SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I929 I5I 



metal was employed during the earlier period. While the nine older 

 specimens referred to were all excavated from the lower levels of the 

 middens, some examples of the later Punuk art were found at an 

 equal or even greater depth, indicating- that as a whole the Kialegak 

 sites l)elonged to the later period. The nine older specimens no douht 

 should he explained as ohjects that remained in the possession of the 

 Eskimos for some time after the art style they represented had heen 

 supplanted by another. 



On July 14 the Norfhlaiid called fur us at Cape Kialegak and after 

 a few days at Nome we proceeded northward toward Point Ho]:)e. 

 Along the way limited collections were made and a number of 

 Eskimos from King Island, Shishmareff, and Kotzebue were mea- 

 sured. 



In past years several fine examples of the ancient Bering Sea art 

 from Point Ho])e had found their way into various museums, and 

 since it was very desirable to have material from an Arctic site for 

 com])arison with that from St. Lawrence, Point Hope was selected for 

 investigation, ^diis village, which occupies the end of a long narrow 

 .sandspit, has for centuries heen an important Eskimo center. It has, 

 however, suffered to an u'" usual degree from the destructive action 

 of the sea. The north side of the spit, on which the old village is 

 located, is being gradually washed away, while on the opposite or 

 south side great ridges of sand and gravel are being deposited. Ruins 

 of old houses are still to be seen in considerable number but these are 

 hardly more than lOO years old. This is shown by the fact that modern 

 types of harpoon heads and other implements as well as metal are 

 found in the old houses by the P^skimos, who are busily engaged in 

 digging them up for the wood and blubber-soaked refuse they contain, 

 which, because of the extreme scarcitv of drift-wood, they are forced 

 to use as fuel. 



The greater i)art of the time at Point Hope was devoted to excavat- 

 ing an old cemetery and taking measurements of the natives. From 

 the cemetery were obtained more than 50 well-preserved skeletons. 

 These were original inhumations and did not represent collapsed 

 platform burials. They date from a period, probably several hundred 

 years ago, when platform burial had not been adopted. Very few 

 objects accompanied the burials but it was interesting to find that over 

 the feet of many of them had been placed large fragments, usually 

 the bottoms, of heavy earthenware cooking pots or lamps. 



After a quick tri]) to Point Barrow the NortJilaiid returned and 

 picked us up again. The first stop on the way south was made at 

 Kivalena where more Eskimos were measured. On entering Bering 



