NELSON] GREAT FEAST TO THE DEAD 373 
more. This lasted about half an hour, and was greatly enjoyed by the 
children, each trying to procure more than the next, while the spec- 
tators appeared to be much amused. 
Meanwhile berries and fish were handed about among the adults, who 
sat packed around the sides of the room, Then the women feast givers 
made presents of straw pads for skin boots and finely combed grass for 
towels, the trader and myself getting our portion. The feast givers 
then made an offering of water before each of the lamps, by pouring 
a little on the floor, after which they gave the remainder to the 
namesakes. 
Later the two tiers of benches along the sides of the room were 
crowded with men, and in the middle of the floor was a compact mass of 
women and children, leaving a narrow passage around the sides next to 
the wall, so that the feast givers could move about the lamps. 
In a short time they came in and took their usual places by the 
lamps. The women among them had brought a large number of small 
articles, such as spruce gum, wooden snow knives for children, wooden 
ladles, dishes, spruce root used for lashing, willow splints for fish traps, 
reindeer sinew thread, and various other things. When all were in 
the room and seated the husband or nearest male relation of each of 
the women feast givers arose and held up the articles one after another, 
making depreciative remarks about them, as if they had been obtained 
so easily that they were of trifling value. One of the men held up 
some reindeer sinew, saying, “Look at this. What is it? I don’t 
know. I was sitting in thé snow last spring and it fell before me from 
thesky.” Another said, holding up another article, “Look at this. It 
was given me by Charlie” (the fur trader who was with me at the fes- 
tival). Some of these remarks were quite amusing, causing everyone 
to laugh heartily, and the whole performance was very much enjoyed. 
When the men had finished this preliminary announcement the women 
arose and each one called out the names of those to whom she wished to 
make presents, and when the latter answered the articles were handed 
or tossed to them. As there were a dozen or more persons calling out 
and replying at the same time, the uproar was very great. Instead of 
calling the person’s real name in every case, some of the women gave 
them apt nicknames. My presence in the village to obtain ethno- 
logical specimens had excited great curiosity, and one woman caused 
shouts of laughter by crying out, “Where is the buyer of good-for- 
nothing things?”—and then handed me some presents. 
For the first time during any part of the ceremony the feast givers 
stood erect while distributing these presents. When nearly all of 
the articles had been distributed, a small stick, attached to the end 
of a line, was dropped down through the smoke hole in the roof. One of 
the women feast givers who was sitting below caught hold of it and 
began to draw in the line. As she did this she sang a slow-measured 
