Ethnologieal Sketch of the Angmagsalik Eskimo. 93 



might not light the lamps, whereupon Sanimuinak answered in his 

 own natural voice that his tartok was still present. The man who 

 had spoken had presumed that 'it had gone ; for the sound of the 

 drum was no longer heard'. Whereto Sanimuinak replied 'that 

 there must have been someone who had touched the drum, as the 

 tartok would no longer beat it'. Presently, however, the drum 

 started afresh, and the retreat took place amid the rattling of skins 

 and lingering song. 



The lamps were lit in the inverse order to that in which they 

 were extinguished; and all were sitting on the places they had 

 occupied before the performance commenced. The angakok, bathed 

 in perspiration, was sitting in the same place as at the beginning. 

 His hands were tied behind his back in the same way, but not 

 nearly so well as before^). 



Most men and half grown-up lads are able to perform all these 

 tricks, that is to produce the different noises, the drum-dance and 

 the voices from the nether world, but they say 'they only do it as 

 a pastime and that there is nothing supernatural about it in their 

 case, while in the case of the angakut it is the spirits who do 

 everything'. 



When we asked the angakut how they performed their arts, 

 they sounded us first to see whether we believed in them. If we 

 answered that we did not know what to believe, they told us all 

 sorts of yarns. If, on the other hand, we answered that we did not 

 believe in them, they were quite ready of their own accord to 

 reveal to us all their secrets and tricks, and declared that they were 

 no good as angakok, for all they did was mere humbug; but at 

 the same time they expressed the belief that other angakut could 

 have communion with the spirit world. 



Sanimuinak, who was an angakok as well as an ilisitsok, and 

 who at first told as all sorts of yarns about his arts, by-and-by re- 

 vealed all his tricks to us, when he perceived that we did not be- 

 lieve in him. One day he came and offered me his drum as a 

 present, but asked me to help him as a requital. He said he 

 had some enemies on the opposite side of the fjord, who, he 

 declared, were also my enemies, namely his former wife with her 

 mother and husband. These people hated him and had therefore 

 used magic to bring about his death. He wanted me to give him 

 any formula which he could use against his enemies to harm them. 



^) It is curious to observe the great accordance, even in details, between tlie 

 incantations of the Eskimo angakut and the Indian feasts of tlie Nisliinani 

 hidians and of tlie Maidu. (Powers: Tlie tribes of Cahfornia pp. 334 and 306). 



