34 TRIBES OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA 



for revenge may continue for many, many years, 

 unless the murderer, or one of his relatives, is killed 

 as a punishment for the crime. 



Animals, and even lifeless things, are thought to 

 have a spirit which goes to some sort of heaven, 

 so we understand why a hunter s property is buried 

 with him ; his relations think he will need it in the 

 next world. A very wonderful man among the 

 Eskimo is a person whom they call &quot; angakok,&quot; a 

 priest or &quot; medicine man,&quot; who goes through some 

 very strange performances, during which he claims 

 to have a talk with ghosts who tell him how to cure 

 diseases, or in what way some misfortune can be 

 averted. Dr. Boas tells us that : &quot; The lamps 

 being lowered, the angakok strips off his outer 

 jacket, places the hood over his head, and sits 

 down in the back part of the hut, facing the wall. 

 He claps his hands, which are covered with mittens, 

 and shaking his whole body utters sounds which 

 one would scarcely recognise as human.&quot; After 

 this performance he pretends to summon to his 

 aid the spirit of an animal which is supposed to be 

 his particular helper and guardian. Then all in 

 the hut join in a chorus, following which the patient 

 is questioned : &quot; Did you eat when it was for 

 bidden ? &quot; Did you work when it was for 

 bidden ? &quot; and perhaps the sick man is obliged to 

 admit that he has broken some tribal law. The 

 &quot; angakok &quot; may impose some rules on the whole 

 community ; perhaps he forbids every one to eat 

 the flesh of the deer, or he may command a general 

 cleansing of the hut ; soms orders are very sensible, 

 others just foolish and superstitious. 



