450 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [eth.ann. 18 



appearance. This man said that such showers were known to have 

 taken place at widely distant intervals and that people were very much 

 frightened by them. After one occurred they saved all the bones and 

 scraps of food, eveu the skins of animals, after removing the hair, in 

 order to forestall the expected famine. During the cold months of 

 winter following one of these occurrences the people ate every scrap, 

 sa^'ing the dried lish and better food for spring, when they feared 

 another fall might take place. 



Tiiese accounts undoubtedly refer to falls of volcanic ashes from 

 eruptions taking i)lace in the Aleutian islands and other points in this 

 region, and are interesting as showing the manner in which occurrences 

 of this kind are treasured in the memories of these peoi)le. 



ANIMAL SYMBOLISM 



When the lirst foxes caught in fall are lean the old men predict a hard 

 winter, and if the white geese commence to tly southward early in 

 autumn an early winter is expected to follow. 



The names of birds and other forms of animal life used among these 

 l^eople are frequently very expressive, as for instance, the term applied 

 to the emperor goose, which means "the hooded one," and the name for 

 the grass snipe {Tringa macnlata)^ called "the walrus talker" from its 

 booming note, which is similar to that of the walrus. 



/> FOLK TALES 



SCOPE OF ALASKAN FOLKLORE 



The following legends are from various localities. The name of the 

 place whence each was obtained is given at the beginning of each tale. 

 The Alaskan Eskimo possess an almost endless number of tales and 

 legends, which express in many details their religious beliefs and con- 

 Yey in an interesting form an idea of their ancient customs and modes 

 of thought. In a section treating of their mj'thology are give notes on 

 the supernatural animals and other beings which are mentioned in the 

 legends. 



These tales are best known by certain old men who entertain their 

 fellow-villagers by repeating them before the assembled people in the 

 kashim. The Eaven legends form a series of culture myths, and are 

 especially popular as accounting for the existence of all things. These 

 have a widely-extended distribution, and I know personally of their 

 existence among the people from Kotzebue sound southward around 

 Bering strait to the mouth of Kuskokwim river. The Eaven myth also 

 exists on the Asiatic shore of Bering strait. At Plover bay, Siberia, 

 there was seen a boy 10 or 12 years of age who had the raven totem 

 tattooed on his forehead (figure 115). 



Special attention is invited to this series of legends, which are so 

 similar in character to Eaven legends existing among the Tlinket of 



