Eskimo String Figures 



167 b 



_ Return, then pass the thumb over the ulnar index string and take up 

 similarly the two ulnar little finger strings. 



Drop the loop on the left little finger and transfer to it on the proximal side 

 of all the strings the left thumb loops. 



Drop the left index loop and with the indices and thumbs spread apart the 

 two upper transverse strings. You have "the door" beside which "the orphan 

 boy" was wont to sit. 



Fig. 219 



The story runs that an orphan boy was ill-treated by the inmates of the 

 house in which he lived. His place was just inside the door and he was not 

 allowed to go farther in. The others threw him scraps of food when they were 

 eating. There he was always sitting in his corner, with his arms withdrawn 

 from the sleeves of his coat and pressed against his body to keep them warm, 

 while his knees were tucked up toward his chin and covered with the bottom of 

 his coat. At last he grew old enough to take care of himself and went away. 



The chant runs: 



upkwaqtuyeyq 

 upkwaqtuyeyq liken-ane 

 upkwaqtuyeyq upkwajeqtoyin 

 qanoyumi upkwayeqpit 

 ciq'oak-a qumiyik-a 

 upkurituriturituri 



Door-closer (?) (the boy's name). 



Door-closer who stays over there, 



Door-closer, shut the door. 



Why don't you shut the door? 



My knees I have covered with my coat. 



(The boy going away). 



At the last words drop the right little finger loops. 



The Inland Eskimos chant: 



ukuyeqcuayoq (three times) 

 nunmun ukuyeyayavit 

 ikuya-a 



Name of a small bird (?) 

 Whither are you going? 

 Over there (dropping the right little fin- 

 ger loop). 



The natives did not know the meaning of the word ukuyeqcuayoq, but one 

 of them conjectured that it was the name of a small bird. 



The second figure is produced in the same way, only at the last drop the 

 right little finger loop instead of the left, and remove the left thumb loop to that 

 little finger. 



