458 Thomas Thomsen 



of women's ornaments. The decorative pattern is also found in hair 

 ornaments from Southampton Island, which they resemble in several 

 respects; certain features, however, especially the hole through the 

 middle, which is found in all of them, render it doubtful whether 

 they should be compared with these ornaments, which have not 

 hitherto been found in Greenland. 



The specimen shown in PI. VII, 7, (L. 3072) has in the foregoing 

 (p. 367) been mentioned as probably forming the fastening of a wo- 

 man's belt. It is a flat piece of bone, 87 cm. long, pierced in the 

 centre. PI. XXV, 15 also, (L. 4012), from Rypefjeldet, has doubtless 

 been intended to serve a similar purpose. It is 4*8 cm. long, with a 

 hole about 3 mm. diameter in the middle, this hole being, however, 

 expanded to a hollow of greater circumference on the convex side, 

 presumably so as to take the knot of the thong. 



The bone button PI. XXV, 16 is apparently from the dress of a 

 man; similar ones are used elsewhere in Greenland for the straps 

 which serve as braces to hold up the kayak skirt; it is passed 

 through a round plate in the upper edge of the skirt. ^ The specimen in 

 question (L. 4011) is 2*8 cm. long; it was found, like the last-named and 

 the next following specimen, among the houses 522 — 24 at Rypefjeldet. 



PI. XXV, 17 shows a piece of bone 3 cm. long, pierced trans- 

 versely with two holes. The use for which it was intended cannot 

 be determined with certainty; all that we can say is that is must 

 have served to hold two straps together. Bone studs of this sort are 

 known in connection with the kayak skirt, where they act as a link 

 between the straps hanging down in front ^; on the other hand, ex- 

 actly similar pieces are also used for tightening the cross-straps of 

 the kayak. ^ This last we may presumably take to have been the 

 purpose of the object shown in PI. XI, 15 (L. 3758); it is far more 

 roughly cut, 32 cm. long, and with one broad side concave. It w^as 

 found in house 406 at Snenæs. 



Altogether indeterminable is the piece of carved bone PI. XXV, 

 18 from Rypefjeldet (L. 4013). It is 42 cm. long, the upper side con- 

 vex, the lower flat. 



The pierced bears' teeth must be classed either as articles of 

 ornament or as toys; at Angmagsalik, they are hung in bunches at 

 the ends of a split thong, to serve as a rattle. The collection com- 

 prises three such teeth, only one of which (Fig. 41 b, L. 3395) is 

 pierced right through; this specimen was found on the camping 

 ground west of Vestre Havnenæs. The tooth shown in Fig. 41 a 

 (L. 3494) from house 132, Renskæret, shows the commencement of 



1 Cf. Thalbitzer II, p. 576, Fig. 299 a. ^ jbjd. p. 572, Fig. 296. ^ Ibid. p. 391. 

 Fig. 95 g—i. 



