ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 101 



reason why they are afraid to touch the corpse of the deceased, 

 and why they destroy every object which once belonged to a dead 

 Eskimo. 



The soul of the dead Innung goes to the land Adlivum, beneath 

 the earth of which an evil spirit, Sedna, is mistress. In olden times 

 she was an Eskimo woman herself, married to a fulmar who used 

 her very badly. She escaped in the boat of her father who flung 

 her overboard to save his own life from the wrath of the bird, after 

 having detected the loss of his wife. While Sedna clung to the 

 edge of the boat the father cut off her fingers which were changed 

 into seals and whales. To revenge herself she caused two dogs to 

 gnaw off her father's feet and hands. Then the earth opened and 

 they went down to the land Adlivum. As the Eskimos kill the seals 

 and whales that have risen from Sedna's fingers she hates and pur- 

 sues them. Only those who come to an unnatural death escape her 

 and ascend to Heaven to the land Kudlivum where innumerable 

 deer are found, and where they are never troubled by either ice or 

 snow. 



Sedna is feared by the Eskimos even more than the Tupilat and 

 the traditions about her have the greatest influence on their habits, 

 manifesting itself mostly in laws about food and interdiction of 

 labor on certain days. 



To compare the habits and traditions of the Eskimos of Baffin 

 Land with those of the Smith Sound and Greenland will be of much 

 interest, as these tribes connect the central with the eastern Eskimos. 



Tribes which may easily be. studied, and whose customs are of 

 prime importance are the Sicosuilarmiut and Iglumiut, and their 

 connections with the Labrador natives. It is a matter of regret 

 that so little is known of the inhabitants of Southampton Island and 

 of the west shore of Hudson's Bay, although Hall spent five winters 

 in those regions. The researches of Mr. Turner in Ungava will 

 fill a great gap in our knowledge of the central tribes. 



Another tribe of great importance are the inhabitants of Admi- 

 ralty Inlet, who seem to be very numerous up to the present time. 



Even now it is possible to trace the connection between the tribes 

 from King William's Land to Smith Sound and Labrador. The 

 Netchillirmiut of Boothia Felix, who are now mixed with the Ugjulir- 

 miut of King William's Land and Adelaide Peninsula most probably 

 occupy part of the old country of the Ukusiksalingmiut of Back 

 River. These natives, who live principally upon musk oxen, cross 



