NO. 14 PREHISTORIC ART OF ALASKAN ESKIMO — COLLINS 39 



There is now clear evidence of the antiquity of the circle and dot de- 

 sign in northwestern Alaska where it is seen to have formed the basic 

 element in a very old art style. There is, on the other hand, no evidence 

 of the antiquity of the design over the wide area outside of Alaska 

 where it is now found except possibly at certain sites excavated by 

 Harlan I. Smith in British Columbia and Washington." The antiquity 

 of these finds was regarded as questionable, however, Smith being of 

 the opinion that the design in this region was relatively recent. Where- 

 ever the circle and dot may have originated, among the Alaskan 

 Eskimo at least it was indigenous, having developed from an earlier 

 Alaskan culture. That this earliest known form of the Eskimo circle 

 and dot may have had its origin to the southward is, of course, pos- 

 sible, but there is at present no evidence pointing in that direction. 



The various elements that enter into the composition of the designs 

 of the old curvilinear Bering Sea art, the later Punuk stage, and the 

 modern have been examined. In order that these three stages may be 

 directly compared the observed resemblances and differences are given 

 below in tabular form. A + sign indicates the presence and a — sign 

 the absence of a feature. 



Curvilinear Punuk 



Stage Stage Modern 



Free hand circles + — — 



Compass made circles — + + 



Elliptical figures + — — 



Raised circles and ellipses + — — 



Circles suggesting a pair of eyes + + — 



Circles between converging lines + — — 



Small plugs at centers of circles + ? + 



Curved liplike projections + — — 



Curving lines + + Rare 



Short cross lines — -j- + 



Broken lines + — — 



Deeply cut lines + + + 



Lightly cut lines + Rare — 



Lines in straight bands — + + 



Dots within circles + + -j- 



Dots at ends of lines — -f- — 



Dots detached — -f- -|- 



Straight and oblique spurs + + + 



Alternate spurs — Rare + 



Hachured areas + — -|- 



Y figure — + -)- 



Small squares or rectangles — -f- -j- 



Ornamental serrated edges — -f- 4- 



Red pigment rubbed in lines ? -|- -f- 



* Archeology of the Yakima Valley. Anthrop. Papers Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 

 6, Pt. I, 1910, p. 131. 



Archeology of Lytton, British Columbia. Mem. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 2, 

 Pt.3. 



