"We had to be very careful, even how we played . don't whistle and things like that .. And somebody way up the Koyukok River told me they have the same belief, that the spirits speak in whistling" (Martha Demientieff, Alaska Peninsula Elder, 1997). Whistling was used by shamans to call the spirits. Today, maskalataq dancers blow whistles to imitate spirit voices. Parents caution children not to whistle, especially at night.