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than over a very few proselytes among the Aiviliks there; at Repulse Bay there was thus only one family that joined Turquetil's congregation.

A movement from the north became much more widespread. In 1919 some bibles came to Ponds Inlet, printed in the Peck syllabic language with which the Eskimos were already familiar; they had been sent from Cumberland Gulf, where the missionary Peck had worked many years. These bibles were studied by the Eskimos and one of them, Uming, acted as prophet and taught the new gospel. When in 1920 his son had shot a white man at Ponds Inlet, they Image missingFig. 203.Ivory crusifix. fled together to Iglulik, where he appeared as a great preacher. When we came to Ingnertoq, the most southerly settlement of the Iglulingmiut, in the winter of 1921–22, we saw a white rag on a pole outside the snow house and, when we arrived at the place we were surprised by the inhabitants shaking hands with us; even the tiniest child had to do it. Inside the snow house the crucifix fig. 203 was hanging; it is carved in ivory on the European pattern, with head-covering, beard, loin-cloth, outstretched arms and the feet crossed; 7.7 cm long. We wished to buy it, but they were unwilling as they said it was a very powerful amulet. We met the same white flag and the same hand-shake at the more northerly places, Pingerqalik and Iglulik, signs that the inhabitants belonged to Uming's congregation. At Iglulik we met the prophet, Uming, himself, an elderly, intelligent man who ruled there absolutely.

Besides the hand-shake and the white flag, his religion included abstention from work on Sundays, gathering now and then in his snow house and singing hymns which he had taught them, and, what is more, the hunters were to bring their booty to him and he would distribute it. His son, the murderer Noqatdlaq, acted as a sort of assistant priest and did not lift a finger in hunting either. When people arrived at the settlement or departed from it, all the inhabitants gathered and sang a hymn, after which the hand-shaking commenced; even the dogs' paws were taken. Uming was also a liberal man, permitted polygamy, offered to "lend" us his wife during our stay at Iglulik and continued to exchange wives for a year at a time with another man.

In a flash the whole of the Iglulik district was won over to Uming's religion, even though some of the older people carped at it; and he said that he would undoubtedly win over those living further south, Aua and his family at Itibdjeriang.