12 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 8l 



The ivory specimens bearing ornamentation typical of the old 

 Bering Sea culture are quite uniformly patinated and discolored. 



It is natural to inquire as to the affinities of this new and distinctive 

 type or phase of Eskimo art, which is apparently so different from that 

 of the modern Eskimo. It has been suggested that it may be related to 

 the art of the Northwest Coast Indians or the Amur tribes of north- 

 eastern Asia. These are the two areas of highly developed art nearest 

 the Bering Sea region and might naturally, therefore, be looked to as 

 bearing some possible relationship to it. As Jenness has pointed out, 

 however, the closest resemblance seems to be to Melanesia, with 

 which there is no reason whatever to assume any relationship. I 

 would suggest further that the resemblances here are more apparent 

 than real. The old Alaskan pieces that most closely approach the 

 Melanesian are those in which a series of circles or ellipses are sepa- 

 rated and bordered by cui"ving lines, giving to them a semblance of 

 scroll work. It is important to note, however, that the circles are al- 

 ways complete and that the lines likewise are completely attached and 

 never left with a free curving end. 



With the two other regions in question, namely, the Amur and the 

 Northwest Coast of America, I can again see no real resemblances. 

 The art of the Amur tribes, with its ornate and highly conven- 

 tionalized animal and floral forms, abounding in intricate spirals and 

 panels of continuous curving figures in maze-like patterns, appears 

 to me to be totally unlike the ancient art of the Bering Sea. 



In the same way we will search in vain for any real resemblance to 

 the peculiar art of the Northwest Coast. The Bering Sea art consists 

 essentially of circles and lines, and the designs show no internal evi- 

 dence of ever having been associated with realistic patterns, although 

 carved representations of animals are not lacking (see pis. 5 and 8). 

 The Northwest Coast art, on the other hand, is more solid and compact 

 and, inextricably linked with totemic and other cultural concepts, is 

 marked by symbolic and conventionalized representations of animal 

 forms. The Bering Sea art is graceful and comparatively simple ; the 

 Northwest Coast art is heavy and complex. The only characteristic 

 elements of Northwest Coast decoration that might be compared di- 

 rectly are the eye motives and the cross-hatched surfaces, for occasional 

 oval figures with spurs attached, suggestive of eyes do occur in the old 

 Eskimo art, and, infrequently, very small cross-hatched areas. The 

 eye, however, is only a natural variant of the prevailing simple circle 

 or elHpse, having resulted from the combination of this with another 

 typical feature, the spur ; while in the Northwest Coast the eye effect 

 is produced by a continuous line enclosing a solid figure. 



