NELSON] 



MORTUARY CUSTOMS MEMORIAL IMAGES 



317 



At Kushuimk, near Cape Vancouver, the dead are placed with the 

 knees drawn up against the chest, and the wrists are crossed and tied to 

 the ankles in front. They are then buried in rude boxes, made of small 

 drift logs, which are built on the ground near the village. About and 

 upon the boxes are placed the tools and weapons of the deceased. 



Tunuuuk village, at Cape Vancouver, faces the sea; on a small tlat 

 and about 20 yards in front of the entrance to the kashim, between it 

 and the sea, were three large wooden posts, representing human fig 

 ures, and several subordinate posts. They were of drift logs, G or 7 

 feet high by 12 to 15 inches in diameter, without bark, and uot carved 

 except on the top. These were ranged in a row parallel to the beach 

 and across the front of the kashim. The top of each post was carved 

 to represent a human head and neck. Commencing on the left, as I 

 faced them, the following account describes them in succession: 



The first post had its head covered with the remains of a fur hood, 

 such as is worn by the people of this vicinity. The mouth and eyes 



FIG. 104 Memorial images at Cape Vancouver. 



were made of ivory, inlaid iu the wood; from each shoulder of the fig 

 ure a walrus tusk curved, outward and upward to represent arms. 

 These tusks were notched above to form places for hanging objects; 

 that on the right side bore suspended from it an ivory-handle fish 

 knife, and near the body were several iron bracelets. From the tip of 

 the left arm hung a small wooden dish, and nearer the body were more 

 iron bracelets. About where the hips should be was another pair of 

 walrus tusks inserted parallel to the upper ones, representing legs. 

 The post was painted iu broad, alternating bauds of colors, commenc 

 ing at the head and going down in the following order, namely, red, 

 white, black, white, red. To the left of this was a plain, upright post, 

 to which hung an irou bucket, and on the ground near its base was a 

 wooden box containing a woman s workbag and outfit of clothing. 



The next large post represented a man, whose mouth and eyes were 

 of inlaid ivory, and with tusks for arms and legs, as in the post first 

 described. Two large bead labrets were at the corners of the mouth. 



