Ethnological Sketch of the Angma^salik Eskimo. 143 



had intended to become an angakok and had therefore remained 

 for three daj^s rubbing a big stone, but had neitlier seen nor heard 

 anything. He had not seen any spirits and had never heard any- 

 tliing but the angakut's own voices when they performed their in- 

 cantations. He had heard all the usual stories that the angakut 

 relate, but did not believe in them at all. He does not believe 

 either, that the angakut have the power of curing the sick or help^ 

 people who have had no success in hunting. He had once been a 

 good hunter himself, but when his ability failed him, he went to 

 the angakut for help, but found that they could do nothing for 

 him. Now he does not believe in them at all, and says there are 

 many people who have no faith in them either. 



Now, when Avgo and Maratuk came up to Sermiligak, Utuak 

 and the others who lived in those parts were seized with alarm, 

 especially as Maratuk had once tried to kill Utuak. As soon as 

 they saw their chance, they took their departure, and Utuak was 

 even obliged to leave behind him his umiak, of which Avgo at once 

 took possession. 



Now Utuak with his two wives and seven children lives practi- 

 cally on Kutuluk's charity. He dares not go out hunting without 

 being accompanied by people he can rely on, for fear of vengeance 

 on the part of some angakok. 



Theft. — Actual thieving did not come to our notice at the be- 

 ginning of our stay; however a few knives disappeared from our rowers. 



Later the natives pilfered from us quite a number of things,^ 

 not only bread, hardware and clothes, but even things such as 

 spoons and forks for which they had no use. 



One day when I Avas bargaining with Suvdluitek, I gave him 

 five ulos (woman's knives), to make his choice of one. After 

 long deliberation he showed me the one he w^anted to have and at 

 once handed it to his wife, who was standing outside in the pas- 

 sage-way, and then he returned three of them. When I told him 

 that he had received five from me and he saw that I knew what I 

 was about, he let out that he had laid two on top of one another, 

 showed me them, and handed them to his wife. At first he as- 

 sured me that this had happened quite accidentally, the knives 

 being so thin, but his deep blushes betrayed him, and afterwards 

 he confessed that his neighbour had whispered to him to do like 

 that, for 'we would not detect it'. He was very unhappy about it, 

 but insisted that he himself was innocent, whereas the blame was 

 to be laid on the man who had lead him astray. Even the big, 

 strong Maratuk blushed deeply and felt very uncomfortable when 



