NELSON] GREAT FEAST TO THE DEAD 377 



called out, &quot;Corne to me, ray best beloved relative,&quot; at which the name 

 sake of the deceased relative came forward from among the people. The 

 feast giver then removed the clothing from the namesake and replaced 

 it with a complete new suit, the person sitting passively while this was 

 being done. As soon as the new suit had been put upon the namesake, 

 the feast giver gathered up the discarded clothing on the floor with the 

 bags and placed them in the namesake s arms, who returned to his or 

 her place among the villagers. As the namesake turned away the feast 

 giver cried out in a loud voice, bidding the shade of his relative to 

 return to the grave where its bones lay. 



This was sometimes accompanied by directions, such as, &quot;Go back 

 to your grave on Clear creek and there circle about it once and then 

 enter your grave box.&quot; Others told the shade to circle about its grave 

 three times and enter it. Others told the shade to circle about the vil 

 lage where it was buried and then enter the grave. The dead who 

 were buried beside this village were told to go out and circle about the 

 place or kashim and return to their graves. Shades of persons who 

 had been drowned were bidden to return to the river. 



During this festival, from the time the dance of invitation is first 

 performed in front of the graves, the shades of the dead are supposed 

 to congregate in the pit under the floor of the kashim, and there to 

 hear and enjoy everything that goes on. Sometimes they are said to 

 be in the kashim itself, but are invisible. During the last day they are 

 believed to enter the bodies of their namesakes, so that when the 

 clothing is put on the latter the shades are clothed. 



When a relative bids a shade to return to its burial place it must 

 obey, and it goes back wearing the essence of the new clothing, as it 

 is believed that when the old clothing is removed from the namesake 

 and the new put on, the spiritual essence of the new garments goes to 

 the shade. 



Two men among the namesakes were given complete suits of cloth 

 ing; also loaded guns, flasks of powder, caps, filled bullet pouches, and 

 similar articles. After receiving their gifts these men danced wildly 

 about, flourishing their guns and shouting in great excitement. One 

 man cried, &quot;You don t believe me; you think I lie, but I will guard and 

 protect the village from danger,&quot; at the same time firing his gun 

 toward the roof. The other ma.^. who received a gun went through a 

 similar performance. The shouts of twenty or thirty people among 

 the crowd of eager spectators and the firing of guns in the dim light of 

 the feeble oil lamps created a wild scene. 



Soon after the new clothing was put on the namesakes, they went to 

 their homes, where they left their extra garments and returned to the 

 kashim. Then the feast givers exchanged their old garments for new 

 ones, taking the old clothing home, where it was left. In an hour 

 everyone had returned to the kashim, the drums were brought out again, 

 and the old men struck up the ordinary chorus song: 



Ai-ya-ya-tift-ai-yd, etc. 



