166 CRUISE OF THE NEPTUNE 



that the spirit hovers about it during that time before departing, 

 and might be displeased if it were buried immediately. 



There appears to be a great deal of doubt in regard to the 

 action of the soul after death, and at times one is led to think 

 that the Eskimos believe in a dual soul, one of which leaves the 

 body and its surroundings shortly after death, the other remain- 

 ing in its environment and gradually departing for longer and 

 longer periods as the body decays. 



A number of customs are observed after death among the 

 Aivilliks and Kenipitus. ~No work or hunting is permitted for 

 five days, and the women confine themselves closely to the house. 

 During this period the snow must not be scraped from the ice 

 window, the bed must not be shaken, nor the willow mats dis- 

 turbed; the drippings from the lamp must remain, and snow 

 for melting must not be cut. The women are forbidden to wash 

 faces, comb hair or dry boots. The men must not work on iron, 

 wood, stone or ivory. Some of these regulations extend beyond 

 the period of five days. The belongings of the dead are not 

 used by the others, and, if they cannot be traded to the whites, 

 are abandoned. When a man dies, his gun and hunting imple- 

 ments are laid beside his grave, and allowed to remain there for 

 a certain time, until his spirit is supposed to have no further 

 use for them, having ceased to remain with the body, or until 

 the spirit is supposed to have forgotten about them. In the case 

 of a woman, articles of a personal nature of use to the spirit 

 are put alongside her grave. For some time after death visits 

 are made to the grave, and one-sided ( conversations ' are held 

 with the spirit there to show respect and to keep it from becom- 

 ing lonely ; at the same time small presents of tobacco or other 

 articles are left at the grave. 



SUPERSTITIONS AND BELIEFS. 



It is an exceedingly difficult task to arrive at any sure idea 

 of the beliefs of the Eskimo. In the first place, they are them- 



