304 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [ETH. ANN. 18 
murderer then calmly returned to the village as though nothing had 
happened. In the course of the next twenty-four hours the man who 
had been beaten managed to crawl back to the village, where, after a 
long illness, he finally recovered, but was badly crippled for life. The 
one who had done the killing made no further effort to molest him, and 
no one attempted to avenge him for the murder of the other three men. 
The murderer and the survivor continued to live in the same village 
for years. 
The Alaskan Eskimo, so' far as I observed, have no recognized chiefs 
except such as gain a certain influence over their fellow-villagers 
through superior shrewdness, wisdom, age, wealth, or shamanisin. 
The old men are listened to with respect, and thére are usually one 
or more in each village who by their extended acquaintance with the 
traditions, customs, and rites connected with the festivals, as well as 
being possessed of an unusual degree of common sense, are deferred to 
and act as chief advisers of the community. 
On the lower Yukon and beyond to Kuskokwim river such leaders 
are termed nés-kuk, meaning literally “the head.” Among the Unalit 
Eskimo they are called di-ai-yu-kok, ‘the one to whom all listen.” 
These terms are also applied to men who gain a leadership by means 
of their greater shrewdness, whereby they become possessed of more 
property than their fellows, and by a judicious distribution of food 
and their superior force of character obtain a higher standing and a 
certain following among the people. 
The man who has accumulated much property, but is without ability 
to guide his fellows, is referred to merely as a rich man or ¢tvi-gu. 
All Eskimo villages have a headman, whose influence is obtained 
through the general belief of his fellow villagers in his superior ability 
and good judgment. These men possess no fixed authority, but are 
respected, and their directions as to the movements and occupations of 
the villagers are generally heeded. 
In some cases a headman may be succeeded by his son when the 
latter has the necessary qualities. An example of this was the Eskimo 
named Tiil-ya-lik, the headman at Unalaklit, whose father had been 
one of the best headmen in that region. 
In some villages, where trading stations are established, the traders 
are accustomed to make a sort of chief by choosing men who are 
friendly to the whites, and who at the same time have a certain amount 
of influence among their people. In order to have any standing in a 
position of this kind a man must be endowed with a greater amount 
of good sense and ability than the majority of his fellows. Usually 
these headmen have greater force of character than their associates 
and are either feared or liked by them; in either case their position is 
assured. If at any time another man shows superior ability or skill in 
promoting the welfare of the village, the older leader may be replaced 
by common consent. 
