Sedna's abode and stay in the lowest world. 



The other soul stays with the body. When a child has been named 

 after the deceased, the soul enters its body and remains there for about 

 four months. It is believed that its presence strengthens the child's 

 soul, which is very light and apt to escape from the body. After leav- 

 ing the body of the infant, the soul of the departed stays nearby, in 

 order to re-enter its body in case of need. When a year has elapsed 

 since the death of the person, his soul leaves the grave temporarily and 

 goes hunting, but returns frequently to the grave. When the body has 

 entirely decayed it may remain away for a long time. 



Evidently the Eskimo also believe in the transmigration of souls. 

 There is one tradition in which it is told how the soul of a woman 

 passed through the bodies of a great many animals, until finally it was 

 born again as an infant. In another story it is told how a hunter 

 caught a fox in a trap and recognized in it the soul of his departed 

 mother. In still another tale the soul of a woman, after her death, en- 

 tered the body of a huge polar bear in order to avenge wrongs done to 

 her during her lifetime. 



Almost the sole object of the religious ceremonies of the Eskimo is 

 to appease the wrath of Sedna, of the souls of animals, or of the souls 

 of the dead, that have been offended by the transgressions of taboos. 

 This is accomplished by the help of the guardian spirits of the angakut. 

 The most important ceremony of the Eskimo is celebrated in the fall. 

 At this time of the year the angakut, by the help of their guardian 

 spirits, visit Sedna and induce her to visit the village, and they endeavor 

 to free her of the transgressions that became attached to her during the 

 preceding year. One angakok throws her with his harpoon, another 



