30 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [ETH.AX.N. 18 



CLOTHIXG 



GARMENTS IN GENERAL 



The garments of the western Eskimo are similar in general plan to 

 those worn by their relatives farther eastward, but vary locally in pat 

 tern and style of ornamentation. The upper part of the body of both 

 men and women is covered with a frock-like garment put on over the 

 head, and in the greater part of the area visited these garments are 

 provided with a hood. In addition, both men and women wear trousers. 

 Those of the men are made to reach from the hip to the ankle, the feet 

 being clothed with socks of deerskin or grass, over which skin boots 

 are drawn. The lower garments of the women are combined boots and 

 trousers reaching to the waist. Over the feet are sometimes drawn 

 skin boots, but frequently a sole of oil- tanned sealskin is attached 

 directly to the trousers. 



On the Diomede islands, along the eastern shore of the Chukchi 

 peninsula, and on St Lawrence island the women wear a curious garment 

 having a loose waist, flowing sleeves, and very baggy trousers reaching 

 to the ankles. They put this on by thrusting the head and feet into a 

 slit-like opening in the back, which is then laced up. The feet and 

 lower part of the legs are then encased in skin boots tied about the 

 ankles. Usually these combined garments are loosely made, without 

 hoods, and are opened broadly at the neck, with a narrow trimming of 

 wolverine or other fur about the border. They are worn usually with 

 the hair inside, and the smooth outer surface becomes greasy and 

 begrimed so that they present a curious appearance. Small children 

 dressed in these garments waddle about and appear to move with the 

 greatest difficulty. Very young children on the coast named are placed 

 in these combination garments with the ends of the sleeves and legs 

 sewed up, so that nothing but the face of the child can be seen. 



In addition the women of this region wear a frock- like outer garment 

 reaching down to midway between the waist and knee and provided 

 with a hood. The hood is trimmed with wolverine skin or other fur, 

 the long hairs projecting halo-like about the face. In front is a broad 

 bib like flap, usually made from the short-hair skin taken from the 

 reindeer s legs, which hangs down over the breast. Sometimes, how 

 ever, these flaps are replaced by a long, narrow gore of white reindeer 

 skin, sewed over the shoulder on each side of the neck and extending 

 / down the front. Very little effort is made to ornament the garments 

 among any of the people save those of St Lawrence island, where they 

 are ornamented with tassels made from strips of fur taken from the 

 hair-seal pup and dyed a reddish brown. Kows of the crests and horny 

 bill sheaths from the crested auklet are also sewed along the seams. 

 Similar ornamentation was observed in lesser degree along the Siberian 

 shore. 



