168 Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



one or two children have been named after notable visitors; thus, a Copper- 

 mine river girl was called Issumatak "The Thinker" or "The Leader", which 

 was David Hanbury's title. Hanbury's companion Darrell was honoured in 

 a similar manner; and a PuivHk child was called Tannaumik after the Mackenzie 

 river youth who accompanied Mr. Stefansson on his first visit to the Copper 

 Eskimo country. 



In introducing himself a man usually gives both or all his names, but if 

 he is asked his name he will often give only one. Sometimes he will make a joke 

 about it; Kingalokanna, for example, would usually point to his nose and laugh.^ 

 Unlike the Mackenzie and Alaskan- natives, these Eskimos have no hesitation 

 whatever in telling their own names; nor is there any taboo against mentioning 

 the names of the dead, though the speaker will usually remark that the person 

 referred to is dead and seems to expect that the matter will be dropped as 

 having no further interest. Despite the inheritance of the names I could find 

 no trace of any belief in the reincarnation of the souls of dead ancestors or rela- 

 tives, a belief that is held by the Eskimos farther west.^ Frequent enquiries 

 indeed have convinced me that the doctrine is unknown to the Copper Eskimos, 

 though now that the western natives are entering their country they will pro- 

 bably soon acquire it, their minds being very receptive of such ideas. 



(Photo by R. M. Anderson) 



Fig. 52. Eskimo mothers and their children on the trail 



Not only are there no taboos on the names of the dead, but, under ordinary 

 circumstances, no taboos in respect to the killing or eating of any animal, bird 

 or fish whenever a person happens to have the same name. Thus Taktu, 

 "Kidney," would eat the kidney of either the seal or the caribou, and Tutsik had 

 no scruples about eating the old-squaw duck, ahangik, though his own second 

 name was Ahangik.' 



A parent seldom addresses his child by its proper name, but simply calls 

 it nutarara, "my child", or more simply still nutarak "child", which is the term 

 that other adults employ towards it. If the child be an adopted one, tiguara 

 "my adopted relative" is often used instead. Once the danger of exposure is 



iCf. stefansson, Anthrop. Papers, A.M.N.H., Vol. XIV, pt. I, p. 247. 



Kit. Stefansson, Anthrop. Papers, A.M.N.H., Vol. XIV, pt. I, p. 357 et seq.; also Crantz, Vol. I, p. 201. 



'Exceptions to this rule are given in the next chapter. 



