MURDOCH.] INCANTATION. 433 



the village, women were standing at the doors of the, houses armed 

 with snow-knives and clubs with which they made passes over the en 

 trance when the people inside, called out. He entered one house and 

 found a woman vigorously driving the tuBiia out of every corner with 

 a knife. They then repaired to the kudylgi, where there were ten or 

 twelve people, each of whom, to quote from Lieut. Ray s note book, 

 &quot;made a charge against the evil spirit, telling what injuries they had , 

 received from it.&quot; Then they went into the open air, where a tire had 

 been built in front of the entrance, and formed a half circle around the 

 fire. Each then went up and made a speech, bending over the fire 

 (according to Simpson, who describes a similar ceremony at Xnwfik on p. 

 274 of his paper, coaxing the tuiifia to come under the tire to warm him 

 self). Then they brought out a large tub full of urine, to which, Simp 

 son says, each man present had contributed, and held it ready near the 

 fire, while two men stood with their rifles in readiness, and a boy stood 

 near the fire with a large stone in his hands, bracing himself firmly 

 with his feet spread apart for a vigorous throw. Then they chanted as 

 follows (the words of this chant were obtained afterward by the 



writer) : 



Ttik tiiktak tohd! 



NVjii nM! 



lie! he! ho! 



Hsiyahe! 



Yaiyaho! 



Hwi! 



And instantly the contents of the tub were dashed on the fire, the 

 stone thrown into the embers, and both men discharged their rinVs, one 

 into the embers, and one into the cloud of steam as it rose. Then all 

 brushed their clothes violently and shouted, and the tuufia was killed. 

 By a fortunate coincidence, the next day was the finest we had had 

 for a long time. 



Sacrifices are also occasionally made to these supernatural beings as 

 in Greenland &quot;gifts were offered to the inue of certain rocks, capes and 

 ice firths, principally when traveling and passing those places.&quot; 



Capt. Herendeen, in the fall of 1882, went to the rivers in company 

 with one of the &quot;doctors.&quot; When they arrived at the river Kuaru, 

 where the latter intended to stay tor the fishing, he got out his drum and 

 &quot;talked&quot; for a long time, and breaking off very small pieces of tobacco 

 threw them into the air, crying out, &quot;Tuima, tmjiia, I give you tobacco! 

 give me plenty of fish.&quot; When they passed the dead men at the 

 cemetery, he gave them tobacco in the same way, asking them also for 

 fish. 2 We noticed but few other superstitious observances which have 

 not been already described. As in Greenland and elsewhere, super 

 stition requires certain persons to abstain from certain kinds of food. 

 For instance, Mufiialu, and apparently many others, were not permitted 



1 Rink. Tales, etc., p. 56. 



1 &quot;When an Innuit passes the place where a relative has died, ho paiUGfl and deposits a piece of meat 

 near by.&quot; Baffin Land. Hall, Artie Researches, p. 574. 

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