438 THE ESKLMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [eth.axn. 18 



eat cast down food and water ofiferings to the yu-a before eating or 

 drinking- themselves, and often add propitiatory words. If offended, a 

 yu-a has the power of causing a person's death, or making him ill, or 

 taking away his success as a hunter. It is also believed that many 

 animals have supernatural powers of hearing, it being claimed that if 

 they are spoken of, although far away, they will know it. In this 

 respect red and black bears are much feared, and it is said that if a 

 man makes sport of bears or calls them by any disrespectful nickname 

 or epithet, no matter where he is, the bears will hear and will watch 

 for and kill him the next time he enters the mountains. For thi& 

 reason a hunter who is going out for bears will speak of them with the 

 greatest respect and announce that he is going for some other animal, 

 so that they will be deceived and not expect him. They never like to 

 speak of what they intend to hunt for fear that the animals may hear 

 and give them bad luck. On one occasion 1 was talking with my guide, 

 who was going reindeer hunting, and spoke of his chances of success 

 in securing deer; he appeared to be offended and reproved me for letting 

 tlie deer know what he wished to do. 



The beaver is another animal that is regarded as especially gifted 

 with power of learning the intentions of people; it is also said to 

 understand what a man says to it, and if a beaver is driven into a hole 

 and the hunter finds that the animal holds down its tail so closely that 

 he can not raise it, all he need do is to say, "Beaver, lift your tail," 

 whereupon the beaver does as told and can be drawn out easily. 



The dead bodies of various animals must be treated very carefully 

 by the hunter who obtains them, so that their shades may not be 

 offended and bring bad luck or even death upon him or his people. 

 This is illustrated by the various observances which were seen when a 

 white whale was killed by an Unalit hunter. No one who aids in kill- 

 ing a white whale, or even helps to take one from the net, is permitted 

 to do any work on the four days following, this being the time during 

 which the shade stays with the body. No one in the village must use 

 any sharj) or pointed instrument at this time for fear of wounding the 

 whale's shade, which is supposed to be in the vicinity but invisible; 

 nor must any loud noise be made for fear of frightening and offending 

 it. Whoever cuts a white whale's body with an iron ax will die. The 

 use of iron instruments in the village is also forbidden during the four 

 days, and wood must not be cut Avith an iron ax during the entire 

 season for hunting these animals. 



Dogs are regarded as very unclean and offensive to the shades of 

 game animals, and great care is exercised that no dog shall have an 

 opportunity to touch the bones of a white whale. Should a dog touch 

 one "of them t\ie hunter might lose his luck — his nets would break or be 

 avoided by the whales and his spears would fail to strike. 



One of the best hunters at St Michael once let a dog eat a i)ortion of 

 a white Avhale's head, and the peoi^le attributed to this the fact tliat-he 



