668 APPENDIX. [BOAB 



threatening to do some bodily harm to the other more peaceably inclined natives. 

 * * * His arrogance and petty annoyances to the other natives became at length 

 unbearable. It appears that these uufortmiates held a meeting and decided that 

 Old Wicked was a public nuisance which must be abated, and they therefore decreed 

 that lie should be shot, and shot he was accordingly one afternoon when he was 

 busily engaged in repau-ing the ravages which a storm had made in his 'igdlu' 

 or snow house. The executioner shot him in the back, killing him instantly. The 

 ^murderer or executioner (one hardly knows to which title he is more justly entitled) 

 then takes Old Wicked's wives and all his cliildren and agrees to keep them * * * 

 so that they shall be no bm-den on the company." 



The fact that the custom is found among ti-ibes so widely separated will justify a 

 description of those events which came under my own observation. There was a 

 native of PadU by the name of Padlu. He had induced the wife of a Cumberland 

 Sound native to desert her husband and follow him. The deserted husband, medi- 

 tating revenge, cut off the upper part of the barrel of his gim so that he could con- 

 ceal it under his jacket. He crossed the land and visited liis friends in Padli, but 

 before he could accomplish his intention of killing Padlu the latter shot him. When 

 this news was reported in Qeqerten, the brother of the murdered man went to PadU 

 to avenge the death of Ms brother; but he also was killed by Padlu. A tliii-d native 

 of Cumberland Sound, who wished to avenge the death of his relatives, was also 

 murdered by him. On account of all these outrages the natives wanted to get rid 

 of Padlu, but yet they did not dare to attack him. When the pimain of the Akudnir- 

 miut in Niaqonaujang learned of these events he started southward and asked 

 every man in Padh whether Padlu should be killed. All agreed ; so he went with 

 the latter deer himting in the upper part of Pangnirtung, northwest of PadU, and 

 near the head of the fjord he shot Padlu in the back. 



In another instance a man in Qeqerten had made himself odious. After it was 

 agreed that he was a bad man an old man of Qeqerten, Pakaq, attacked him on 

 board a Scottish whaler, but was prevented from kiUiug him. 



Note 5. 



Page 594. The following performance was observed in Umanaqtuaq, on the 

 southwestern coast of Cumberland Sound, in the winter of 1886-87 : An angakoq 

 began his incantations in a hut after the lamps were lowered. Suddenly he jumped 

 up and rushed out of the hut to where a mounted harpoon was standing. He threw 

 liimself ujjon the harpoon, which peneti-ated his breast and came out at the back. 

 Three men followed him and holding the hai-poon line led the angakoq, bleeding pro- 

 fusely, to aU the huts of the village. When they arrived again at the first hut he 

 pulled out the harpoon, lay down on the bed, and was put to sleep by the songs of 

 another angakoq. When he awoke after a while he showed to the people that he 

 was not hurt, although liis clothing was torn and they had seen him bleeding. 



Another angakoq performed a similar feat on the island Utussivik in the summer 

 of 1887. He thrust a harpoon thi-ough his body and was led by about twenty-five 

 men tlu-ough the village. It is said that he imitated the movements and voice of 

 a walrus whUe on the circuit. 



StiU another exliibition was witnessed by the whalers in the fall of 1886 in Uma- 

 naqtuaq. An angakoq stripped off his outer jacket and began his incantations while 

 walking about in the viUage. Wlien the men heard him, one after the other came 

 out of his hut, each carrying his gun. After a while the angakoq descended to the 

 beach; the men foUowed him, and suddenly fired a voUey at liim. The angakoq, of 

 com-se, was not hurt, and then the women each gave him a cup of water, which he 

 drank. Then he put on his jacket, and the performance was ended. The similarity 

 of tills performance with part of the festival which is described on pp. 605 et seq. 

 is evident. 



