WINTER CEREMONIAL DANCES 5

informant, the entry of a strange spirit into his body does not
inconvenience the dancer, although he senses its presence, and
asks who will pay for its return. Unless the owner at once steps
forward to claim his property and promises to pay, his spirit is
thrown into the fire and he dies. The kukusiut sometimes tell
an uninitiated person that his spirit has been attracted from
him, thereby terrifying him so greatly that he appeals to a
shaman to recover it for him. The expert greases his hands,
warms them at a fire, and pretends to pluck something from
the kusiut which he inserts into the loser’s neck.

In view of the firm conviction that the spirit is essential to
an individual’s welfare, it is not surprising that this belief
should awe the uninitiated and All them with profound respect
for the kukusiut. The diversity in the details of procedure
proves that the practice has not become standardized; those
who are not members of the society believe and do not test the
claims.

Another source of strength claimed by the kukusiut is
ability to witness and imitate the dances of the supernatural
beings held in Nusmdt-a prior to the entry of 4iguntém. As
already described, it is believed that a supernatural element
from every living creature upon earth ascends at this time
but, in a way that is not fully understood, only those belonging
to kukusiut can take part in the ceremonies. Is it strange,
therefore, that members of the society are regarded with awe
by their less fortunate fellows? Presents are given after every
dance in Nusmdt-a and the supernatural elements receive their
due share. When, however, Aguntam enters, he is so big and
so hot that almost all who have assembled rush forth furi-
ously, and in the crush at the narrow doorway disaster over-
takes many of the visiting human representatives. Some drop
their gifts, and their owners will be unfortunate; others fall,
and their owners cannot survive until the next ceremonial
season. This same fate may befall even those who are not
members of the £usiut society, but they do not have the ability
to appreciate what has happened.