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



sent the outspread wings of the Kaven father who made the world. 

 Over the entrance to the room hung another pair of these sticks simi- 

 larly ornamented. 



From the roof hung two great hoops extending entirely around the 

 room, one of which was a little below the other, and both were about 

 midway between the roof and the floor. Extending from the roof hole 

 down to the upper hoop were many slender rods, the lower ends of 

 which were fastened to the hoop at regular intervals. Fastened to the 

 hoops and rods in many places were tufts of feathers and down. These 

 hoops and rods represented the heavens arching over the earth, and 

 the tufts of feathers Avere the stars mingled with suowflakes. The cord 

 suspending the rings passed through a loop fastened to the roof, and 

 the end passed down and was held by a man sitting near the lamp. 

 This man raised and lowered the rings slowly by drawing in and letting 

 out the cord in time to the beating of a drum by another man sitting 

 on the opposite side of the lamp. [This movement of the rings was 

 symbolical of the apparent approach and retreat of the heavens accord- 

 ing to the condition of the atmosphere.] 



The shaman had just time to notice this much when he saw a woman 

 come in with a dish of food which seemed like i'reshly-boiled meat. 

 Looking about, she asked, " Where is the guest?" — to which he replied, 

 "Here lam," and she handed him the dish. As soon as the steam 

 cleared away a little the shaman saw lying in the dish a new-born 

 boy who was wriggling about. The shaman was so startled by the 

 sight that he did not know Avhat to do and let the dish turn toward 

 the floor so that the child slipped out and fell. At this moment 

 the shaman felt himself driven head foremost from his seat down 

 through tbe exit hole in the floor. Starting up, he looked about and 

 found himself reclining upon the mountain top near his village, and 

 day was just breaking in the east. Kising, he hastened down to the 

 village and told his friend, the other shaman, what had occurred to 

 him, and the latter advised that they should unite in working their 

 strongest charms to learn the meaning of this vision. Then they called 

 the shaman's wife and went with her into the kashim where they worked 

 their spells, and it was revealed to them that during the February 

 moon in each year the jieople of the earth should hold a great festival. 

 They were directed to decorate the kashim just as the shaman had seen 

 it in the sky house, and by the two shamans the peoi)le were taught 

 all the necessary observances and ceremonies, during which food and 

 drink offerings were made to the innas of the sky house and songs 

 were sung in their honor. If these instructions were properly followed, 

 game and food would be plentiful on the earth, for the people in the 

 sky house were the shades or innas controlling all kinds of birds and 

 fish and other game animals on the earth, and from the small images 

 of the various kinds which the shaman had seen lying beside the sky 

 people was the supi^ly of each kind replenished on earth. When the 



