WINTER CEREMONIAL DANCES 145

A third frenzied beating is followed by a third round of the
village with the announcement:

“The fire is ready.”

For the fourth time the kukusiut in X’s house beat time
furiously, and again Ogo?tkts sallies forth.

“Everything is almost ready,” he says in each house.

By this time any lagging kukusiut have taken their places
in X’s house, and when everything is in order one of the heralds
calls out to the uninitiated that they may enter. In they rush,
and sit quietly in the corners near the front-door. Ogotikts, his
work accomplished, stands at one side of the space behind the
fire, while the inevitable 4no%likwotsaix moves to and fro,
keeping up a constant flow of conversation. Sometimes
Kuitstkékmidjut stands behind the fire; on other occasions he
has been known to walk through the house, accompanied by
two assistants blowing eagle down over him. He moves his
face as if in pain, and then lies down behind the fire, where the
uninitiated can see his stomach contracting and expanding as
if it had been ripped to expose the entrails. At the distance
from which they view the spectacle it is easy to carry out the
deception. Ogorikts sits down behind the fire and another
supernatural being comes from one of the enclosures. As far
as could be learnt, the order of their appearance on the occa-
sion when X performed was as follows, though there is no
ceremonial] significance attached thereto:

Ogottkts.

Aiquntaém. He always wears a huge mask and the actor
must have a powerful voice for at intervals he bellows out:

“Mortals! See me, I am Aguntém,’” while the heralds and
Anolikwotsaix echo and confirm his remarks. He stalks from
one of the enclosures to the central position behind the fire,
where he remains standing.

Snusilkals appears and stands near Afguntim, his nose
and forehead wrinkled in deep thought.

Sexsexkalaix joins the group. These three supernatural
ones remain standing for some little time, then they pass into