NELSON] 



WEASEL BELTS LAMPS 



63 



to the wearer. These weasel belts were most frequently seen among 

 people from the head of Norton bay and Kaviak peninsula, where 

 they seemed to be particularly prized. The people from that section 

 offered as much as two dollars worth of furs for the skin and the head 

 of a weasel for this purpose. 



UTENSILS AND IMPLEMENTS 



LAMPS 



Throughout western Alaska, including the islands of Bering strait, 

 and upon the coast of Siberia, open lamps are used for burning seal oil; 

 they are made of clay, soap- 

 stone, or other easily worked 

 stone, and present considera 

 ble variety of form. 



At Point Barrow I saw a 

 nue soapstoue lamp (figure 

 18), 2 feet long and 10 inches 

 broad, weighing about 30 



pounds. The Owner refused FIG. 18-Lan&amp;gt;p from Point Barrow. 



to sell it, but the accompany 

 ing sketch made at the time shows the manner in which it is sub 

 divided by ridges of stone, with sunken interspaces; it is symmetrical 

 in form and suboval in outline, with the convexity greatest on one side. 

 At East cape, Siberia, 1 saw a stone lamp lying upon a grave, just 

 back of the village, which is similar in outline to the Point Barrow 

 lamp described, but it lacked the subdivisions 

 across the interior; it is about 15 inches long and 

 proportionately broad. 



The specimen illustrated in plate xxvin, 3, was 

 found on the eastern coast of Siberia; it is made of 

 stone, is suboval in outline, deeply excavated at 

 the back, and slopes upward to a broad ledge in 

 front; this ledge is crossed by a ridge of stone cut 

 through in the center for holding the wick. 



On the Diomede islands similar lamps were found 

 in use, but a child s toy, made from ivory in shape of a lamp, was 

 obtained on one of these islands, which shows a different form (figure 

 19). It is suboval in outline and deepest in the center, with a ridge 

 extending along each side just above the bottom, and with a groove 

 cut through the middle of each side for the wick. This lamp is repre 

 sented as standing upon a stool like frame, which is supported by four 

 legs, with a crosspiece on each side and two crosspieces on the ends to 

 hold the legs in place. 



An example (number 04223) from Hotham inlet is of stone, stibtri- 

 augular in outline, with the convexity greatest on one side, toward which 



FIG. 19 Ivory carving 

 representing a lamp 

 and stand (full size). 



