36 FEANZ BOAS 



Another form of the tradition ends in the following way : — After her fingers are cut off, 

 the storm subsides, the father allows her to reenter the boat and takes her home. But to 

 revenge herself, she orders her dogs to gnaw off her father's feet. Then both descend to the 

 country Adlivun, which is down below, and since then Sedua is mistress of the lower 

 world. Sedua is the supreme deity of the Eskimo : to her all the numerous regulations 

 refer. Men who obey her commands are successful : those who disobey her are unsuccess- 

 ful, and are visited by sickness and bad luck in all their undertakings. After death they 

 must go to Sedna's abode. Sedna's father grasps the dying with his crippled hand and 

 takes them with him. Two huge dogs watch the door of Sedna's dismal abode, and move 

 only a little to let the dead pass. One year they must stay in this hut ; theu they leave it 

 again to live in Adlivun, where they hunt whale and walrus. Those, however, who 

 have obeyed Sedna's command, and all who die by violence, or by drowning, and women 

 dying in child-bed, go to heaven, which is called " Qudlivuu." There is no ice and snow. 

 Herds of deer roam on the hills and are easily obtained. 



The Central Eskimo believe that, while the soul of the deceased dwells iu.Sedna's 

 house, it is a malevolent spirit which is called "Tupilaq." To see the Tupilaq is a fore- 

 boding of bad luck, his touch means immediate death. This belief is not found in 

 Greenland. The Tupilaq of the Greeulanders is a malevolent being which sorcerers build 

 up of bones and skins to destroy their enemies. It can take the form of any animal, and 

 attack his master's enemies in this shape. 



Besides the tradition of the origin of the sea-animals, there is another referring to 

 Sedna : — During a famine she created deer and walrus, by taking a slice of fat out of her 

 belly and carrying one piece to the mountains and throwing the other into the sea. After 

 she had thus created the deer, it turned upon her, frightened her, and did not obey her 

 command to run away, until she had knocked out his front teeth. But since that time 

 Sedna hates the deer. 



These two traditions explain numerous regulations referring to the diet and mode of 

 life of the Eskimo. The sea animals, which originated from parts of Sedna's body, consti- 

 tute the staple food of the Eskimo. The death of every one of these must be atoned for by 

 abstaining from work for a number of days. Sedua hates the reindeer ; therefore, deer 

 and sea animals must not be brought in contact. Deer must not be eaten on the same day 

 with sea animals. "Walrus must not be hunted before the deer-skin clothing has been 

 finished. I cannot enumerate the numerous regulations which have a deep influence on 

 the life of the Eskimo, and most of which refer to the Sedna myth. 



Every fall, large feasts are celebrated, which are connected with these traditions. In 

 the fall, when heavy gales are raging, the Eskimo believe that Sedna dwells among them, 

 and the mightiest angakoq (priest) is charged with driving her away. In this ceremony 

 the art of these men is displayed to its fullest extent, some of their tricks being real 

 jugglery. A line of seal skin is rolled up on the floor of the hut, a small hole being left in 

 the centre. The angakoq watches it, holding the sealing spear in his left hand. Another 

 priest is sitting in the rear of the hut, singing and chanting to attract Sedna. Now she 

 is heard approaching under the floor of the hut. When she reaches the hole, the harpooneer 

 strikes her and pays out the line. A severe struggle ensues and Sedua flies to her country, 

 Adlivun. This performance is done very cleverly. The harpoon is covered with blood 



