NO. 4 UPPER YUKON NATIVE CUSTOMS— SCHMlTTER 15 



in groups about the village and gossiped or sung to tunes resembling 

 those of Japanese operas. Time was kept by one of the Indians 

 beating upon a caribou-skin drum, while everybody swayed to the 

 time, alternately bending the right and left knee. For the final cere- 

 mony a fence about seven feet high was built about an enclosure 

 thirty by sixty feet. The "pot-latch" proper was held in this enclos- 

 ure during one afternoon, and the people sat about near the fence 

 facing the goods of the deceased, which were displayed at one end 

 by Chief Isaac, who stood in their midst and presided. The first 

 hour of the ceremony was very much like a church meeting, all 

 talking in their native language. The chief then opened with a 

 speech, and when he sat down others rose and spoke as the spirit 

 seemed to move them, apparently eulogizing the great chief. At 

 times the speaker became much wrought up, his gestures showing 

 that he was illustrating a fight with an animal. After the speech- 

 making the goods were distributed one article at a time. The chief 

 would pick up a blanket, walk down the center of the assembly, and 

 with a few remarks toss it to some one, the recipient smilingly 

 responding with brief remarks. Articles were only given to the 

 visitors; the Eagle Indians received nothing. 



After watching the ceremony several hours, I was about to leave 

 when the chief called me and handed me a pair of moose-skin moc- 

 casins, saying, "This is because you were good to my people." 



Next day the food became scarce, so the visitors began to depart 

 for their homes, their toboggans laden with goods from the deceased 

 chief's cache. 



NAMES 



A few of the most important Indian names have been given in 

 the previous paragraphs under other subjects. The Eagle Indians 

 themselves are called "kkwi dyik" in their own tongue. In the 

 Porcupine language they are called "vun tte kwi chin," which means 

 "the people of the Willow Creek," since they came from what is 

 now known as Charlie Creek, where willows abound and from which 

 the creek was named by the natives. 



Individuals were given names from incidents of their infancy. 

 Old Simon's name, "Da Hoch," meaning white blood, was chosen 

 from the fact that he had a suppuration in one of his eyes since 

 infancy. The Indians are generally known to the white people by 

 Biblical names which missionaries gave to them. 



