NO. 14 PREHISTORIC ART OF ALASKAN ESKIMO COLLINS I7 



spread and relationships of early Eskimo culture in the Bering Sea 

 and elsewhere. 



On plate 9, a, b, c and d, are shown four fragmentary harpoon 

 heads from Punuk and Cape Kialegak, the only specimens from these 

 localities that belong, from their decoration, with the type of material 

 illustrated on plates i to 8. Plate 9, c and d, are two closed socket 

 harpoon heads, both water-worn to such an extent that the designs 

 are almost obliterated. The harpoon head, c, has the same ornamen- 

 tation as those shown on plate i, but unlike them the blade slit runs 

 parallel with the line hole. The circles are raised. Plate 9, d, in ad- 

 dition to being badly worn, shows evidence of having been trimmed 

 down, the only part retaining the original decoration being that shown 

 in the illustration. The remaining circle is elevated. This specimen 



Fig. 2. — An ivory object of unknown use from 

 Punuk Island. 



was found at the base of the larger Kialegak midden. The two frag- 

 ments, a, and h, also bear curvilinear decoration. These, as well as r , 

 were found at depths of from three to ten feet in the Punuk midden. 



With the exception of these four fragmentary specimens another 

 and quite distinct type of decoration was found to prevail on Punuk 

 and at Cape Kialegak. This occurs in such abundance and so nearly in 

 isolation at these sites that it seems proper to refer to it as the Punuk 

 type or phase of the old Bering Sea art. Plates 10 to 15 illustrate its 

 various aspects. The exact distribution of the decorated objects from 

 Punuk and Cape Kialegak is as follows: old curvilinear, 4 (those 

 shown in pi. 9, a-d) ; Punuk type, 117 ; modern, 7 ; indeterminable, 13. 

 The last group comprizes objects decorated so carelessly, or of which 

 such a small fragment remains that it could not be determined whether 

 they were of the Punuk or the modern type of ornamentation. 



In figure 2 is shown an ivory object of unknown use found at a 

 depth of 13 feet in the Punuk midden. It is thin and convex, and in 



