378 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT (ETH. ANN. 18 
The boys and the young men occupied the middle of the room, shout- 
ing wildly, contorting their bodies, and springing about in great excite- 
meut until compelled to stop from lack of breath, but resuming the 
dance after a short rest. This was continued without intermission 
until the middle of the night. 
Until this dance was concluded and the festival thus ended no one 
was permitted to leave the village, as it was considered that to do so 
would offend the shades and bring misfortune upon the villagers. 
After the dance ended a great fire was lighted in the kashim, and the 
men took asweat bath. On the following morning the guests dispersed 
to their homes. 
On one of my sledge journeys I chanced to arrive at Kushutuk, near 
Razbinsky, on the lower Yukon, one night during the great festival to 
the dead. At dusk I lighted a candle in the kashim, where none of the 
usual seal-oil lamps were burning at the time, and an old man at once 
took a pole, seven or eight feet long, and began thumping on the floor 
at the head of the room with measured strokes. At the same time two 
young men arose and lighted a lamp upon each side of the room. 
After about five minutes the old man gave the pole to a boy who con- 
tinued the thumping for a few minutes ionger, until about a dozen of 
the feast givers came in, each carrying a grass bag of new clothing. 
They crept to their places in the same stooping posture noted at Raz- 
binsky, indicating their humility. After ranging themselves about the 
rooin the feast givers changed their old clothing for the new suits con- 
tained in the bag, and several men and women put on wolfskin fillets. 
The women all carried feather-ornamented wands. The men formed in 
line at the head of the room, standing in front of the drummers and, 
when the latter began to beat time and sing, they commenced a dance. 
Other men took their places on each side of the room and joined in the 
dance, which, including the bear dance, was almost an exact repetition 
of the one performed at Razbinsky. 
After about five minutes the dancers stamped heavily on the floor, to 
cleanse themselves, as they said, and then sat down. Soon after they 
went out and brought in food, which they distributed after making the 
customary offering to the shades by casting a small portion on the floor. 
One of the old men to!d me that the thumping on the floor was to 
arouse the shades and call them to the dance. They were said to be 
sitting in the grave boxes, with the body, awaiting the invitation and 
to answer the summons at once. They are supposed to enjoy these 
dances equally with the living, and as the feasting and dancing please 
the invited guests, so are the shades pleased and enlivened. The next 
morning I was obliged to resume my journey and so failed to witness 
the conclusion of this festival. 
At Askinuk, near Cape Vancouver, I was in the kashim about dusk 
one evening and found the women learning a song to be given at the 
