002 THE CENTRAL ESKIMO. 



held firmly), and the line eased out as required. To do this a man sits on the bed- 

 plat orm, " having one or two turns of the line about his body, which is encased in 

 furred deerskins, and empaled by four upright pieces of wood." Tension is secured 

 by using a round stick of wood as a lever on the edge of the skin, drawing it from 

 benenth the cord. "When any whirring sound is heard, little whisps of reindeer hair 

 are tucked in between the skin and the hoop, until the head is as tight as a drum. 



Fig. 533. Kilaut or drum. 



Wlien the drum is played, the drum handle is held in the left hand of the per- 

 former, who strikes the edge of the rim opposite that over.which the skin is stretched. 

 Hr liiil'N till' ilrum in different positions, but keeps it in a constant fan-like motion 

 liv lii^ liiiiiil n 11(1 by the blows of the kentun struck alternately on the opposite sides 



of til Igi'. Skillfully keeping the drum vibrating on the handle, he accompanies 



this with grotesque motions of the body, and at intervals with a song, while the 

 women keep up their own Inuit songs, one after another, through the whole per- 

 formance. 



The feast is described as follows: 



As usual the women sat on the platform Turk fashion : the men. behind them with 

 extended legs. The women were gayly dressed. They wore on each side of the 

 face an enormous pigtail, made by wi-apping their hair on a small wooden roller a 

 foot in length ; strips of reindeer-fur being wrapped with the hair [see p. 5.59]. These 

 were black and white for those who had sons and black only for those who had 

 none. Shining ornaments were worn on the head and on the breast they had 

 masonic-like aprons, the groundwork of wliich was of a flaming red color, orna- 

 mented with glass beads of many colors. 



In Cumberland Sound the women also wear pigtails at the celebra- 

 tion of these feasts. The drum is sometimes jilayed with the wrist 

 of the right hand instead of the beater. 



Every singing house is dedicated to a tornaq, the qaggim inua, 

 as mentiiincd almve. For this reason all these performances may be 

 considci'i'il rrliuiuus feasts. 



The suugs are always composed by the singer himself. Satiric 

 songs are great favorites on these occasions. While the men listen 

 in silence the women join in the chorus, amna aya, the never failing 



