Implements and Artefacts of the North-east Greenlanders. 369 



a human grave, but I had great doubts aiiout their story, as it appeared to 

 nie simply a heaped-up mass of stones. I saw later, however, that they were 

 right, as on closer examination I found under a heap of small stones some 

 large covering stones, and under these again a regularly built, four-sided 

 stone-chamber, 096 M. long, 035 M. broad and 063 M. high. As already 

 remarked, the chamber was quite emptj', containing neither body nor grave- 

 articles, but the grave showed absolittely no signs of having been disturbed.' 



The grave was undisturbed, and the outer heap of stones was 

 still standing; nevertheless, no trace of bones was visible, although 

 in other cases bones are found preserved everywhere in these regions, 

 even in graves which have been disturbed and where the air has 

 had access, and animals have made havoc of the skeleton. 



If this case were a solitary one it would be of no importance; 

 but several parallel instances have been found in West Greenland. 

 Thus on the island of Kugdlerkorsuit (73° 48' 30" N. lat.) were found 

 three particularly spacious graves unusually well built of large stones. 

 One of these contained an exceptionally complete and well preserved 

 skeleton in an extended position; the only object it contained was 

 a transparent glass bead. Then it is recorded : "The two other 

 graves which we investigated subsequently, in spite of their being 

 carefully built and closed, showed no trace of ever having con- 

 tained a body." - K. I. V. Steenstrup had the same experience in 

 his investigation of graves. ' 



Observations of this kind of course require careful consideration; 

 there must be certain proof that the fact of the grave being empty 

 is not due to the total destruction of the skeleton. The cases recorded 

 from West Greenland are, however, undoubtedly entirely satisfactory. 

 Of three graves situated in close proximity, C. Ryder found in the 

 one an untisually well preserved skeleton, while the two others did 

 not contain the slightest trace of bones, and K. I. V. Steenstrup, 

 besides being an experienced observer, had the advantage of being 

 a geologist; had there been any interference of natural forces to 

 account for this, I am certain it would not have escaped his eye. 



Similar examples can be quoted from Alaska. Thus in the 

 territory of the Kvikpakmut, near the Yukon River, was found an 

 empty, wooden grave-box^ on which a picture of a bear hunt was 

 drawn; it is described as a cenotaph erected for a bear hunter who 

 had been killed. ' 



1 Thostrup, p. 32.Î. •• Ryder II, pp. 233—234. 



^ "It is a peculiar fact that graves are sometimes found, carefully- closed, but in 

 Avliich a body has evidently never been placed. Have such graves been built in 

 memory of somebody who was lost, or have the Eskimo built graves for them- 

 selves before they died, and then had no use for them?" (Stkensthup I, p. 24.) 



* Now in the Museum für Völkerkunde, Beiiin. -' Woldt, p. 211. 



