Sketches From Oldest America 



still a widower, much against his will, not for any 

 lack of perseverance in offering himself to all the 

 neighboring widows, but because none of them 

 would accept his offer. At last that slight difficulty 

 was removed. A widow belonging to another 

 tribe came to the village with her children, and her 

 son being ill, Puneunau offered his services to cure 

 the lad. Day after day he would go to the iglo, 

 run the stick down his throat, then walk around ut- 

 tering gutteral sounds, but the boy refused to be 

 cured and finally died. This, however, did not re- 

 lieve the widow of her obligation to pay the " On- 

 gootkoot" for his valuable services, and as she was 

 very poor and had nothing with which to meet it, 

 Puneunau took the widow herself for his fee. 



The Inupash believe there are spirits wandering 

 through space. Occasionally one of them, becom- 

 ing discontented, desires to enter the world as a 

 human being. It looks around, then selects some 

 young woman about ready to enter womanhood, 

 one that is noted for her virtue and other good quali- 

 ties, to become its mother. Having made the selec- 

 tion, it awaits the opportunity and uses her as the 

 medium for gaining its desire. In due course of 

 time a child is born, which on maturity becomes an 

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