CHOOSING NAMES 



Another characteristic custom among Eskimo 

 parents is that, when one of their children has died, 

 they will almost certainly call the next arrival by 

 the same name. I have even known the queer name 

 of Ananias handed down from boy to boy in this 

 way, in order, as the young parents said, that 

 the child's grandfather might have an Attitsiak. 

 " Ananias 1" I said. "What an awful name for a 

 baby 1 " " Aha," said the father, " but it is not after 

 Ananias the liar, but after the good Ananias, who 

 gave Saul back his sight." 



I remember one young couple who were unable 

 to settle on a name. There were so many eligible 

 namesakes that they could not choose one without, 

 as it were, snubbing the others. They carried their 

 perplexity to the missionary. He, wise man, took 

 a safe course. " My own name is Henry," he said. 

 " I shall be very pleased if you will call the baby 

 after me ; and I hope that everybody else will be 

 pleased, too." "Piovok" (it is good), they said; 

 " his name shall be Henry." 



Now comes the real Eskimo touch : little Henry 

 failed to thrive ; he pined away as so many Eskimo 

 babies do, and died. 



During the following year the parents were con- 

 soled by the birth of another boy ; and without 

 hesitation they named him Henry after the little 

 Henry they had lost. 



Only very few of the Eskimos have more than 

 one name given in baptism ; the people seem to be 

 well satisfied that one name is enough ; but I have 

 known cases where parents who have lost several 

 babies one after the other give the latest arrival two 

 names. I wondered whether away at the back of 



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