286 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [ETH, ANN. 18 
The men are nearly always to be found in the kashim when in the 
village, this being their general gathering place, where they work on 
tools or implements of the chase, or in preparing skins, 
Dances and festivals of all kinds are held in this building, and there 
the shamans perform some of their most important ceremonies. The 
eld men gather there and repeat the traditions of their fathers. The 
younger ones are thus instructed and become familiar with the tales 
and wisdom of the elders. 
It is the usual place for the reception of guests; and there is scarcely 
an occurrence of note in the life of an Eskimo man which he can not 
connect with rites in which the kashim plays an important part. This 
is essentially the house of the men; at certain times, and during the 
performance of certain rites, the women are rigidly exeluded, and the 
men sleep there at all times when their observances require them to 
keep apart from their wives. 
Games are played there in winter by men and boys, and twice or three 
times a day food is brought by the women from the surrounding houses. 
Unmarried men sleep there at all times, as they have no recognized 
place elsewhere, except as the providers of food for their parents or other 
relatives dependent on their exertions. The sleeping place, near the 
oil lamp which burns at the back of the room opposite the summer 
entrance, is the place of honor, where the wise old meu sit with the 
shamans and best hunters. The place near the entrance on the front 
side of the room is allotted to the worthless men who are poor and con- 
tribute nothing to the general welfare of the community, also to orphan 
boys and friendless persons. 
The first time a child is taken into a kashim in the village of its 
parents, the latter present a gift to each person present at the time 
as a propitiatory offering and to secure the good will of their neigh- 
bors. A similar custom is observed by all strangers arriving at the 
village; they are required to dance and sing a little and, if on an ordi- 
nary journey, are supposed to make presents according to their means. 
All messengers who reach villages for the purpose of announcing a 
festival or an invitation to other observances in their own town, deliver 
their message in the form of a song while dancing in the kashim. 
In the summer of 1879 a party of Eskimo from East cape, Siberia, 
and the Diomede islands in Bering strait, came to St Michael. On 
their arrival they sang and danced in the kashim, making offerings to 
the people. The songs and dances were very similar to those I had 
seen performed on Sledge island in honor of the fur trader and myself 
during our winter visit to that place. 
At the time of this visit we entered the kashim and gave the headman 
some tobacco to distribute among the men present and some needles 
for the women. These he divided among them, and afterward the men 
who took part in the dance as representatives of the community gave 
us each a small present, which was considered as establishing friendly 
