594 '•'"''' CKN'THAl. ESKIMO. 



his spirit to their place of destiiuition. to propitiate the wrath of a 

 hostile tornaq, to visit the moon or Sedna's dismal abode. 



Part of their performances might almost be called juggling. Hall 

 (II, p. 101) describes one of these performances: 



The angakoq (Ar-too-a) now made use of three wabnis spears. One of these he 

 thrust into the wall of the snow house, and * * * ran with it outside of the 

 igdlu [house] where his ejaculations were responded to by the party inside with the 

 cries of " Atte ! Atte !" [Go on ! Go on ! ]. Returning with his spear to the door, he 

 had a severe wrestling match with four of the men. who overcame him. But com- 

 ing again into the central igdlu, and having the lights which had been at the first 

 patted down, relit, he showed the points of two spears apparently covered with fresh 

 blood, which he held up in the presence of all. 



The performance of the angakut in the Sedna feast, which will be 

 described hereafter (p. 604) is quite astonishing. Some pierce their 

 bodies with harpoons, evidently having bladders filled with blood 

 fastened under their jackets beforehand, and bleed profusely as they 

 enter the hut. (See Appendix. Note 5.) 



A memorable ceremony has been described by Hall (I, p. 469): 



I heard a loud shout just outside [the hut]. As quick as thought, the Eskimo 

 sprang for the long knives lying around, and hid them wherever they could find 

 places. * * * Immediately there came crawling into the low entrance to the 

 hut a man with long hair completely covering his face and eyes. He remained on 

 liis knees on the floor of the hut, feeling round like a blind man at each side of the 

 entrance, back of the firelight, the place where meat is usually kept, and where 

 knives may generally be found. Not finding any, the angakoq slowly withdrew. 



* * * If he had found a knife he would have stabbed himself in the breast. 



It is one of their favorite tricks to have their hands tied up and 

 a thong fastened around their knees and neck. Then they begin 

 invoking their tornaq, and all of a sudden the body lies motionless 

 while the soul flies to any place which they wish to visit. After 

 returning, the thongs are found untied, though they had been fast- 

 ened by firm knots. The resemblance of this performance to the 

 experiments of modern spiritualists is sti-iking. 



The angakut use a saovd l.-in^uai;-!- in tlicir songs and incantations. 

 A great number of woi-ds liase a symlnilic meaning, but others are' 

 old roots, which have been lost from common use in the lapse of time. 

 These archaic words are very interesting from a linguistic point of 

 view. Indeed, some are found which are still in use in Greenland, 

 though l(jst in the other dialects, and others which are only used in 

 Alaska. 



I ought to add here that most of the angakut themselves believe in 

 their performances, as by continued shouting and invoking they fall 

 into an ecstasy and really imagine they accomplish the flights and 

 see the spirits. 



The angakoq, who must be paid at once for curing a sick person, 

 receives pretty large fees for services of this kind. 



