378 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [ETH.AXS. 18 



The boys and the young men occupied the middle of the room, shout 

 ing- wildly, contorting their bodies, and springing about in great excite 

 ment until compelled to stop from lack of breath, but resuming the 

 dance after a short rest. This was continued without intermission 

 until the middle of the night. 



Until this dance was concluded and the festival thus ended no one 

 was permitted to leave the village, as it was considered that to do so 

 would offend the shades and bring misfortune upon the villagers. 

 After the dance ended a great fire was lighted in the kashim, and the 

 men took a sweat bath. On the following morning the guests dispersed 

 to their homes. 



On one of my sledge journeys I chanced to arrive at Kushutuk, near 

 Kazbiusky, on the lower Yukon, one night during the great festival to 

 the dead. At dusk I lighted a caudle in the kashim, where none of the 

 usual seal-oil lamps were burning at the time, and an old man at once 

 took a pole, seven or eight feet long, and began thumping on the floor 

 at the head of the room with measured strokes. At the same time two 

 young men arose and lighted a lamp upon each side of the room. 



After about five minutes the old man gave the pole to a boy who con 

 tinued the thumping for a few minutes longer, until about a dozen of 

 the feast givers came in, each carrying a grass bag of new clothing. 

 They crept to their places in the same stooping posture noted at Kaz 

 biusky, indicating their humility. After ranging themselves about the 

 room the feast givers changed their old clothing for the new suits con 

 tained in the bag, and several men and women put on wolfskin fillets. 

 The women all carried feather-ornamented wands. The men formed in 

 line at the head of the room, standing in front of the drummers and, 

 when the latter began to beat time and sing, they commenced a dance. 

 Other men took their places on each side of the room and joined in the 

 dance, which, including the bear dance, was almost an exact repetition 

 of the one performed at Kazbiusky. 



After about five minutes the dancers stamped heavily on the floor, to 

 cleanse themselves, as they said, and then sat down. Soon after they 

 went out and brought in food, which they distributed after making the 

 customary offering to the shades by casting a small portion on the floor. 

 One of the old men told me that the thumping on the floor was to 

 arouse the shades and call them to the dance. They were said to be 

 sitting in the grave boxes, with the body, awaiting the invitation and 

 to answer the summons at once. They are supposed to enjoy these 

 dances equally with the living, and as the feasting and dancing please 

 the invited guests, so are the shades pleased and enlivened. The next 

 morning I was obliged to resume my journey and so failed to witness 

 the conclusion of this festival. 



At Askinuk, near Cape Vancouver, I was in the kashim about dusk 

 one evening and found the women learning a song to be given at the 



