ML HDOCH.] 



BREECHES. 



125 



Mittens are universally employed among the Eskimo, but gloves 

 with fingers, which, as is well known, are a much less warm covering 

 for the hand than mittens, are very rare. They are in use .--it Norton 

 Sound 1 and in the Mackenzie district, 2 and have even been observed 

 among the Arctic Highlanders of Smith Sound, who, however, gener 

 ally wear mittens. 3 Dr. Simpson 4 mentions both deerskin and bear 

 skin mittens as used at Point Harrow, but makes no reference to 

 gloves. The natural inference from this is that the fashion of wearing 

 gloves has been introduced since his time. It is quite probable that 

 the introduction of firearms has favored the general adoption of gloves. 

 The following hypothesis may be suggested as to the way the fashion 

 reached Point Barrow: We may suppose that the Malimiut of Norton 

 Sound got the idea directly from the Russians. They would carry the 

 fashion to the Nunatafimiun at Kot/.ebue Sound, who in their turn 

 would teach it to the Point Barrow traders at the Colville, and these 

 would carry it on to the eastern natives. 



I.KG AND FOOT CLOTHING. 



Breeches (kd kli). The usual leg-covering of the men is one or two 

 pairs of knee breeches, rather 

 loose, but fitted to the shape of 

 the leg. They are very low in 

 front, barely covering the pubes, 

 but run up much higher behind, 

 sometimes as high as the small 

 of the back. They are held in 

 place by a girdle of thong round 

 the waist, and are usually fas 

 tened below tlu* knee, over the 

 boots, by a drawstring. There 

 is one pair in the collection, No. 

 5075!) [01 J, Fig. (i!). They are 

 of short-haired brown reindeer 

 skin, from the body of the ani 

 mal, worn with the hair out. 

 The waist is higher behind than 

 in front, and each leg is slightly 

 gathered to a band just be 

 low the knee. Pattern (see 

 diagram, Fig. 70): There are 

 two pieces in each leg, the in- 



Fiu. 09. Man s breeches of deerskin. 



side and the outside. The 



spaces between the edges &amp;lt; of the two legs is filled by the gusset, 



Dall, Alaska, ]ip. 23, 152, and 1!M. Hi, H|&amp;gt;nkH at the thumb (p. 211 as &quot;a triangular, ahapelesa pro 

 tuberance* ; a description which applies well to those in our collection. 

 * MacKarlane MS., anil Petitot, Monographic, etc., p. xv. 

 3 HcHscls, Naturalist, vol. 18, p. 05. 

 0p.cit.,p.242. 



