ctly material
place. If the deceased is a hunter, his sledge and kayak, with his
weapons and implements, are placed close by, and his favorite dogs,
harnessed and attached to the sledge, are strangled so that they may
accompany him on his journey into the unseen. If the deceased is a
woman, her lamp and the little wooden frame on which she has dried the
family boots and mittens are placed beside the grave. A little blubber
is placed there, too, and a few matches, if they are available, so that
the woman may light the lamp and do some cooking in transit; a cup or
bowl is also provided, in which she may melt snow for water. Her needle,
thimble, and other sewing things are placed with her in the grave.

In former years, if the woman had a small baby in the hood it was
strangled to keep her company; but I have, of course, discouraged this
practice, and during the last two expeditions I have not heard of any
strangled babies. Among the members of my own party I have simply
forbidden the practice, and have promised the relatives sufficient
condensed milk and other foods to keep the infant alive. If they have
reverted to the old custom during my absence, they have not mentioned
the fact to me, knowing of my disapproval.

If a death occurs in a tent, the poles are removed, and the tent is left
on the ground to rot or blow away. It is never used again. If the death
occurs in an igloo, the structure is vacated and not used again for a
long time. The relatives of the dead observe certain formalities in
regard to food and clothing, and the name of the lost one is never
mentioned. If any other members of the tribe have the same name, they
must take another until an infant is born to which the proscribed name
can be given. This appears to remove the ban.

Eskimos are children in their grief, as in their pleasure; they weep for
a dead friend a few days, then they forget. Even a mother who has been
inconsolable at the death of her baby soon laughs again and thinks of
other things.

In a country where the stars are visible for so many weeks at a time it
is not strange perhaps that they receive much attention from the
natives. The Eskimos are, within barbaric limits, astronomers. The
principal constellations visible in northern latitudes are well known to
them and they have given them their own names and descriptions. In the
Great Dipper they see a herd of celestial reindeer. The Pleiades are to
the Eskimos a team of dogs pursuing a