274 THK POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



die beats a drum and sings a monotonous chant, interrupted by curious 

 vibrating cries, accompanied with a violent shaking of the head from 

 side to side. This ceremony is conducted with great solemnity, and 

 the natives seemed disinclined to have us witness it, so that we learned 

 very little about it. They, however, told us that the chant was ad 

 dressed to a tuafia or spirit, requesting him to make the desired wind 

 blow. It does not appear to be necessary that the man who delivers 

 the invocation should be, a regular magician or &quot; doctor.&quot; A succes 

 sion of unsuccessful attempts were made in 1882, some of them by men 

 who never to our knowledge practiced incantations on other occasions. 

 During this period, and while the whaling is going on, no pounding 

 must be done in the village, and it is not allowable even to rap with 

 the knuckles on wood for fear of frightening away the whales. 2 It is 

 interesting to find that at Norton Sound, where the whale is not pur 

 sued, this superstition has been transferred to the salmon fishery, 

 one of the most important industries of the year. Mr. Dull 3 says: 

 &quot; While the fishery lasts no wood must be cut with an axe, or the sal 

 mon will disappear.&quot; 



As soon as the lead opens, and sometimes before when the prospect 

 looks promising, the boats are taken out to the edge of the land Hoe 

 and kept out there during the season, which lasts till about the last 

 week in June, when they are brought in and got ready for the summer 

 expeditions. When the lead closes, as often happens, the boats are 

 hauled up on the ice and many or all of the crews come home until 

 there are prospects of open water. When there is open water, the 

 boats are always on the lookout for whales, either cruising about in 

 the lead or lying up at the edge of the floe, the crews eating and sleep 

 ing when they can get a chance and shooting seals and ducks when 

 there are no whales in sight. The women and children travel back 

 and forth between the village and the boats, carrying supplies of food 

 for the whalemen. 



In 1883, there was a regular beaten trail along the smooth shore ice 

 between Ime kpun and Utkiavwin, where people were constantly trav 

 eling back and forth. When the boats are out no woman is allowed to 

 sew, as was noticed by Dr. Simpson. 1 To carry the umiak out over 

 the ice it is lashed on a flat sled and drawn by dogs and men. A de 

 scription of one of these boats which I accompanied for part of its jour 

 ney out to the open water, will show how a whaloboat is fitted out. The 

 rifles, harpoons, lances, and other gear of the party were sent on ahead 

 on a sled drawn by half a dozen dogs, with a woman to lead them. 

 After these had made a short stage, they were unfastened from this 



1 Hall speaks of seeing the angeko &quot; very busy ankooting on the hills&quot; &quot;To try and get the pack 

 ice out of the bay.&quot; Arctic, Res., p. 573. 



&quot;Compare Kink, Tales, ete.. p. 55: &quot; To the customs just enumerated may be added various regula 

 tions regarding the chase, especially that of the whale, this animal being easily scared away by vari 

 ous kinds of impurity or disorder.&quot; 



Alaska, p. 147. 



Loc. cit.. p. L O!. 



