Ml RDOCn.) 



DANCING. 



37f) 



ligious or dramatic about it. The music was furnished by the usual 

 orchestra of old men, who beat drums and sang a monotonous song. 

 Each person who intended to take part in the dance came provided with 

 some small article to be given away as a &quot; favor,&quot; and rising in his 

 turn, danced a few minutes, and then called out the name of the part 

 ner he wished to give it to. The latter then rose, and having received 

 the &quot;favor,&quot; danced awhile with him, and then both resumed their 

 places among the spectators. 



We never heard of any such elaborate &quot;donation parties&quot; as are de 

 scribed at Norton Sound and the Yukon region, where a man saves up 

 his property for years&quot; to distribute it among his guests. 1 A festival, 

 however, was held at Xuwiik in June, 18X3, which, apparently resembled 

 the second kind described by Dal I. - Two men came down from Nuwfik 

 to invite Lieut. Kay and Capt. Herendeen, telling them what presents 

 they were expected to bring, rnfortunately it was considered that too 

 much was asked and the invitation was declined. The messengers car 

 ried &quot;notched sticks.&quot; 3 



Dances in which the children only take part, entirely for amusement, 

 sometimes take place in the, ku dylgl, and people occasionally amuse 

 themselves by dancing in the iglu. 1 have often 

 seen the natives, especially the children and 

 young people, dancing in the open air, and the 

 dancing was always of very much the same char 

 acter. The feet were but slightly moved, keep 

 ing time to the music, while the body swayed 

 gracefully and the arms were waved from side to 

 side. All the dancing which I saw was rather 

 quiet and graceful, but they told us that when 

 they got warmed up at a great dance they went 

 at it with tremendous vigor, throwing off their 

 garments to the waist. The dance which accom 

 panies the song sung by the children to the 

 aurora, however, is more violent. The dancer 

 clenches his fists and, bending his elbows, strikes 



them against the sides of his body, keeping time Fm . 3 7 :! ._Yo,,th dancing to 

 to the song and stamping vigorously with the 

 right foot, springing up and down with the left 

 from a sketch by the writer). 



We never heard of any of the licentious festivals or orgies described 

 by Egede 4 and Kuinlien/ 



the aurora. 



knee (see Fig. .373, 



Sue Uall, Alaska, p. 151. 

 ! Ibid, p. 1M. 



Compare tin; wand &quot;curiously ornamented and carved carried by the messenger who was sent 

 out to invite the guests* to the festival at Norton Sound, Alaska, p. 154. 

 Greenland, p. 139. 

 s Contriblitions, p. 43. 



