656 



W. Thalbitzer 



with the hollow bone etc. by a string which is inserted into a small 

 hole in the middle part of the bone. — In the "dead house" at 

 Nualik Amdrup found 8 ajagaq-bones, seven of which were of the 

 same type as seen in fig. 387. They are tube-shaped, narrower at 

 the top than at the base, in cross section nearly quadrangular or 

 triangular. The eighth bone-tube was more flattened from both sides 

 than any of the others and also more expanded downwards (upper 



width Г5 cm. lower width 4 cm.), being thus un- 

 doubtedly made from a different bone of the animal 

 than the others; along both narrow sides were 3 

 to 4 holes bored into the marrow-tube ; this ajagaq 

 thus was probably made not only to be caught on 

 one of the larger end-openings of the marrow-tube 

 but also in these smaller lateral holes ^). 

 Fig. 381. Ajagaq, The ajagaq-game [ajagaaleertit) had in later 



'ring and pin' game, times become more seldom near Ammassalik, be- 

 ( о m CO .). 4. cause the angakut often accused this game of 

 causing the disappearance of the seals from the coasts. The point 

 of the game consists herein, that two persons vie with each other 

 as to which of them catches the bone oftenest in the right way, 

 each counting the number of times. "I kill you" says the person 

 on the point of winning the game. "I am still alive" answers the 

 other, still playing on. The losing party is pinched in the arms and 

 on other parts of his body. 



Fig. 382. Hunter in his kaiak, model carved in wood. Nualik. 



(Amdrup coll.). 



The ajagaq-game is well-known from West Greenland. Egede already 

 describes it quite exactly. "He who 20 times in succession can hit the hole 

 and get the ajagaq on the stick has won the game; but the person who does 

 not hit the mark 20 consecutive times receives a black line in the face each 

 time he makes a bad shot."^) 



During iny journey in 1900—01 I witnessed this game or a variety of it 

 near Jakobshavn as well as further south near Arqittoq (Northern Strømfjord). 

 The play was almost in the same way accompanied by the telling of a 

 primitive story, the details of which were associated with a description of 



1) Cf. Boas (1901—07) p. 422, fig. 221. 



2) Egede (1741) p. 92; P. Egede (1788) pp. 9-10. 



