THE INNUIT HEAVEN. 



193 



she had returned to her igloo, " Jack," a brother of Kooperarchu, 

 called and said the sick man was dying. Immediately Tookooli- 

 to went back, and, feeling his pulse, found it almost gone, Koo- 

 perarchu felt himself dying, and said to her, as, in our language, 

 she explained it to me, " I going to die — I can not help it — I wish 

 to die. My mother and father in kood-le-par-mi-ung (the Innuit 

 heaven) — I go to meet them — I must go — I can not stop !" She 

 asked him, "Go now?" He replied, "Yes." This was the last 

 word he spoke. Thus Kooperarchu died. 



Kooperarchu was buried soon after his death. His friends and 

 relatives wrapped him in two tuktoo skins and carried him away. 

 The frozen corpse was suspended across the shoulders of his broth- 

 er by a strap placed under the arms and across the breast, as one 

 would carry a gun. Tookoolito headed the funeral train, and 

 a married sister of the deceased, with a younger brother, and a 

 couple of dogs, besides some of the natives, followed him to the 

 grave. This grave was but a little distance from the village, and 

 merely consisted of a recess made in the snow, with the same ma- 

 terial piled over the dead body. 



■K * * ■» -55- 4fr * 



Three days after Kooperarchu's decease I was able to visit his 

 family igloo. There I found his relations all sitting in a close 

 group on the snow platform. They were bemoaning the loss of 

 a brother and excellent seal-hunter. For three days from the death 

 his family had thus to mourn, according to Innuit custom. At 

 the end of that time they expected their lost brother would be in 

 "kood-le-par-mi-ung," there forever to enjoy its pleasures, feast- 

 ing on reindeer meat, and wandering from star to star. 



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