88 



THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



make them. For instance, the Eskimo of the Coppermine lliver 

 &quot; form very neat dishes of fir, the sides being made of thin deal, bent 

 into an oval form, secured at the ends by sewing, and fitted so nicely 

 to the bottom as to be perfectly water-tight.&quot; There are specimens in 

 the Museum from the Mackenzie and Anderson Rivers, described in the 

 MacFarlane MS. as &quot;pots for drinking with, pails for carrying and 

 keeping water, and also as chamber pots. Oil is also sometimes carried 

 in them in winter.&quot; 



In some places where wood is scarce vessels of a similar pattern are 

 made, of whalebone. Vessels &quot; made of whalebone, in a circular form, 

 one piece being bent into the proper shape for the sides,&quot; are mentioned 

 by Capt. Parry on the west shore of Baffins Bay, 2 and &quot; circular and 

 oval vessels of whalebone &quot; were in use at Iglulik. 3 This is the same 

 as the Greenlandic vessel called pertaK (a name which appears to have 

 been transferred in the form pi tufio to the wooden meat bowl at Point 

 Barrow), &quot; a dish made of a piece of whalebone bent into a hoop, which 

 makes the sides, with a wooden bottom inserted.&quot; 4 Nordeuskiold 

 speaks of vessels of whalebone at Pitlekaj, but does not specify the 

 pattern. 6 Whalebone dishes were used at Point Barrow, but at the 

 present day only small ones for drinking-cups are in general service. 

 One large dish was collected. (Fig. 18. No. 89850 [1199] ). 



A strip of whalebone 4J inches wide is bent round a nearly circular 

 bottom of cotton wood so as to form a small tub. The edges of the bot 

 tom are chamfered to fit a 

 shallow croze in the whale 

 bone. The overlapping ends 

 of the whalebone are sewed 

 together with a strip of 

 whalebone in long stitches. 

 This dish is quite old and 

 impregnated with grease. 

 Vessels of this kind are un 

 common, and it is probable 

 that none have been made 

 since whalebone acquired its 

 present commercial value. 

 They were very likely in much more general use formerly, as when there 

 was no such market for whalebone as at present it would be cheaper to 

 make tubs of this material than to buy wooden ones. In corroboration 

 of this view it may be noted that Dr. Simpson does not mention wooden- 

 ware among the articles brought for sale by the Nunatanmiun. 6 The 

 small whalebone vessels will be described under drinking cups, which 

 see. 



FIG. 18. \Vhulclrane dish. 



Franklin, 1st Exp., vol. 2, p. 181. 

 &amp;gt; First Voy., p. 286. 

 Second Voy., p. 503. 



Grenl. Orclbog., p. 293. 

 6 Vega, vol. 2, p. 124. 

 0p. cit., p. 266. 



