178 B Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



PART VI 

 STRING TRICKS AND GAMES 



I. Cutting the Hand 



This trick is known to the Barrow and Inland natives as ayiyaeyiniq, 

 "cutting the hand." It is known in some form everywhere from Cape Prince 

 of Wales to Coronation gulf. Mrs. Jaynes gives it from the Philippines and 

 Caroline islands (p. 339). 



Make Opening A. 



Let another person insert his hand through the middle between the index loops. 



Drop all but the thumb loops; the hand is caught in a loop. 



Make Opening A with the thumb loops without releasing the other's hand, 

 and again, but this time from the proximal side, let the other person insert his 

 hand through the middle. Drop all but the thumb loops again and the hand is 

 released. 



(Generally the string is wound round the other person's wrist instead of 

 being caught by the Opening A movements. The Mackenzie and Coronation 

 gulf natives seem never to do it by Opening A. Occasionally the trick is played 

 by the operator on himself by winding the string round his neck instead of 

 round some one else's wrist.) 



II 



This trick is also known everywhere from Barrow to Coronation gulf. 



Loop on the little fingers. Pass the ring fingers over the radial little finger 

 strings and take up with their backs the ulnar strings. Similarly with the 

 middle fingers take up the ulnar ring finger strings, with the indices the ulnar 

 middle finger strings and with the thumbs the ulnar index strings. 



Now from the distal side pass the indices over the radial thumb strings and 

 with their backs take up the ulnar string; then similarly with the middle fingers 

 take up the ulnar index strings, with the ring fingers the ulnar middle finger 

 strings, and with the little fingers the ulnar ring finger strings. 



Drop the thumb loops and draw the hands apart. The loops all unravel and 

 the string is free. 



Ill 



Another trick known from Barrow to Coronation gulf is "the mouse" of 

 Mrs. Jaynes, p. 340 ff. Mr. F. W. Waugh found it also among the Eskimos 

 near Nain, in Labrador. 



Pass one end of the loop round the foot. Hold the right hand on edge, so 

 that the other end of the loop passes over the right thumb, and there is a palmar 

 and a dorsal string passing over the hand. 



Pass the left index under the right palmar string from the proximal side 

 and with its palm draw through the dorsal string, taking it up where it passes 

 between the thumb and index on the back of the hand. Give the index a half- 

 turn counter-clockwise {i.e. inward) and drop its loop over the right index. 



Similarly draw out the dorsal string between the right index and middle 

 finger, and, turning it, drop it over the middle finger. 



Repeat the movements with the ring and little fingers of the right hand, 

 then withdraw the right thumb from its loop and pull the long string that runs 

 from the right palm to the foot. All the loops on the fingers resolve and the 

 hand is free. 



