250 THK POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



largo, whale, a foot long, and lias the tail bent up, while the animal is 

 usually represented as if lying still. It has good-sized sky-blue beads 

 inlaid for the eyes. 



Fig. 2516 (No. 89733 [1161], from Nuwiik) represents a small box 4J 

 indies long, probably older than the others, and tlie only one not carved 

 into the shape of a whale. It is roughly egg-shaped and lias no wooden 

 cover to the cavity, which is covered with a piece of deerskin, held on 

 by a string of seal thong wrapped three times around the body in a 

 rough, deep groove, with the end tucked under. In this box are five 

 slate blades for the whale harpoon. 



We also collected two boxes for walrus harpoons made in the shape 

 of the walrus, with ivory or bone tusks. No. 81)732 [SUO], Fig. 251c, from 

 Nuwiik, is old, and 7 inches long, and has two oval bits of ivory, with 

 holes bored to represent the pupils, inlaid for the eyes. There is no 

 cover, but the cavity is filled with a number of slate blades, carefully 

 packed in whalebone shavings. There is a little eyebolt of ivory at 

 each end of the cavity. One end of a bit of sinew braid is tied to the 

 anterior of these, and the other carried down through the hinder one, 

 and then brought up and fastened round the body with a marling hitch. 

 The other (No. 56489 [127], is new and rather roughly made, 5 inches 

 long and painted all over with red ocher. It has a cover, but no strings. 



No. 56501 [142], Fig. 25W, from Utkiavwin, is for carrying harpoon 

 blades for the chase of the bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), and is 

 neatly carved into the shape of that animal. It is 7-4 inches long and 

 has ivory eyes like the walrus box, No. 89732 [SCO]. The cover is fitted 

 to the cavity like those of the whale boxes, but is held on by one string 

 only, a piece of seal thong about 3 feet long passing through the mid 

 dle of the cover and out at a hole on the left side, about one-fourth inch 

 from the cavity. The box is filled with raveled rope-yarns. Fig. 251e 

 (No. 89730 [981], from Utkiavwffi) is like this, but very large, 9-3 inches 

 long. The cover is thick and a little larger than the cavity, beveled 

 on the upper face and notched on each side to receive the string, which 

 is a bit of sinew braid fastened to two little ivory hooks, one on each 

 side of the body. It is fastened to the right hook, carried across and 

 hooked around the, left-hand one, then carried over and hooked round 

 the other, and secured by tucking a bight of the end under the last 

 part. The box contains several slate blades. We also collected one 

 other large seal box (No. 89731 [859], from Nuwiik), very roughly 

 carved, and 9-8 inches long. The cover is fitted into the cavity and held 

 on by a narrow strip of whalebone running across in a transverse groove 

 in the cover and through a hole in each side of the box. 



Nets (ku bra}. The smaller seals are captured in large-meshed nets of 

 rawhide. We brought home one of these, No. 50756 [ 109], Figs 252- 

 252/&amp;gt; (detail of mesh). This is a rectangular net, eighteen meshes long 

 and twelve deep, netted of flue seal thong with the ordinary netting knot. 

 The length of the mesh is 14 inches. 



