NELSON] KASHIM CUSTOMS—SWEAT BATHS 287 
feeling between us, extending the privilege of the kashim, and as a 
testimony of the good will of the inhabitants. 
South of the Yukon the fur traders make a practice of complying 
with this custom of giving presents whenever they visit a village for 
the first time, and at St Michael we did the same whenever we were 
invited to attend the first autumnal festival; but the Eskimo do not 
expect the white men to dance and sing, as would be obligatory with 
their own people. 
The presents are always handed to the headmen of the village, who 
divide and distribute them among their fellow townsmen. All guests 
whom it is desired to honor are given seats on the side of the kashim 
where the old men of the village sit. If that side of the kashim 
chances to be fully occupied, some of the men make room for their: 
guests. At a village near the head of Norton sound I was given 
the usuai place of honor in the kashim, and when the women brought 
in food a dish of boiled seal intestines was presented to me as a spe- 
cial delicacy. 
The observance of giving presents and of placing the old men and the 
guests at the head of the kashim is customary also among the Tinné of 
the Yukon, who have adopted these customs from the Eskimo. 
The men usually wear no clothing while in the kashim, but this being 
the custom it does not excite the slightest notice. The women fre- 
quently sit upon the floor by their relatives until the latter have fin- 
ished their repast, or sometimes leave after delivering the food and 
return later to remove the empty dishes. During festivals, dances, and 
other ceremonies the women gather in the kashim as spectators and 
sometimes take part in the performances. 
SWEAT BATHS 
In these buildings sweat baths are taken by men and boys at inter- 
vals of a week or ten days during the winter. Every man has a small 
urine tub near his place, where this liquid is saved for use in bathing. 
A portion of the floor in the center of the room is made of planks so 
arranged that it can be taken up, exposing a pit beneath, in which a fire 
of drift logs is built. When the smoke has passed off and the wood is 
reduced to a bed of coals, a cover is put over the smoke hole in the 
roof and the men sit naked about the room until they are in profuse 
perspiration; they then bathe in the urine, which combines with the oil 
on their bodies, and thus takes the place of soap, after which they go 
outside and pour water over their bodies until they become cool. While 
bathing they remain in the kashim with the temperature so high that 
their skin becomes shining red and appears to be almost at the point 
of blistering; then going outside they squat about in the snow perfectly 
nude, and seem to enjoy the contrasting temperature. On several 
occasions I saw them go from the sweat bath to holes in the ice on 
neighboring streams and, squatting there, pour ice water over their 
