354 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT (ETH. ANN. 18 
deer or wolf. They are also ornamented with quill feathers of various 
birds, frequently tipped with down. 
The men ordinarily rest the weight of the body first on one foot and 
then on the other, while the free foot is advanced, the ball resting on 
the floor and the heel continually raised and brought down with a 
sounding thump in time to the beating of the drums. At the same time 
the dancers contort the body and gesticulate with the hands and arms 
in rythmic motion. Frequently the dancer sings or utters loud cries at 
regular intervals, springing from one side to the other. The rythmic 
beating of the drums and the accompanying songs work the dancers 
to a pitch of great excitement, and they sometimes go on for hours 
with these violent exertions, the perspiration rolling down their bodies, 
until they cease from exhaustion. 
With rare exceptions the dances are performed in the kashim, taking 
place during the winter months, that is, from October until the end 
of April. Both songs and dances are practiced beforehand when pre- 
paring for any great festival. In addition to the larger performances 
accompanying the more important festivals, there are small dances of 
rather frequent occurrence among the villagers during the early part of 
winter; but these are informal affairs performed for amusement by a 
few of the young men. 
A ceremonial dance is performed by a stranger who enters for the 
first time the kashim of a village. On such occasion he is expected to 
make a small offering or gift of propitiation to the headman, who 
divides it among the other old men. The stranger then steps out upon 
the floor and dances for a short time, sometimes singing a song express- 
ing his friendship for the people he is with, or merely a chorus song. 
In this way he is considered to have introduced himself properly and 
thus to have gained the freedom of the kashim. 
At St Michael we were usually invited to the first dances held in 
the kashim every autumn. Each year we made a practice of carrying 
alittle tobacco, which we handed to the headman upon entering, and 
this he would divide into small portions and distribute among the 
other men. At such times, if one of us would step out upon the floor 
and execute a short dance after the style of the Eskimo, it was received 
with great merriment by the assembled villagers. 
The dances of the Eskimo, whether on the islands of Bering sea or 
on the banks of Kuskokwim river, are very similar in general character, 
but local variations are common. On Sledge Island, in March, 1880, 
was witnessed a curious and characteristic performance, different from 
anything seen elsewhere. We found the people on the verge of star- 
vation, andmearly all of their dogs had died from lack of food. Our 
own dogs fvere dying from the same cause, so we decided to return 
at once to the mainland. When the headman of the villagers learned 
this he camp to beg us to remain at least one night with them so that 
show us their appreciation of our visit, promising that the 
