Ethnographical collections from East Greenland. 627 



two encircling rows of vertebrae beads. Similar objects are known 

 from the other Eskimo regions *). 



Amulets in dress and on implements (pp. 85 — 86). — There are 

 three aspects of the amulets from which they can be classified: the 

 purpose, the position and the material. It will suffice to draw atten- 

 tion to tliis; here I shall not confine myself to any classification, 

 but merely give the information obtained from the natives in Am- 

 massalik and connected with the illustrations here. 



It is already evident from the amulets just mentioned, that the 

 main thing is to place them on the body of the person, either on 

 the garments or if possible on the body itself. Ajukutooq told me 

 that the nail of a dead man's great toe might be used as amulet for 

 a child; it had to be sewn round the great toe of the child, when 

 even the slightest kick by the foot would cause the assaulted enemy 

 to be swollen on a part of his body or make an approaching tupilak 

 take to his heels. The nail on the fourth finger of a dead man 

 might also be used as amulet if placed on the breast or back; on 

 the approach of a disease during sleep, i. e. the attack of an evil 

 thought or spirit, the nail grows unseen and on account of its hard- 

 ness and sharpness prevents the disease from penetrating within. 

 Tättaqujuk {iäV^taqujiik) an old woman, told me that by kicking with 

 the foot one may make an approaching spirit (e. g, an angakoq's 

 assisting spirit) beat a hasty retreat if the kamik sole is greased 

 with blubber and this acts as an amulet^). Tättaqujuk also told me 

 that when people become ill, one may help them by putting into 

 their amulet-harness, armlets or hair-tops, certain small Crustacea 

 (eqitartin) from the beach or bees. Women who are plighted to 

 taboo observances {paqiiV^^nertikajeät) owing to the death of a near 

 relative insert amulets under the armlet or ankle-band, either the 

 dried gum from a fox's jaw or whiskers of foxes. Against evil words 

 or slander they also use amulets which are stuck into the hair- 

 top or carried inside the anorak, e. g. rosemary heath (or rhododen- 

 dron?); the person attacked by the slander generally falls into a 

 swoon and the one who sticks the heath into the fainting person's 

 hair-top or anorak-sleeve must first lick the plant with his tongue. 

 When a woman is with child an amulet is inserted right above her 

 vulva in order to protect the child; as amulet may be used e. g. a 

 round stone {kalilerneq). When a girl is born, an amulet is placed 

 on the anorak of the baby either on the hood or on the flap, e. g. 



1) Nelson (1899) p. 58, PI. XXV, fig. 5; Murdoch (1892) p. 148. 



^) In Povl Egede (1740) p. 30 it is mentioned that an angakoq tried to get a sick 

 man his lost soul back again by pressing a sole against his head. 



40* 



