Copper Eskimo Traditions 75 A 



up to the tent. They peeped inside and saw the woman picking the parasites 

 from the whale's head. She looked up and saw them, whereupon they immedi- 

 ately beckoned to her with their eyes to follow them". She said to her husband, 

 "There's a raven and a seagull." But he only answered, "No, they are people. 

 What is it you want to do?" However, the woman managed to slip the rope 

 and cautiously steal outside, where the Eskimos, one on each side, caught 

 hold of her arms and hurried her down to their kayaks. Presently the whale 

 caught hold of the rope to drag her in; but its end was slack. Then he prepared 

 to follow, and, hastily dressing, took to the water, where he immediately 

 changed into a true whale and rapidly overhauled the two kayaks. The men 

 in great alarm seized some of the woman's clothes and threNv them overboard, 

 and the whale stopped at once to tear them up. In this way the Eskimos got 

 ahead, but soon the whale overtook them again and they had to throw over- 

 board more clothes till finally the woman had no more left. But just at this 

 crisis they reached the shore and hid her in their tent. Presently the whale 

 came floundering up on to the beach. One of the men said to it, "If you will 

 only turn round and look out towards the sea I will let you marry my daughter." 

 But when the whale turned round they shot it with their bows and arrows. Its 

 carcase they cut up and cooked and ate; only the woman would not touch it 

 because it was her husband. 



Cf. No. 29; Meddelelser om Gr$nland, Vol. XXXIX, pp. 259 S; Rasmuasen and Worster, p. 130 f.; Boas, 

 Bulletin, A.M.N.H., Vol. XV, pt. I, "A tale about two girls," p. 360, with references; Hawkes, p. 155 f.; Smith, 

 J. A. F. L., Vol. VII, 1894, p. 210; Jochelson, pp. 365 (8), 369 (2). 



57. The Caterpillar Husband 

 (Told by Kaneyoq, daughter of Higilaq) 



Once there lived a woman who could never obtain a husband. She was 

 walking along one day and picked up a caterpillar, which she kept in her hut 

 and nursed until it should grow large enough to marry her. Whenever she 

 wandered she carried the caterpillar with her. But one day when she went out 

 she left it behind in her hut, for by this time it had grown too big for her to 

 carry. Her companions preceded her home and entered her hut, but, terrified 

 at the monster that they saw, they threw it out to the dogs to devour. When 

 the woman returned she enquired where her caterpillar was, and they told her 

 that the dogs had broken into the hut and devoured it while everyone was 

 away. The woman was very angry, for, as she said, it was the only husband 

 she had ever been able to obtain. 



(This story is probably unfinished, but my informant had forgotten the rest.) 



Cf. Rasmussen, p. 171f.; Boas, Bulletin, A.M.N.H., Vol. XV, pt. I, pp. 178f., 555; Nelson, p. 516. 



58. The Snow-bunting and her Husband 

 (Told by Ikpakhuaq) 



Long ago a man named Pisiksi ("Bow") married a woman who talked 

 like a snow-bunting. She eloped with another man named Asina ("Astray"), 

 whereupon her husband transformed himself into a brown bear, followed her 

 and bit her to death. Now the snow-bunting sings pi^ikxii't-uUn piicikxii i-uUn 

 ("You are not Pisiksi"). 



59. The Shaman's Pets 



(Told by Uloqsaq) 



At Netsilik there once lived two shamans who took a polar bear cub from 

 beside the sea, a red fox cub from a river and a wolf cub from the land. These 

 three they trained up, but when they were fully grown the men became afraid 

 of them and fled to their own country. 



