388 



The outer ear is fairly small in the Polar Eskimos and 

 symmetrically rounded. The lobe is in some cases faintly 

 indicated, but is wanting in most, so that the lower margin of 

 the ear is directly attached to the head. The so-called Darwin 

 point is but little apparent. 



The form of the skull is far from being subject to such 

 great variations as would be the case in Denmark in a similar 

 number of individuals. The differences occurring are not so 

 great, that they cannot be regarded perhaps as variations of 

 one and the same typical form. This form is characterized by 

 a narrow, somewhat weakly arched forehead, and by a rising 

 crown which furthest back slopes down towards the occipital 

 bone, which is somewhat prominent. It is a form which greatly 

 resembles the common, long-skull form in Europe, and the 

 breadth-length indices found are also evidence of distinct doli- 

 chocephaly, which for the rest was already well-known for the 

 Polar Eskimo skulls. It is also the same form which by some 

 anthropologists is named the palæasiatic. 



Apart from pulling out the beard, no kind of deformation 

 occurs. Nor is it the custom or use to tattoo. Only a single 

 one of the persons observed had tattoo markings. This was 

 the woman Tukuminguark who by means of soot, thread and 

 a needle had produced some few marks on her skin. Thus 

 she had 4 quite small spots in a row on the left forearm. On 

 the upper part of each breast she had a couple of larger, pa- 

 rallel streaks, but the operation was only to some extent suc- 

 cessful on the left breast. On asking why she had tattooed 

 herself, she only returned an uncertain answer, that she had 

 seen something of the kind. This has probably been among 

 the last-living of the Ponds Inlet immigrants, in the mother 

 tribe of which tattooing is a traditional custom. Tukuming- 

 uark's few, casual and quite formless tattoo marks are thus 

 to be regarded as an unorganised offshoot of an organised 

 tradition. 



