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to the dance-house and amused themselves drumming and singing. A few of 

 them slept there that night, as the skins of their tents had been used on its roof. 

 Kunana, before retiring to his tent, .sewed two fur strings on the right shoulder 

 of Higilak's coat in token of their new-formed friendship. 



The following morning the natives donned their finest clothing in prepar- 

 ation for the dance in honour of the new-comers, Nilgak and his wife Utuaiyok. 

 Pissuak was an old friend of Nilgak, his dancing-associate in fact, so he naturally- 

 opened the welcome. Puivlik and Kanghiryuak natives followed each other in 

 almost regular sequence; Pissuak (Puivhk), Utuaiyok (Kanghiryuak), Avranna 

 (P), Imerak (K), Milukkattak (P), Higilak (P), Kunana (K), Ikpakhuak (P), 

 Allikammik (K), Avranna (P), Utuaiyok (K), Pissuak (P), Nilgak (K) and 

 Kullak (P). When Pissuak danced he called out his friend's wife, Utuaiyok, to 

 run around him, she called out both Pissuak and Avranna, then Avranna called 

 her out in return, Imerak summoned Milukkattak, and she reciprocated immedi- 

 ately afterwards, while Kunana called out, first Higilak, then Ikpakhuak, then 

 Higilak again, and Ikpakhuak had to respond by calling out Kunana's wife 

 Allikammik, and afterwards Kunana himself. Avranna in his second dance 

 ^called out Utuaiyok, she called out both him and Pissuak, then Pissuak again 

 alone, Pissuak called out both her and her husband together, and then Nilgak 

 called out Pissuak. 



Fig. 65. Copper Eskimos holding a dance in the dance-house, from a drawing by the 

 Mackenzie river Eskimo Palaiyak 



All the dances on the preceding day had been of the pisik type, the dancer, 

 that is, had also beaten the drum. But on this occasion several of the aton type 

 were given. Higilak began the change. On entering the ring she rapped the 

 drum a few times to get her song well started, then handed the instrument to 

 AUikammik and the stick to Kunana, and executed a wild kind of jig, waving 

 her arms in the air and swinging around on both feet, only roughly in time with 

 the music. Sometimes she would call on the spectators to sing louder, and swell 

 the chorus herself with her voice; at other times she would utter whoops and 

 shouts of joy, interspersed with remarks to the singers, remarks such as, "Aren't 

 we glad the Kanghiryuarmiut have come." Ikpakhuak, who danced in a 

 similar manner, executed all kinds of 'fancy evolutions, proving his complete 

 mastery of the art of dancing as far as the Eskimos practise it. He began with 

 a pisik, then handed the drum and stick to AUikammik, and gave one aton 

 without the drum, then a second with Avranna beating it for him. His second 

 aton therefore coincided exactly with the men's dance among the Mackenzie 



