TURNER.] 



AMULETS. 



201 



for want of food. The .spirit i.s informed that the people have in no way 

 offended liim, as the .shaman, as a mediator between the .spirit and the 

 people, has taken gi-eat care that the past food was all eaten and that 

 last spring, when the female deer were returning to him to be delivered 

 of their young, none of the young (or ftetal) deer were devoured by the 

 dogs. After much incantation the shaman announces that the spirit 

 condescends to supply the people with spirits of the deer in a material 

 form and that soon an abundance will be in the land. He enjoins upon 

 the people to slay and thus obtain the approval of the spirit, which loves 

 to see good peojjle enjoy an abundance, knowing that so long as the 

 people refrain iiom feeding their dogs with the unborn young, the 

 spirits of the deer wiU in time return again to his guardianship. 



Certain parts of the first deer killed must be eaten raw, others dis- 

 carded, and others must l)e eaten cooked. The dogs must not be al- 

 lowed to taste of the flesh, and not until an abundance has been ob- 

 tained must they be allowed to gnaw at the leg bones, lest the guardian 

 spirit of the deer be offended and refuse to send further supplies. If 

 by some misfortune the dogs get at the meat, a piece of the offending 

 dog's tail is cut off' or his ear is cropped to allow a flow of bloqd. 



Ceremonies of .some kind attend the cai)ture of the ttrst slain animal 

 of all the more important kinds. I unfortunately had no opiwrtunity 

 of witnessing many of these ceremonies. 



As a natural consequence of the suiierstitious beliefs that I have de- 

 scribed, the use of amulets is universal. Some charms are worn to 

 ward off the attacks of evil-disposed spirits. Other charms are worn as 

 remembrances of deceased relatives. These have the form of a head- 

 less doll depending from some portion of the garment worn on the up- 

 per part of the body. 



As many of their personal names are derived from 

 natural objects, it is usual for the person to wear a 

 little image of the object for which he is named or a 

 portion of it; for example, a wing of the bii-d, or a bit 

 of the animal's skin. This is supposed to gratify the 

 spirit of the object. Strange or cnrions objects never 

 before seen are soinetimes considered to bring suc- 

 cess to the finder 



Two articles selected from my collection will illus- 

 trate different forms of amulets. The first, No. 3018, 

 is a little wooden model of a kaiak. The other (3090, 

 Fig. 28) was worn on the back of a woman's coat. It 

 is a small block of wood carved into four human 

 heads. These heads represent four famous conjurers 

 noted for their skill in driving away diseases. The 

 woman, who came from the eastern shore of Hudson's 

 bay, was troubled with rheumatism and wore this charm from time to 

 time as she felt the twinges of pain. She assured me that the pain 



Fio. 28. Eskimo wo- 

 man's amulet. 



