NATAL CUSTOMS 289 



together with the stock of seal oil, dried salmon, and other articles of 

 domestic economy, are kept at one side of the platform or in a corner 

 of the room devoted to this purpose. 



When the time approaches for the preparation of a ineal, a fire is 

 built in the middle of the room and the food made ready, after which 

 each woman places a quantity in one or more wooden dishes, takes it to 

 the kashim, and sets it beside her husband, father, or whoever she has 

 provided for. 



CHILDBIRTH 



During childbirth old women who are reputed to have skill in such 

 matters act as midwives. Formerly, among the Unalit, when a woman 

 was confined with her first child she was considered unclean and put out 

 in a tent or other shelter by herself for a certain period. This custom is 

 now becoming obsolete, but it is still observed by the Eskimo of 

 Kaviak peninsula, by the Malemut, and by other remote tribes. In one 

 case that came to my knowledge a young Malemut woman was confined 

 with her first child at a village on the lower Yukon. It was midwinter, 

 but she was put outside in a small brush hut covered with snow and 

 her food handed her by her husband through a small opening. Despite 

 the intensely cold weather, she was kept there for about two months. 



When a child is born it is given the name of the last person who 

 died in the village, or the name of a deceased relative who may have 

 lived in another place. The child thus becomes the namesake and 

 representative of the dead person at the feast to the dead, as described 

 under the heading of that festival. In case the child is born away 

 from the village, at a camp or on the tundra, it is commonly given the 

 name of the first object that catches its mother s eyes, such as a bush 

 or other plant, a mountain, lake, or other natural object. 



The name thus given is sometimes changed. When a person becomes 

 old he takes a new name, hoping thereby to obtain an extension of life. 

 The new name given is usually indicative of some personal peculiarity, 

 and, after a person makes a change of this kind, it is considered 

 improper to mention the former one. Some of the Malemnt dislike 

 very much to pronounce their own names, and if a man be asked his 

 name he will appear confused and will generally turn to a bystander, 

 asking him to give the desired information. 



Formerly it was a common custom to kill female children at^ birth if 

 they were not wanted, and girls were often killed when from 4 to 6 

 years of age. Children of this sex are looked upon as a burden, since 

 they are not capable of contributing to the food supply of the family, 

 while they add to the number of persons -to be maintained. When 

 infants are killed they are taken out naked to the graveyard and there 

 exposed to the cold, their mouths being filled with snow, so that they 

 will freeze to death quickly. 



!N&quot;ear St Michael I saw a young Malemut girl of 10 or 12 years, 

 18 ETH 19 



