WINTER CEREMONIAL DANCES 111

In the course of generations, Sig has combined with his
self-anthropophagic prerogative that of eating dogs. As al-
ready mentioned, such a merging of rights, obtained from
different ancestors, is by no means uncommon. The following
account of the manner in which he carries out (or carried out,
for the dance has not been performed for a number of years)
his rite was obtained from one of the Kimsquit marshals.
Many details are omitted which have been fully described in
former Cannibal dances. It will be convenient to refer to
Snung as X.

As with other Cannibals, when the call comes to X he
begins to cry out and the uninitiated are expelled from his
house, but not before they have seen him sink his teeth into
his own arm, and apparently inflict a serious wound. In reality
the Cannibal usually cuts himself in anticipation, so that the
application of his teeth merely serves to reopen the incision
and cause the blood to flow freely. Dogs are given to X, as to
other dog-eating Cannibals, and he is escorted to every house,
so that the uninitiated may stare with awe upon his blood-
stained body and dripping jaws. Later, when he and the
kukustut have returned to the Cannibal’s home, a herald goes
to every house, announcing that his fellows are going to fasten
X. The rope used in this particular rite is long and thin, with
a small loop in the centre for his neck. It is forced upon X
with the usual struggling, and again the herald makes his
round, announcing:

“We are measuring his arms for cords of dyed and undyed
cedar-bark.”’

These too are placed upon him, and the kukusiut march X,
pinioned, to every house, while he growls and gives every indi-
cation of being half mad with anger at his bonds. He is taken
back to his own house and at intervals throughout the day a
herald informs all in the village of the number of dogs he has
eaten, and of the number of wounds he has inflicted upon
himself.

That night X eludes his captors and is carried away to the