NELSON] MORTUARY FEASTS 3G5 



the spiritual essence of tbe entire quantity of food and water from which 

 the small portions are offered goes to the shade. This essence of the 

 offerings is believed to be transported mysteriously to the abodes of 

 the shades and thus supply their wants until the time of the next 

 festival. After these offerings have been made the festival maker dis 

 tributes the food that is left among the people present and all eat 

 heartily. Then, with songs and dances, the feast is ended and the 

 shades are dismissed. &quot; 



**^ssmm s^__ ___ ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B 



GREAT FEAST TO THE DEAD 



The great feast to the dead (the ten-year Eyruska of the fur trader) 

 is the fkh -tti-Jca -tdkh-tuk of the Unalit at St Michael and the Ukh -ta 

 or I -H-g i of the Eskimo at Ikoginut on the lower Yukon. The latter 

 term means &quot;throwing away,&quot; from the custom of the feast makers 

 giving away everything during the festival. The nearest relative of 

 a deceased Eskimo in this region must honor the shade of the departed 

 with presents of food, drink, and clothing, through the dead person s 

 namesake at the first festival in honor of the shades following his 

 death; also by small food offerings at each of the following annual 

 observances of this festival until he takes part in the great feast to 

 the dead. The chief mourner is the nearest blood relative, either the 

 father, son, brother, or other near relation. The chief mourner, after 

 the expiration of one or two years, commences to save up valuable 

 articles, such as skins of various kinds, clothing, and other things 

 prized by these people; thus he or she saves for four, six, or even more 

 years until the store of goods has grown to a large amount of property, 

 as these people regard it, often worth hundreds of dollars. 



At the same time others in the village are doing the same, until 

 finally a number of persons conclude that they have enough to make 

 one of these great festivals, when they agree on a time for its observ 

 ance on some day during a certain moon in the ensuing year. Then, at 

 the holding of the next minor feast to the dead, each relative plants his 

 invitation stake before the grave of the one he wishes to honor. The 

 invitation stake consists of a slender wooden rod, four to six feet high, 

 commonly having rings of red paint about its freshly cut surface, and 

 topped by a small, painted, wooden image of the totemic animal of the 

 deceased: this stake is supposed to notify the shade of the dead of the 

 approaching festival. To still further notify the shades, a song of invi 

 tation is sung at the minor festival to the dead given the year before 

 the great feast, and as the shades are believed to be present at these 

 festivals, this song is supposed to be heard by them. 



With the observance of this great festival a person is supposed to 

 have done his entire duty to the shades of his dead, and thenceforth 

 may abstain from making any further feasts in their honor without 

 being ashamed before his fellow villagers. However, should he lose 

 another very near relation he would be expected to repeat the usual 



