Jonich 1953 Eskimo Notes May 30 Point Barrow, Alaska - in the 20' ice ridge, and the whole activity was another couple of hundred yards off. The scene was quite colorful on the snow-covered ice, with the deep blue of the Arctic Sea and unusually clear sky for a back drop. Distant bergs floated in the subfreezing brine and occasional swarms of eider ducks were passing up the coast, sometimes close in and even over the ice. A lone goose passed over the crowd after the main part of the work was done and the eskimos sitting about sent up an unbelievably natural sounding chorus of honking. Others made guns ready and 2 or 3 shots were fired to spur the goose northward. An ancient custom associated with the collection of witch doctorish beliefs among the eskimos was said to be to offer the whale a drink of water as soon as it was on the ice so its spirit would go back to the other whales informing them it was being well cared for on land, thus assuring a good season the next year as