In the early infancy of man, people were never alone, whether they lived in a settlement or were traveling on long journeys.
They were surrounded by a spirit people, Ijerqan, who lived as human beings -- except they were invisible.
There bodies were not for our eyes, or their voices for our ears. And when people traveled and pitched camp and began to build their snow huts, one might see round about in the snow-drifts that the snow blocks began to move, being lifted out of the drifts in cubic form and piled together into a snow house which seemed to grow of itself. Occasionally one might see the glitter of a copper knife -- that was all!
They were clever people, these Ijerqan, and they did not mind people coming into their houses, which were arranged just as those of human beings.
All their belongings were visible, and people could trade with them very profitably. If one wished to buy something, all that was necessary was to point to it and at the same time show that one was prepared to give for it.
If the spirit people agreed, the object required lifted itself up and moved toward the man who wanted it. But if they declined the bargain, the object remained where it was.
So people were never alone; they always had small silent and invisible spirits around them.
But one day it happened that during a halt a man seized his knife and cried:
"What do we want with these people who are always right on our heals?"
Saying this he flourished his knife in the air and thrust it in the direction of the snow huts that had made themselves. Not a sound was heard. but the knife was covered with blood!
From that moment the spirits went away. Never again did anyone see the wondrous sight of snowdrifts forming themselves into snow huts when one made camp, and forever the people lost their silent, invisible guardian spirits.
It was said that they had gone to live inside the mountains in order to hide from man, who had mocked and wounded their feelings.
That is why to this day one can see the mountains smoking from the enormous cooking fires flaming inside them.
-- AUNARAITSAIQ