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over earth to another creature, Kamaka, also invisible and
immortal, but wicked, punishing disobedience by death. That
is why it is said about one who dies: he is taken by Kamaka.
Sacrifices are offered only to Kamaka.

"In ancient times, they sacrificed human beings of both
sexes, but only old ones, never young ones, and always their
own, never prisoners. The victims offered were killed and
buried in the ground, from which the foxes and wolves dug
them out, tore them apart, and devoured them. The bodies of
those who died a natural death were always burned. But human
sacrifice was abandoned long ago. As is known from legends,
the Chukchi were never cannibals.

"Concerning present-day sacrifices, we could not get any
details. We only saw, a little way from the settlement Nuni-
agma, planted into the ground in a square, two whale jawbones
and two whalebones and in the middle, two heads and one rib.
The chief who was with us glued to each of these objects by
means of mucus, a tiny leaf of tobacco received from us, ex-
plaining to us that this was an offering. However, we could
not learn from him whether this offering was for the whale or
Kamaka. He only said that he also gave a piece from every
hunt, not excluding the whale, and from every acquisition.
From this, one concludes that the offering is made to Kamaka.
We saw such altars for offerings in every settlement.

"In the voyage of Billings it is said that the Chukchi
'get their fire from small pieces of wood, shaped in the form