The Bladder Feast (Tcauiyuk) is held in December at the full of the
moon. The object of this feast is the propitiation of the inua of the
animals slain during the season past. These are believed to reside in
the bladders, which the Eskimo carefully preserve. The ceremony
consists in the purification of the bladders by the flame of the wild
parsnip (Aikituk). The hunters are also required to pass through the
flame. They return the bladders then to the sea, where entering the
bodies of their kind, they are reborn and return again, bringing
continued success to the hunter.
The first three days are spent in preparation. They thoroughly clean
the kasgi, particularly the kenethluk or fireplace, the recognized
abode of all spirits visiting the kasgi. Then the men bring in their
harvest of bladders.[17] They tie them by the necks in bunches of
eight to the end of their spears. These they thrust into the walls at
the rear of the room leaving ample room for the dancers to pass under
the swaying bladders in the rites of purification. Offerings of food
and water are made to the inua, and they are constantly attended. One
old man told me that they would be offended and take their departure
if left alone for a moment. Dogs, being unclean, are not allowed to
enter the kasgi. Neither is anyone permitted to do any work during the
ceremony.
[17] The mothers also preserve with greatest care the bladders of the
mice, ground squirrels, and other small animals killed by the
children. These are purified at the same time.
Meanwhile four men,[18] especially chosen for the purpose, scour the
adjoining country for parsnip stalks. They bind these into small
bundles, and place them on top of the latorak, the outer vestibule to
the entrance of the kasgi. In the evening they take these into the
kasgi, open the bundles and spread out the stalks on the floor. Then
each hunter takes a stalk, and they unite in a song to the parsnip,
the burden of which is a request that the stalks may become dry and
useful for purification. The heat of the seal oil lamps soon dries
them, and they are tied into one large bundle. The third day the sheaf
is opened, and two bundles made. The larger one is for the use of the
dancers; the smaller is placed on a spear and stuck in front of the
bladders.
The fourth day the bladders are taken down and painted. A grayish
mixture is used which is obtained by burning a few parsnip stalks and
mixing the ashes with oil. The designs are the series of bands and
dots grouped to represent the totems of the hunters. When the paint is
dry the bladders are returned to their places.
In the evening the men gather again in the kasgi, and the dancers
proceed to strip off every vestige of clothing. Snatching a handful of
stalks at the common pile they light them at the lamps, and join in a
wild dance about the room. The resinous stalks shoot into flame with a
frightful glare, lighting up the naked bodies of the dancers, and
dusky interior of the kasgi. Waving the flaming torches over their
heads, leaping, jumping, and screaming like madmen they rush around
the room, thrusting the flame among the bladders and then into the
faces of the hunters. When the mad scene is at its height, they seize
one another, and struggle toward the pugyarok (entrance hole). Here
each is thrust down in succession until all the dancers have passed
through. I am informed that this is a pantomime enactment, an
indication to the inua it is time for them to depart.
[18] The number four appears to have a sacred significance among the
Alaskan Eskimo. The Raven Father (Tulukauguk) waves his wings four
times over the objects of his creation; the heroes of ancient legends
take four steps and are transported great distances; and important
events occur on the fourth night. I understand that the four men who
gather the wild parsnips represent the four clans of the tribe.
The next day a hole is made in the ice near the kasgi, and each hunter
dips his spear in the water, and, running back to the kasgi, stirs up
the bladders with it. The presence of the sea water reminds the inua
of their former home, and they make ready to depart. The bladders are
then tied into one large bundle, and the people await the full moon.
At sunrise the morning after the full moon each hunter takes his load
of bladders, and filing out of the kasgi starts for the hole in the
ice on a dead run. Arriving there, he tears off the bladders one by
one, and thrusts them under the water. This signifies the return of
the inua to the sea.
As the bladders float or sink success is prophesied for the hunter by
the shaman in attendance.
In the meantime the old men build a fire of driftwood on the ice in
front of the kasgi. The small bundle of parsnip stalks which stood in
front of the bladders is brought out and thrown on the fire, and as
the stalks kindle to the flame, each hunter utters a shout, takes a
short run, and leaps through in turn. This performance purifies the
hunter of any matter offensive to the inua, and concludes the
ceremony.
During the Bladder Feast all intercourse between the married men and
their wives is tabooed. They are required to sleep in the kasgi with
the bachelors. Neither is any girl who has attained puberty
(Wingiktoak) allowed near the bladders. She is unclean (Wahok).