B..AS1 KEI.KiTUfS OMSERVANCES. (J()5 



Tlie crowd next divides itself into two parties, the ptarmigans 

 (axigirn), those who were born in the winter, and the ducks (aggirn), 

 ov the cliihiren of summer. A hirge rope of sealskin is stretched out. 

 One party takes one end of it and tries witli all its might to drag the 

 opposite party over to its side. The others hold fast to the rope and 

 try as hard to make ground for themselves. If the ptarmigans give 

 way the summer has won the game and fine weather may be expected 

 to prevail through the winter (nussueraqtung). 



The contest of the seasons having been decided, the women bring 

 out of a hut a large kettle of water and each jjerson takes his drink- 

 ing cup. They all stand as near the kettle as possible, while the old- 

 est man among them steps out first. He dips a cup of water from the 

 vessel, sprinkles a j:"ew drops on the ground, turns his face toward 

 the home of his youth, and tells his name and the place of his birth 



(ojsoaxsavepunga me, I was born in ). He is followed by an 



aged woman, who announces her name and home, and then all the 

 others do the same, down to the young children, who are represented 

 by their mothers. Only the parents of children born during the last 

 year are foi'liidiliMi to partake in this ceremony. As tlu' words uf the 

 old are listen. mI Io rcs])ectfully, so those of the distiiiL;uislicil Imiilci-s 



are receivi'd with ilemonstrative applause and those of tl tln^rs 



with varying degrees of attention, in some cases even with joking 

 and raillery (imitijitng). 



Now arises a cry of surprise and all eyes are turned toward a hut 

 out of which .stalk two giganlie li-ures. 'I In^y wear lie,i\y boots; 

 their legs are swelled outto a wonderful thickness with several pairs 

 of breeches; the shoulders of each are covered by a woman's over- 

 jacket and the faces by tattooed masks of sealskins. In the right 

 liand each carries the seal spear, on the back of each is an inflatedbuoy 

 of sealskin, and in the left hand the scraper. Silently, with long 

 strides, the ijailertetang (Fig. 5:55) approach the assenihly, who, 

 screaming, press back from them. The pair solemnly lead the men 

 to a suitable spot and set them in a row, and the women in another 

 opposite them. They match the men and women in pairs and these 

 pairs nm, pursued by the qailertetang, to the hut of the woman, 

 where they are for the following day and night man and wife (nuli- 

 anititijung). Having j)erformed this duty, the qailertetang stride 

 down to the shore and invoke the good north wind, which brings fair 

 weather, while they warn off the unfavorable south wind. 



As soon as the incantation is over, all the men attack the qailer- 

 tetang with great noise. They act as if they had weapons in their 

 hands and would kill both spirits. One pretends to probe them with 

 a sjjear, another to stab them with a knife, one to cut off their arms 

 and legs, another to beat them itnmercifuUy on the head. The buoys 

 which they carry on their backs are ripped open and collapse and 

 soon they both lie as if dead beside theii- bi'oken weapons (pilektung). 



