414 



THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT 



[ETH. ANN. 18 



rounded, semihuman countenance upon the front and deeply but roughly 

 excavated behind. A projection 

 below i s pierced with a rou n d hole 

 for the finger. Two round open- Vv^ f- 



ings for eyes and a larger one rep 

 resenting the mouth pierce the 

 face and are the only indications 

 of a countenance. The face is 

 painted black, with a red border. 

 Upon each side and on the top is 

 inserted a quill with downy 

 plumes at the end. It is a wo 

 man s finger mask, used in cere 

 monial dances, but its 

 ^JL meaning is unknown. 



Figure 2, plate cv, 

 from Cape Komauof, is 

 a pear-shape ring con 

 taining within it a simi 

 larly shaped block at 

 tached at 

 the sharp 

 p o i n t of 

 the ring 

 and h a v - 

 ing an ob- 

 ovate pro 

 jection be 

 low with 

 a hole in 

 the center 



for the insertion of the finger. 

 The outer ring is beveled both 

 outwardly and inwardly, and has 

 a deep groove about its border 

 in which is fastened a strip of 

 reindeer skin having the long 

 hairs upstanding. On each side 

 and above are inserted long 

 feathers from the tail of the old- 

 squaw duck, tipped with down. 

 The ring and the central block 

 are painted yellowish white on 

 both surfaces, with round red 

 and black dots. This mask was 

 used by the women in ceremo 

 nial dances. 

 Figure 141 shows a maskoid, from the lower Yukon, representing the 



FIG. 141 Maskoid represent 

 ing a .seal-head with rising 

 air bubbles (1). 



FIG. 142 Eagle-feather wand used in dances 



