NO. 14 PREHISTORIC ART OF ALASKAN ESKIMO COLLINS 9 



design. In the top of the central wedge-shaped section between the 

 wings is a narrow triangular incision 5 mm. deep. The circle at the 

 center is the only one that is not raised. 



Some of the more finely incised lines have been almost obliterated 

 by wear, and at several places, especially at the end of one wing, the 

 grain was defective and has chipped off, marring to some extent the 

 design. 



On the reverse the central portion is raised, or rather, the wings 

 are cut down from it but at a sufficient distance so as to leave two 

 flanges or shorter wings ; through both of these are drilled oblique 

 circular perforations 7 mm. in diameter. The ornamentation consists 

 of lines and circles of the same general character as those on the op- 

 posite side, but they are much more worn down. 



This masterpiece of Eskimo art could hardly have had a practical 

 use ; it was no doubt employed in some ceremony, probably connected 

 with whaling, as Gordon suggested, or perhaps as a charm used by the 

 boat captain to bring success in the hunt. I do not think it likely, 

 however, that there is any genetic connection between this class of 

 objects, found only in Alaska, and the well known prehistoric banner 

 stones from the eastern part of the United States. It is true that this 

 particular specimen and those figured by Gordon are somewhat similar 

 to certain of the banner- stones, but, as will be seen later, this is only 

 one of several forms that occur in Alaska, the others assuming shapes 

 quite unlike anything known from the United States. Furthermore, 

 the enormous area between Northwestern Alaska and the Great Lakes 

 where no such objects are found makes it seem extremely improbable 

 that the two classes of objects are related in origin. 



On plate 7, a-b, are shown two views of a broken object of the 

 type just described, with both wings missing. This was purchased in 

 Seattle and the locality in Alaska from which it came is not known. 

 It is very similar to the specimens from Point Barrow and East 

 Cape described by Mathiassen.^ The centers of the circles are 4 mm. 

 in diameter and from 6 to 9 mm. deep, and may originally have had 

 insets of some other material as in the object shown on plate 4, a. 

 There are also five small nucleated circles, each set at the inner angle 

 of two straight lines, to some of which are attached small spurs. The 

 lines are closely applied, covering practically the entire surface. The 

 decoration as a whole, with its combination of straight and curved 

 lines, spurs, and circles, is of the same type as that shown on the 

 three harpoon heads on plate 2, c-d, e, and /. 



* Indian Notes, Vol. 6, No. i, pp. 43. 



