338 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT 



TAG (u-la - ki-ta -g u k} (St Michael). This game is played at any sea 

 son by men and women divided into equal parties, which are subdivided 

 into pairs. Then a designated player starts oft , pursued by the others, 

 the players on the opposite side trying to overtake and touch him 

 before he can touch the mate he was given from his own party. This 

 mate strives to get within reach of his companion, the opposite side 

 meanwhile using every effort to interfere between the two by running 

 after the first and hindering the latter. If the player succeeds in 

 touching his mate before he is touched he wins and another pair of 

 runners come out from his side. If he is touched first by one of his 

 opponents, he loses, and a pair of runners come out from among them 

 and take his place. 



TWIN TAG (ki hldkti -ku-ta -g 4k)(8t Michael). In this game the 

 players are fastened together in pairs, being tied by the ankles. One 

 pair are given a start and are pursued by the others until one of the 

 two is touched by another pair, whereupon the latter take their places. 

 This is a summer game. 



KING AROUND (uhl-ta 1 ) (St Michael). The players in this game are 

 either men or women together or separately. The players are divided 

 into two equal parties, each party joining hands and facing toward the 

 center of a circle. When ready they circle about as swiftly as possible, 

 all the time advancing toward a certain point agreed upon, and the 

 circle or ring of players which first reaches the goal is victorious. 

 This game affords much sport, as the members of each ring are eager 

 to reach the goal, but the double motion frequently causes them to 

 stumble and fall promiscuously over one another. 



TOSSING ON WALRUS SKIN (aj-u-tal -u-g tt). I heard of this game 

 from Bering strait to the mouth of the Yukon. A large walrus hide 

 is spread out and hand-holes are cut around its border. One of the play 

 ers stands upon the center, and a party of men on one side and women 

 on the other, numbering as many as can reach it, take hold of the skin. 

 By united effort the players jerk the skin up, holding it tightly 

 stretched. The person on it is thrown high in the air and if he alights 

 on his feet one of the other side must take his place. Should he fall in 

 any other position he or one of his side must remain 011 the skin. This 

 is a summer game, but is sometimes practiced by the young men in the 

 kashim during winter. 



TUG- OF WAR (tln-ukli-tai -cfaun) (St Michael). This is played 

 at any season. A strong rawhide loop is made; the contestants are 

 divided into two parties, and the strongest man of each party grasps 

 the loop with his right hand. The men on each side form a queue with 

 their arms around each other s bodies and pull at a given signal; the 

 side which first looses its hold on the loop is defeated. The loop is 

 called ki-cht-k . This game is played either out of doors or in the kashim, 

 by either men or women; sometimes it is played by a single pair of 

 men or women and is then called no-kti -taun. 



