200 



THE HTTDSON BAY ESKIMO. 



also found that uuless the wife of another man should desert him and 

 become the wife of a man who already had two of this woman's sisters 

 as wives the sick man would die. The woman and her husband 

 escaped divorce by fleeing from the camp. 



The shaman may do about as he pleases with the marriage ties, 

 which oftener consist of sealskin thongs than respect and love. Many 



old hags have acquired great repu- 

 tations for being able to interpret 

 dreams. An in stance of dream in- 

 terpretation, which also illustrates 

 how a person may acquire a new 

 name, came under my observation, 

 A woman, sitting alone, heard a 

 noise like the rapping of someone 

 at the door desiring admittance. 

 She said, " Come in." So one ap- 

 peared, and she inquired of the 

 girl who acted as nurse for her 

 child if anyone had knocked at 

 the door. A negative answer was 

 given. Further questioning of a 

 white man, who was asleep near 

 by, revealed that he had made no 

 such sound. The woman knew 

 that no man had died within the 

 place and so his spirit could not be seeking admittance. She went 

 to an old woman and related the aftair, and was informed that it was 

 the rapping of her brother, who had died suddenly some two years 

 before. She must go home and prepare a cup of tea, with a slice of 

 bread, and give it to the nurse, as her brother, Nakvak (the one who 

 died) was hungry and wanted food. She especially enjoined upon the 

 woman that the girl must now be known as Nakvak (meaning "found") 

 and that through her the dead would procure the food which, although 

 it subserves a good purpose in nourishing the living, tends, by its ac- 

 companying spirit, to allay the pangs of hunger in the dead. 



As I have already said, everything in tlie world is believed to have 

 its attendant spirit. The spirits of the lower animals are like those of 

 men, but of an inferior order. As these spirits, of course, can not be 

 destroyed by killing the animals, the Eskimo believe that no amount 

 of slaughter can realy decrease the numbers of the game. 



A great spirit controls the reindeer. He dwells in a huge cavern 

 near the end of Cape Chidley. He obtains and controls the spirit of 

 every deer which is slain or dies, and it depends on his good will whether 

 the people shall obtain future supplies. The form of the spirit is that 

 of a huge white bear. The shaman has the power to prevail upon the 

 spirit to send the deer to the people who are represented as suffering 



Fig. 27. Talisman. 



