364 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [ETH.ASN.IS 



beneath tlie floor, entering and possessing the bodies of their name 

 sakes in the kashim, and thus obtaining for themselves the offerings 

 of food, drink, or clothing which are made to these namesakes for the 

 benefit of the deceased. It is by means of such offerings that the 

 shade is believed to obtain the supplies necessary for its wants in the 

 land of the dead. 



When the offerings have been made and the songs concluded, the 

 shades are sent back to their abiding place by stamping upon the 

 floor. On the day of the feast no one is permitted to do any work 

 about the village, and all work with sharp-edged or pointed tools is 

 prohibited for fear that some shade may be about, and, being injured, 

 become angry and do harm to the people. All are supposed to take 

 part in this festival whose nearest relatives have died, and in propor 

 tion to the care and generosity exercised on these occasions the shade 

 is made happy and comfortable. 



These Eskimo fear to die unless they have someone to make offer 

 ings to their memory, and childless persons generally adopt a child so 

 that their shade may not be forgotten at the festivals, as people who 

 have no one to make offerings for them are supposed to suffer great 

 destitution in the other world. For this reason it is regarded as the 

 severest punishment possible for a shade to have these rites neglected 

 by its relatives. When a person has been very much disliked, his shade 

 is sometimes purposely ignored. 



At St Michael and the lower Yukon, when this feast is held, each of 

 those who have dead friends to honor takes an oil lamp into the kashiin 

 at midday, where the lamps are lighted and arranged around the room 

 a yard or two from the wall on supports about two feet high. If the 

 shade of a man is to be honored a lamp is placed in front of the place 

 he formerly occupied in the room. These lamps are kept burning until 

 the festival is ended, and in this way the shades are supposed to be 

 lighted on their way back to the earth and to receive in the laud of the 

 dead the light which they used in their houses. After this an old man 

 takes a drum, and sitting in front of the main lamp in the middle of 

 the room, beats it in slow, regular time, while singing the invitation to 

 the shades, accompanied by all the villagers. This is quite a long song, 

 of which the following few words are given : 



Tu-ko -mal-u-g i -ti, tai -kin-a; A-la -ai-ya mti-kluy -u-muk 

 Dead ones, come here; (Chorus) sealskins (for a) 



kan-ukh -knit-urn -kin. A-la -ai-ija . Tai -kin-a -ka; tun-tu -muk 

 &quot;&quot; tent you will get. (Chorus.) Cotne here, do ; reindeer skins 



cho-y okh -kuii-um -Mn. A-la 1 -ai-ya . Tai -kin-a -ka . 

 for a bed you will get. (Chorus.) Come here, do. 



When this is completed the persons who are making the feast rise, 

 and going to the food they have prepared and placed at the doorway, 

 take a small portion from every dish and cast it down on the floor as 

 an offering; then each takes a ladle of water and pours a little on the 

 floor so that it runs through the cracks. In this way they believe that 



