THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [ETH.ANN. 18 



a square fall on the back without the aid of tripping or any other use 

 of the feet or legs, except as supports. This is generally done for sport, 

 but I was told that in ancient times disputed claims for women were 

 sometimes settled in this manner. A stranger, upon arrival in a village, 

 is frequently challenged to wrestle with the local champion. Powerful 

 men are very rough in this sport, and one method is to attempt by a 

 terrific hug to crush the opponent. One old man told me that he had 

 seen the blood gush from a wrestler s mouth and nose from the pressure 

 of his antagonist. I heard of an instance where a white man visiting 

 the village of the Malemut at Kotzebue sound during the winter was 

 repeatedly challenged to wrestle by one of the villagers. Finally, the 

 annoyance became so great that the stranger accepted the challenge, 

 and, being an extremely powerful man, seized the Eskimo and dashed 

 him to the floor of the kashim so heavily that he was badly hurt. This 

 was considered quite legitimate and the stranger was not molested 

 further. 



KNEE WALKING (chis-lcu mt-uk ) (St Michael). The young men of 

 a village kneel on the plank flooring of the kashim and holding their 

 feet up with their hands walk about on bare knees, each trying to 

 outdo the others in endurance. 



HIGH JUMPING (kut -khuk) (St Michael). A stick is held or fas 

 tened above the floor at a certain distance and the young men try to 

 excel in leaping over it, the stick gradually being raised to the limit of 

 the jumpers powers. 



HORIZONTAL JUMPING (mi-chikh -tdk) (St Michael). The junipers 

 in this game practice it either outside of or within the kashim. A mark 

 is made from which the jumping is done and another on the ground or 

 floor scores the point reached by each. 



HURDLE JUMPING (ya 1 -li-ku -juk) (St Michael). Four umiak oars 

 are placed at an equal distance apart around the sides of the kashim, 

 about breast high above the floor; the contestants start in pairs, jump 

 ing over them one after the other until one of each pair is defeated by 

 failing to clear one of the oars. 



FOOT RACING (uk-iehaun 1 ) (St Michael). This is a favorite sport 

 among the Eskimo and is practiced usually in autumn when the new 

 ice is formed. The race extends from one to several miles, the course 

 usually lying to and around some natural object, such as an island or 

 a point of rocks, then back to the starting point. 



KAIAK RACING (pan-4~g &amp;gt; a / un / ) (St Michael). The men, each in his 

 kaiak, are ranged side by side near the shore, and then at a signal 

 paddle around a rock or islet, the winner being he who first touches 

 the shore on returning to the starting point. 



Umiak races are also conducted in the same way, and hunters engage 

 in contests in throwing seal and walrus spears of various kinds. 



From Kuskokwim river to Cape Prince of Wales, on both the main 

 land and the islands, children of both sexes were found using tops. 



