NELSON] BEADS AND EARRINGS 53 



are made along the outer border above the lobe. It is also common 

 for men to Lave their ears pierced, particularly in the district between 

 the Yukon and. Kuskokwim, where they wear huge earrings, from which 

 frequently hang strings of beads, extending under the chin from ear 

 to ear in a long loop. The variety of earrings worn by the women in 

 the vicinity of the Yukon and the Kuskokwim is very great, as shown 

 by the series illustrated in plates xxiv and xxv; they are made of 

 ivory, with occasional settings of beads or other objects. Elsewhere 

 along the coast very much less variety in the ornamentation of these 

 objects was observed. 



It is interesting to note that the greatest richness of ornamentation 

 and variety in form of earrings is found among the people of the district 

 south of the lower Yukon, which coincides with the elaborate style of 

 their carvings on masks and other objects. 



Earrings worn by men of the tundra between the Yukon mouth and 

 the lower Kuskokwim are made of ivory and are very large. They are 

 usually rectangular and measure from an inch and a quarter to two 

 inches in length by three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a quarter 

 in width. Frequently there are four plane sides, but some of them 

 have the lower end rounded, while others have this portion beveled 

 from each side to the center. They commonly taper slightly from 

 above downward. The front is excavated, leaving a narrow rim of 

 ivory around the border, the sides of the excavation being parallel 

 with the outline of the tablet-like piece forming the ornament. Fre 

 quently this excavated space is crossed midway by a narrow ridge of 

 ivory, which subdivides the central opening into upper and lower divi 

 sions of equal size. This sunken area is then filled with some kind of 

 cement, probably made from spruce gum, in which are set various 

 shining objects. 



The following descriptions cover some of the most interesting forms 

 of men s and women s earrings contained in the collection. The speci 

 men from Kaialigamut shown in plate xxv, 12, measures an inch and a 

 quarter in length by three quarters of an inch in width and has its 

 outer face divided by an ivory ridge. The excavated spaces are filled 

 with a black cement, and set in each subdivision are three small, square 

 pieces of lead, making six on each earring. The lower end is beveled 

 to a point, and like all of these large earrings has a boss on the pos 

 terior surface near the lower border, which is pierced with a hole for 

 fastening the ends of little pendants of beads. In addition, this speci 

 men has a longer string of beads passing beneath the chin to the 

 opposite side. The hook for attaching these ornaments to the ear is 

 cut from the same piece of ivory and extends back and downward 

 nearly to the lower point of the carving. 



Another example from Kaialigamut (plate xxv, 10) is similar in shape 

 to the one last described, with the lower end beveled to a point. It is 

 two inches in length by an inch and one-eighth wide, and has set in 



