Feb., 1912. 



Jade. 



163 



and pointed out that in many cases they bear out a symbolic realism. 

 Thus, e. g., on the sacred spoons of the Gilyak used at their bear-festivals, 

 carvings of bears appear together with fillet-ornaments forming loops; 

 in one, the image of the bear is bound around its body with two ropes 

 crossing each other over its back, referring to the first of the ceremonies 

 of the bear-festival, when the bear is taken from its cage, tied with 



Fig. 75- 

 Jade Disk, ku pi, with Band-Ornaments. 



ropes, and led to the scene of festivities. In this case, the band-orna- 

 ment may be considered as the continuation of the ropes with which 

 the carved standing bear is bound, and this may be the underlying 

 reason for the employment of this ornament on spoons specially designed 

 for the banquet of the great bear-festival. Moreover, those spoons 

 carved with figures of bears are decorated with svastikas on the bowls 

 and representations of the sun alluding to solar worship together with 

 the solar character of the bear. In other objects, knotted and looped 

 band-ornaments refer to the use to which these objects are put; e. g. a 

 double-knotted band on a girdle-ornament of antler serving to fasten 

 the girdle implies a reference to the knots in which the ends of the 



