24 UNIVERSITY MUSEUM ANTHROPOLOGICAL PUBLICATION VOL. VI 



The next day the men gathered again in the kasgi and the 

 Aiyaguk or Asking Stick was constructed. It was made by a 

 man especially chosen for the purpose. It was a slender wand 

 about three feet long with three globes made of thin strips of 

 wood hanging by a strip of ok'linok from the smaller end. It 

 was carried by the messenger between the men and women 

 during the feast, and was the visible sign of his authority. It 

 was treated with scrupulous respect by the Eskimo and to dis- 

 regard the wishes conveyed by means of it during the feast 

 would have been considered a lasting disgrace. When not in 

 use it was hung over the entrance to the kasgi. 



The wand maker, having finished the Asking Stick, took 

 his stand in the center of the room, and swaying the globes, to and 

 fro, asked the men to state their wishes. Then any man present 

 had the privilege of telling him of an article he wished and the 

 name of the woman from whom he wished it. (Among the 

 southern tribes the men made small wooden models of the 

 objects they wished which were hung on the end of the Asking 

 Stick.) The messenger then proceeded to the house of the woman 

 in question, swinging the globes in front of her, repeated the 

 wish and stood waiting for her answer. She in turn recollected 

 something that she desired and told it to the messenger. There- 

 upon he returned to the kasgi, and standing in front of the 

 first party, swung the globes, and told him what was desired 

 in return. In this way he made the round of the village. The 

 men then returned to their homes for the article desired, while 

 the messenger blackened his face with charcoal and donned a 

 costume betoking humility. This was considered the only 

 proper attitude in presenting gifts. The costume consisted of 

 wornout clothing, of which a disreputable raincoat (Kamleika) 

 and a dogskin belt with the tail behind were indispensable parts. 



