125 



the Innuit in their pursuit of game, when she is appealed to. 

 Through their connexion with her, the angekut are able to 

 draw the reindeer."^ 



The old woman does not live alone, but there are many 

 more with her, who spend their time in hunting. (The Eskimo 

 told the early missionaries that when they died, their souls 

 would go "into the country and hunt reindeer"; it is supposed, 

 then, that the old woman is surrounded by the souls of departed 

 Eskimo, who spend their time in hunting.) 



The old woman's name is Supergu'ksoak. 



Her husband is Tornga'rsoak. He lives in the water, and 

 all creatures that live in the water are subject to him. It is he 

 to whom the Labrador Eskimo appeal when in search of whales 

 or seals. 



Through their relation to Supergu'ksoak, the angekut 

 (shamans) are able to draw the reindeer. A very interesting 

 description of this ceremony, performed through the medium of 

 a doll fetish ,2 is given by Turner {Ethnology of the Ungava District, 

 page 197). The control of the reindeer, however, is assigned 

 by the Ungava Eskimo, according to Turner, to Tornga'rsoak. 

 He says : 



"A great spirit controls the reindeer. He dwells in a huge 

 cavern near the end of Cape Chidley. He obtains and controls 

 the spirit of every deer which is slain or dies, and it depends 

 on his good will whether the people shall obtain future supplies. 

 The form of the spirit is that of a huge white bear." 



The Eskimo of the east coast recognize the same deity in 

 Tornga'rsoak or Tunga'rsuq.^ He lives in a cave in the great 

 black mountains at the northern extremity of the peninsula, 

 which they call the Tornga'it, or Spirit mountains. The scenery 

 here is wild and impressive. Tornga'rsoak takes the form of a 



' Both of my informants approved the legend, and added the additional information that 

 when the old woman wished to call the reindeer, she would chant -kai'U. kai'te. ka',uqtuva " 

 Come, come, I am hungry." » ■* y . 



• In Alaslca this act of conjuring has been expanded Into a ceremony, called the DoU 

 Festival or Deer Festival (see Nelson, The Eskimo about Erring Strait, p. 494). In this festival 

 the location of the deer is divined by the presence of a reindeer hair on the doll at the 

 conclusion of the ceremony. 



• South Labrador dialect. 



