366 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT ~ [BTH. ANN. 18 
rites, unless there should be someone to take his place. The shade is 
supposed to be supplied with sufficient food and property at this feast 
to enable it to exist thenceforth without fear of want. 
In January, 1880, I chanced to be at the small village of Razbinsky, 
on the lower Yukon, when the festival to the dead was held and the vil- 
lagers were invited to attend the great feast to be given them the next 
year. This preliminary feast was entirely in the hands of the women, 
who distributed food and presents among the people and sang the 
song of invitation to the shades to return again next year. At the 
same time a slow dance was executed. 
I was informed that the great festival to which the shades were invited 
would be given entirely by men. People from surrounding villages, 
sometimes ina circuit of nearly 200 miles, are invited by messengers to 
take part as guests in this feast. 
The feast makers strive to make 
as much show as possible and dis- 
tribute great quantities of food 
among the guests. 
The following is an account of 
one of these festivals witnessed 
at Razbinsky in January, 1881, 
which will give a general idea of 
their good character. It is from 
notes made at the time the festi- 
val was in progress. 
People came to this feast from 
all the neighboring villages and 
Fic. 140—Plan of as aoe. mortuary cere- cyee from Kuskokwim TIM, until 
mony. (1, six dram men; 2, singers; 3, apace the village was filled to overflow- 
occupied by spectators; 4, entrance or doorway; ing. On the evening of the day 
5, vacant space under which the shades are sup- . p < 
noned toate’ on which the festival began, the 
kashim was packed with men, 
women, and children. A place was given me on a bench -in a corner 
of the room and this was reserved during the entire time of the festival. 
O- 
3 
O 
O 
O 2 
re) 
O 
O 
First evening 
At the beginning of the festival the people were arranged in the 
kashim as shown in the accompanying figure 140, 
Six men with drums sat in the rear end of the kashim, facing the 
door. Along each side, as shown in the diagram, sat a rew of men who 
did the singing. The drummers and singers all sat on long, rude 
benches. The space from the drummers to the door was unoccupied, 
but the back and sides of the room were packed with people. Several 
songs were sung, all expressing welcome to the expected guests. Dur- 
ing one of these a man who had come with other guests from Kusko- 
kwim river suddenly appeared in the door, and, raising his voice over 
the din of the drums and singing, shouted: “Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Look 
