NELSON] GREAT FEAST TO THE DEAD 375 



For our children are gone, 



Wliile those of our friends remain. 

 Ai-yd-yd-yai. 

 Come back, nephew, come back, we miss you; 



Ai-yd-yd-yai. 

 Come back to us, our lost ones, 

 We have presents for you. 

 Ai-yd-yd-yai. 



This song had a wild, mouruful harmony, and was sung with an 

 earnestness that made it seem like a requiem for the dead. 



When the women had given out all their articles among those present 

 the day's ceremonies were completed. 



Fifth day 



At midday the men among the feast givers were busy outside the 

 kashim tying together on long rawhide cords various articles, among 

 which were deer- and seal-skins. One man had eighty deerskins, worth 

 in trade one dollar each, and forty large sealskins, each worth two dol- 

 lars and a half. Others had smaller numbers of the same articles, 

 besides other things, and some men had a mixed assortment, among 

 which I saw over twenty pairs of trousers made of white drilling for 

 summer use, wooden dishes, rabbit-skin coats, and steel fox-traps. The 

 large articles were made into a roll and tied to one end of the cord, and 

 the smaller ones were strung on poles. 



The men and the large boys were gathered in the kashim, but no 

 women or children were permitted there at this time. When the male 

 feast makers were ready they went into the kashim and occupied the 

 middle of the room. Their bundles of skins, etc, were then lowered 

 through the smoke hole, four at a time, one at each corner. As the bun- 

 dles appeared the owners stepped forward and began a song of invita- 

 tion to the dead, like those sung by the women on the previous day. 

 After the bundles had been raised and lowered from above several times 

 they rested on the floor and were untied. Then the cords were raised 

 and other bundles let down while the singing continued. In this way 

 all the bundles were lowered, the singers received their articles, and 

 the songs were ended. The poles bearing the smaller articles were put 

 down in the same way. When everything was in the kashim the feast 

 givers arose and told how easily they had obtained them, depreciating 

 their value in the same style as had been done with the gifts of the 

 women on the previous day. Then the articles were distributed with 

 excellent judgment. The guests from the interior were given seal- 

 skins, the givers saying they did this because seals were scarce with 

 those people. For a similar reason the people from the coast were 

 given reindeer skins. 



After this was ended an interval passed during which the women and 

 the children came in. Then the male feast givers brought in a large 



