'■"Asl KELKilOlS OHSERVANCKS. 607 



liis i)lacf between them. He then picks out a man and conduets him to a woman in 

 the opposite ranks. Tliis couple then go to the woman's hut and have a grand spree 

 for a day or two. This manner of proceeding is kept up till all the women but one 

 are disposed of. Tliis one is always the angakoq's choice, and her he reserves for 

 himself. 



Another descriptiou by Kumlieu (p. I'.t) evidently refers to the 

 same feast: 



Tl ley have an interesting custom or superstition, namely, the kilUng of the evil 

 spirit of the deer; sometime dm-ing the winter or eaiiy in spring, at any rate be- 

 fi ire they can go deer hunting, they congregate together and dispose of this imag- 

 inary evil. The chief ancut [angakoq], or medicine man, is the main performer. 

 He goes through a number of gyiations and contortions, constantly hallooing and 

 calling, till suddenly the imaginary deer is among them. Now begins a lively time. 

 Every one is screaming, runn ng, jumping, spearing, and stabbing at the imagi- 

 nary deer, till one would think a whole madhouse was let loose. Often this deer 

 proves very agile, and must be hard to kill, for I have known them to keep this 

 performance up for days : in fact, till they were completely exhausted. 



During one of these performances an old man speared the deer, another knocked 

 out an eye, a third stabbed him, and so on till he was dead. Those who are able or 

 fortunate enough to inflict some injury on this bad deer, especially he who inflicts 

 the death blow, is considered exti-emely lucky, as he wiU have no difficulty in 

 procuring as many deer as he wants, for there is no longer an evil spirit to turn 

 his buUets or arrows from their course. 



I could not learn anything about this ceremony, though I asked all 

 the persons with whom Kumlien had had intercourse. Probably 

 there was some misunderstanding as to the meaning of their feast 

 during the autumn which induced him to give this report. 



Hall describes the feast as celebrated by the Nugumiut (I. p. 52S), 

 as follows: 



At a time of the year apparently answering to our Christmas, they have a general 

 meeting in a large igdlu [snow house] on a certain evening. There the angakoq 

 prays on behalf of the people for the public prosperity through the subsequent year. 

 Then follows sometliing Uke a feast. The next day all go out into the open aii- and 

 foi-m in a circle; in the centre is placed a vessel of water, and each member of the 

 company brings a piece of meat , the kind being immaterial , The circle being formed , 

 each person eats his or her meat in silence, thinking of Sedna, and wishing for good 

 things. Then one in the circle takes a cup, dips up some of the water, all the time 

 thinking of Sedna, and drinks it ; and then, before passing the cup to another, 

 states audibly the time and the place of his or her birth. This ceremony is per- 

 formed by all in succession. Finally, presents of various articles are thrown from 

 one to another, with the idea that each will receive of Sedna good things in propor- 

 tion to the liberaHty here shown. 



Soon after this occasion, at a time which answers to our New Year's day, two 

 men start out, one of them being dressed to represent a woman, and go to every 

 house in the village, blowing out the light in each. The lights are afterwards 

 rekindled from a fresh fire. Wlien Taquhtu [Hall's well known comjjanion in 

 his journeys] was asked the meaning of this, she replied, " New sun — new light," 

 implying a belief that the sun was at that time renewed for the year. 



Inasmuch as Hall did not see the feast himself, but had only a 

 description by an Eskimo, into which he introduced pomts of simi- 

 larity with Christian feasts, it may be looked tipon as fairly agree- 



