Feasts are given now and then to celebrate success in hunting and
similar achievements.
In 1883 I was invited to attend a feast of furs to be given by one of
the most energetic of the Indians. We repaired to the tents spread on
the top of a high wall of rock a few rods from my house. As I approached
the scene I observed a tent of different construction. It was nearly
oval at its base and had a diameter of about 18 feet and a length of
about 25 feet. The top was drawn to an apex resembling the common roof
of a house. The entrance to the structure faced southeast. On a pole,
supported with one end on the apex of the tent and the other resting on
a post, were numbers of skins of various animals--wolves, wolverine,
beaver, otter, foxes, and muskrat, together with a number of the finest
reindeer skins. The sound of the drum was heard within the structure and
as I approached the door the noise ceased. I paused and was invited to
enter. Immediately two old men next the drummer moved to one side and
motioned me to sit down on the pile of deerskins reserved for me. It was
evident that the feast had been in progress for some time. Around the
interior of the structure groups of men were idly disposed, some
reclining and others standing. Not a word was spoken for some time,
and this gave me opportunity to look around. The floor was covered with
boughs from the neighboring spruce trees, arranged with unusual care,
forming a soft carpeting for those seated within. I saw a number of
piles of deerskins and several small heaps covered with cloth. To break
the silence I inquired if the drum was tired. A smile greeted the
inquiry. Immediately an old man came forward, tightened the snare of the
drum, and arranged the string, suspending it from one of the tent poles
at the proper height for use. He then dipped his fingers into a vessel
of water and sprinkled a few drops on the membrane of the drum-head to
prevent it from breaking under the blows to be delivered. The performer
then seized the drumstick with the right hand and gave the membrane a
few taps; the transverse cord of twisted sinew, holding the small
cylinders of wood attached to it, repeated the vibration with increased
emphasis. A song was begun and the drum beaten in rhythm to the
monotonous chant of o-ho, o-ho, etc. Three songs with tympanic
accompaniment followed. The songs appeared alike and were easily
learned. In the meanwhile the guests were treated to a strange-looking
compound which had lain hidden beneath one of the cloths and is known as
"pemmican." I was solicited to accept a piece. The previously assembled
guests had either brought their own bowls and saucers to eat from or
else appropriated those available. Not to be at a loss, one of the young
men remarked that he would find one. From among the accumulated filth
around one of the center poles supporting the structure a bowl was
produced. The man coolly took the handkerchief which was tied around his
forehead to keep his matted hair from his face and wiped out the
interior of the bowl, and placing a piece of the pemmican within it,
handed it to the attendant whose duty it was to offer it to me.
I, however, found it quite inedible. Other guests constantly arrived and
some departed, made happy by their share of this compound of rancid
tallow and marrow with a due admixture of pounded dry meat of the
reindeer. I soon departed, and attempted to take the remnant of the
pemmican with me. This was instantly forbidden, and information given me
that by so doing I should cause all the deer to desert the vicinity, and
thus make the people starve. I explained that such was not my desire,
and after wishing continued prosperity and enjoyment, I made my way out.
I was then informed that the feast would continue for a time, and wind
up with an invitation to the women, who had hitherto been excluded,
to come and eat the remnants left by the men. At the end of two days
thereafter the feast concluded and a dance took place. In this
performance there was nothing remarkable. The men sang songs and kicked
up their heels, while the women shrugged their shoulders as they swayed
their bodies from right to left, and assumed various other postures,
although their limbs were apparently kept in a rigid position,
occasionally uttering their plaudits as the men made humorous
compliments to their generous host.
This feast was given by one who had been unusually successful in the
capture of fur-bearing animals, and, to prove his wealth, displayed it
before the assemblage and gave a feast in consideration of his ability.
Other feasts of a similar character occur, and differ from this in no
special feature.
The principal source of amusement with the men is the game of draughts
or checkers. While the men are in the tent or on the hillsides awaiting
the approach of bands of deer their idle moments are employed over this
game. Neither hunger nor the sight of game is sufficient to distract
them, so intently are they absorbed.
The game is played as in civilization, with only slight differences.
I am not aware that wagers are laid upon its issue. Some of the men are
so expert that they would rank as skillful players in any part of the
world.
Small boards that may be carried in the hunting bag are used on trips to
while away the tedium of the long winter evenings with only the light of
the flickering fire of the dry limbs of spruce. Far into the night the
players engage, and are only disturbed when one of their tired
companions starts from his sleep to relate a wondrous dream and have it
expounded by the listeners, who sit aghast at the revelations.
They also have a game corresponding to "cup and ball," but it is played
with different implements from what the Eskimo use, as may be seen by
referring to Fig. 150. The hollow cones are made from the terminal
phalanges of the reindeer's foot. The tail tied to the end of the thong
is that of a marten or a mink. The player holds the peg in one hand, and
tossing up the bones tries to catch the nearest bone on the point of the
peg. The object of the game is to catch the bone the greatest possible
number of times. It is in no sense a gambling game.
[Illustration: FIG. 150.--Cup-and-ball, Nenenot.]
[Illustration: FIG. 151.--Drum, Nenenot.]
The only musical instrument used by these people is the drum or
tambourine, which is of the form shown in Fig. 151. These drums vary in
diameter from 22 to 26 inches, and are constructed as follows: The
barrel is made of a thin slat of spruce, bent into a hoop, with the ends
joined in a lap, spliced nearly a foot long, which length is sewed by
four perpendicular seams. The stitches are made with deerskin thread put
through perforations, near together, made with an awl. The next
operation is to prepare for a head a thin reindeer skin, which has been
tanned. The skin is moistened and sewed so that all holes in it are
closed. A narrow hoop of a size to fit tightly over the barrel of the
drum is made and the moist skin stretched over it. The edges of the skin
are turned inward, and within this hoop is placed the barrel of the
drum.
A second hoop, two or three times as wide as the first, is prepared and
fitted over the barrel and head. It is pushed down as far as the
elasticity of the membrane will allow, or about half the width of the
top hoop. Through the outer hoop have been made a number of holes and
corresponding but alternate holes made in the farther edge of the barrel
of the drum.
Through these holes a stout thong is threaded and passing from the edge
of the barrel to the outer hoop is drawn so tightly as to push the inner
hoop along the outer circumference of the barrel and thus tighten the
membrane to the required degree. The outer hoop now projects an inch or
more beyond the membrane and thus protects it from injury by careless
handling.
[Illustration: FIG. 152.--Drum, Little Whale river.]
Across the membrane is stretched a sinew cord on which are strung, at
right angles to the cord, a number of barrels made from the quills of
the wing feathers of the willow ptarmigan. Across the underside of the
membrane is stretched a similar cord with quills. These serve the
purpose of a snare on the drum. The stick used for beating the drum
consists of a piece of reindeer horn cut so as to have a thin and narrow
handle a foot in length and terminating in a knob more than an inch long
and as thick as the portion of horn permits. The drum is suspended from
the poles of the tent by means of thongs. The performer tightens the
snares, and sprinkles a few drops of water on the drumhead lest the
blows cause it to split under the strain. Nothing is done, nothing
contemplated without sounding the drum. It is silent only when the
people are asleep or on a tramp from one locality to another.
If a person is ill the drum is beaten. If a person is well the drum is
beaten. If prosperous in the chase the drum is beaten; and if death has
snatched a member from the community the drum is beaten to prevent his
spirit from returning to torment the living.
The drumbeat is often accompanied with singing which is the most
discordant of all sounds supposed to be harmonious.
The drums used by the Little Whale river Indians (Fig. 152, No. 3223)
differs greatly in construction from those made by the Ungava Indians.
The size is rarely so great, seldom exceeding 22 inches. These drums
have two heads or membranes fitted on the barrel and secured by means of
a single hoop for each head. The two hoops are then connected by the
tightening strings.
The membranes are invariably made of deer skin in the parchment
condition and not of tanned skins. The snares or thongs across the heads
are finer and have pieces of wood instead of quills as "rattlers." The
drumstick is a piece of reindeer horn cut as before described; or else,
as if to add to the din, a gun-cap box is pierced through from side to
side and a few pebbles or shot placed within. A stick is then inserted
in the hole through the box and the whole covered with buckskin to
prevent separation of the lid and box. This makes a distracting noise.
[Illustration: FIG. 153.--Rattle, Nenenot.]
[Illustration: FIG. 154.--Target, reindeer, buck.]
[Illustration: FIG. 155.--Target, reindeer, doe.]
Rattles for the children (Fig. 153) are made of a hoop of wood bent to a
circular form and covered with two heads or membranes. Within it are
placed a few pebbles or shot, to produce a rattling sound when the
membranes are dry. A cord attached to the circumference enables the
rattle to be suspended from the tent-pole in front of the child for
whose amusement it is intended. Other toys are made for the children,
but they were not easy for us to obtain. Pl. XLIII represents a doll,
dressed in a woman's full suit of clothes. The boys amuse themselves by
shooting with blunt arrows at images of reindeer, bucks, does, and
fawns, cut out of flat boards stuck up in the snow (Figs. 154, 155).
[Illustration: BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY ELEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XLIII