LAUFER, THE DECORATIVE ART OF THE AMUR TRIBES. 13 



the village of Sakhacha-olen. This knife is used, especially by the women, in 

 lieu of scissors, which they do not possess. The end of the handle is sloped off 

 with a slight curve. The carving, which covers only one side of the handle, is 

 very roughly and inartistically worked out : it consists of two groups of spirals. 

 Above, nearest the blade, are two, below three, simple spirals combined into one 

 figure, which are bordered on either side by semicircles parallel to them. 



A Goldian fish-scraper made of elk-bone, and decorated with a combination 

 of incised spirals, is seen in Fig. 6, Plate in. These spirals are composed of 

 double lines between which are short cross-lines. The ornament is symmetri 

 cally distributed over both of the roof-like sides of the bone. If one looks at the 

 object horizontally, the scheme of the ornament appears as a wave-line from 

 which proceed spirals with one winding, that here and there have lateral offshoots. 



Fig. 7, Plate in, shows a board of modern Goldian work, for cutting fish on. 

 The end of the board is shaped into a fish-tail. The board proper is divided 

 into three fields, a square at each end, and a rectangle between them. The 

 latter is unornamented, and serves to cut the fish on. Thus there are three 

 decorated fields, the fish-tail and the two squares. The incised lines stand 

 out from the black background. The foundation of the ornament is the double 

 spiral, which occurs six times, and is surrounded by equidistant curves which run 

 out into little spirals on the upper end of the board. Here appear also some 

 leaf-ornaments, combinations of three and four lobed leaves, the latter occur 

 ring twice between two double spirals. In the square adjoining the fish-tail 

 both the spirals are pointed toward that side, and consequently they correspond 

 to the acute angle formed by the combination of the border-curves. On the other 

 side, however, the spirals preserve their usual forms ; whereas the border-lines do 

 not meet, but are connected with each other by a short straight line to make 

 room for a trifoliate leaf. 



In Figs. 8-10 of this plate are represented metal objects of Yakut origin 

 which are attached to the ceremonial garment of the shaman. They illustrate 

 the use of the spiral farther in the interior of Siberia. Fig. 10 shows tendrils 

 twining into spiral-like forms. 



BAND AND SPIRAL ORNAMENTS. In Fig. i, Plate iv, we see a reel, the two 

 horizontal arms of which are decorated on both sides alike. On the upper arm, 

 in the middle, is a small rectangle bearing one link of a chain-ornament. On 

 either side of it is a band-ornament consisting of a thrice-intertwined band. 

 On the raised rectangle of the under arm is a knot similar to the one above, and 

 the short pieces of bands on both sides show merely the single negative parts, 

 whereas the connecting lines for indicating the direction of the band are missing. 

 It is evident that also in this case a definite relation exists between the use of the 

 band-ornament and the purpose of the object, which serves for winding up the 

 ropes in netting. 



The interlacement-band also occurs in the art of the Gold, although much 

 less frequently than in the decorative art of the Gilyak. We meet with a band 



