NELSON] GREAT FEAST TO THE DEAD BY 
called out, ‘Come to me, my best beloved relative,” at which the name- 
sake of the deceased relative came forward from among the people. The 
feast giver then removed the clothing from the namesake and replaced 
it with a complete new suit, the person sitting passively while this was 
being done. As soon as the new suit had been put upon the namesake, 
the feast giver gathered up the discarded clothing on the floor with the 
bags and placed them in the namesake’s arms, who returned to his or 
her place among the villagers. As the namesake turned away the feast 
giver cried out in a loud voice, bidding the shade of his relative to 
return to the grave where its bones lay. 
This was sometimes accompanied by directions, such as, “Go back 
to your grave on Clear creek and there circle about it once and then 
enter your grave box.” Others told the shade to circle about its grave 
three times and enter it. Others told the shade to circle about the vil- 
lage where it was buried and then enter the grave. The dead who 
were buried beside this village were told to go out and circle about the 
place or kashim and return to their graves. Shades of persons who 
had been drowned were bidden to return to the river. 
During this festival, from the time the dance of invitation is first 
performed in front of the graves, the shades of the dead are supposed 
to congregate in the pit under the floor of the kashim, and there to 
hear and enjoy everything that goes on. Sometimes they are said to 
be in the kashim itself, but areinvisible. During the last day they are 
believed to enter the bodies of their namesakes, so that when the 
clothing is put on the latter the shades are clothed. 
When a relative bids a shade to return to its burial place it must 
obey, and it goes back wearing the essence of the new clothing, as it 
is believed that when the old clothing is removed from the namesake 
and the new put on, the spiritual essence of the new garments goes to 
the shade. 
Two men among the namesakes were given complete suits of cloth- 
ing; also loaded guns, flasks of powder, caps, filled bullet pouches, and 
similar articles. After receiving their gifts these men danced wildly 
about, flourishing their guns and shouting in great excitement. One 
man cried, ‘You don’t believe me; you think I lie, but I will guard and 
protect the village from danger,” at the same time firing his gun 
toward the roof. The other ma» who received a gun went through a 
similar performance. The shouts of twenty or thirty people among 
the crowd of eager spectators and the firing of guns in the dim light of 
the feeble oil lamps created a wild scene. 
Soon after the new clothing was put on the namesakes, they went to 
their homes, where they left their extra garments and returned to the 
kashim. Then the feast givers exchanged their old garments for new 
ones, taking the old clothing home, where it was left. In an hour 
everyone had returned to the kashim, the drums were brought out again, 
and the old men struck up the ordinary chorus song: 
Ai- yii-yd-tin-ai-yd, ete. 
