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ORIGIN OF THE WINDS AND RAIN. 



There is a giant spirit who lives in the north. When he 

 blows his breath, violent snowstorms occur. Other spirits live 

 in the east and west. They breathe soft winds and summer 

 weather. Female spirits dwell to the south. They send the 

 flowers and summer rain. They live up in the sky and keep 

 the rain in big bags. When they run across the sky the water 

 escapes. The thunder is the noise of their running across the 

 sky. 



THE HEAVENLY REGIONS. 



The ends of the land and sea are bounded by an immense 

 abyss, over which a narrow and dangerous pathway leads to 

 the heavenly regions. The sky is a great dome of hard material 

 arched over the earth. There is a hole in it through which the 

 spirits pass to the true heavens. Only the spirits of those who 

 have died a voluntary or violent death, and the raven, have 

 been over this pathway. The spirits who live there light torches 

 to guide the feet of new arrivals. This is the light of the aurora. 

 They can be seen there feasting and playing football with a 

 walrus skull. 



The whistling crackling noise which sometimes accompanies 

 the aurora is the voices of these spirits trying to communicate 

 with the people of the earth. They should always be answered 

 in a whispering voice. Youths and small boys dance to the 

 aurora. The heavenly spirits are called selamiut, "sky-dwell- 

 ers," those who live in the sky. 



THE REGIONS BELOW. 



For three days after an Eskimo dies, the spirit lingers around 

 the scenes of its earthly existence. Then people must be very 

 careful not to offend it. After taking a last look at its native 

 village, it sets out for the land of the nu'namiut, "the earth 

 people," or "those who dwell in (beneath) the earth." 



The way to the world beneath lies through a long dark 

 tunnel guarded by a big dog ( ?). He is always on the lookout 

 for unwary spirits. 



