10 Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



they can be called either atons or pisiks with equal propriety. The_ dances 

 themselves are quite distinct and may have had different origins, in which case 

 the songs too were probably quite distinct in type; but at the present time any 

 differences have been obliterated, and a separation of the dance-songs into two 

 classes on this basis is purely formal. 



Forms of Dance 



Copper Eskimo. — Most Copper Eskimo dances take place on winter even- 

 ings, although they are sometimes held in the day-time during stormy weather 

 or on the occasion of a visit from people of another community. Men, women 

 and children gather informally in the dance-house, or in the largest house in 

 the settlement. Some one takes out the drum — there is always one in every large 

 settlement— and the people arrange themselves in a circle with the man or woman 

 who is leading off in the centre; for both sexes dance alike in this region, and 

 only one person performs at a time. 



The dance that begins the entertainment is always of the pisik type, and 

 frequently none but pisiks are given throughout the whole evening.^ The 

 essential feature of a pisik dance is that the performer wields the drum himself, 

 the rest of the people simply accompanying him in the singing. The dancer 

 moves slowly round and round the circle, keeping his knees slightly bent; some- 

 times he hops lightly on both feet, more often he moves them alternately, but 

 without any attempt to keep time with the actudl drum-beats. To a large 

 extent he is independent of his audience, although he often tries to rouse their 

 energies by increased vigour in his own drumming and singing and by giving 

 vent to an occasional whoop of joy. 



In the aton dance either the drum is not used at all, or it is wielded by one 

 of the singers in the circle. The dancer, therefore, has his hands free, but is 

 more dependent on the singers for the music. After his song is well started he 

 generally ceases to sing, but begins to gesticulate violently with his arms, hop- 

 ping now on one foot, now on the other, whooping with delight and delivering 

 himself over to the wildest abandon if the singers are at all enthusiastic* 



Western Eskimo. — Both these forms of dance, with certain variations, are 

 in vogue among the Eskimos of the Mackenzie river delta. The people, instead 

 of forming a circle, sit or stand around the sides of the tent or house wherever 

 they can find room, and the drummers, of whom there are always several, sit 

 in a row at the back. The drums vary in size, but are smaller than those used 

 by the Copper Eskimos, and the drum-stick is lighter and longer, striking both 

 sides of the rim at the same time, and, when the stroke is hard, bending in the 

 middle and touching the membrane. The wearing of mittens, concerning which 

 there seems to be no rule among the Copper Eskimos, is forbidden to Mackenzie 

 delta women, but compulsory for the men, although they are allowed to carry 

 them in the hands instead of drawing them over the fingers; when retiring the 

 man will either throw the mittens on the ground for the next person to recover, 

 or fling them at someone in the audience, thereby challenging him to take his 

 place. 



The pisik, which is much the commoner form of dance among the Copper 

 Eskimos, appears to be quite rare in the Mackenzie delta. One example was 

 seen at Herschel island in the summer of 1914; apart from the music, it was 

 performed in exactly the same manner as to the eastward. West of the Mac- 

 kenzie delta, in northern Alaska, the pisik seems to be altogether unknown. 



The characteristic dance in the Mackenzie delta and westward is the aton. 

 This, contrary to Copper Eskimo custom, is performed by several persons at 

 once, and in a different manner by the two sexes. The men, as a rule, seek to 

 strain as many muscles of the body and limbs as possible, so that their dancing 



1 For a more complete account of Copper Eskimo dancing, see Vol. XII, Pt. A, pp. 223-227. 



