402 



THE POINT HARROW ESKIMO. 



The best figure, (No. 89330 [!!)!)] figured in the Point Barrow Kept. 

 Kthnol., PL v, Fig.6, from Utkiavwlfi) is carved from walrus ivory and 

 is 4-3 inches long. It represents a male rough seal, and is exceedingly 

 accurate and highly finished. The lower jaw is perforated and a bit of 

 sinew thread tied in to represent the drag line. Small red glass beads 

 with white centers are inlaid for the eyes. The other three are all of 

 bone and represent dead male seals stretched on their backs with the 

 drag line in their jaw as they are dragged home. 



No. 56579 [75], Fig. 404/&amp;gt;, from UtkiavwTn, is 5-7 inches long, and 

 very smoothly carved from walrus jaw bone, with round bits of wood 

 inlaid for the eyes. The proportions are excellent, but the details are 

 not strongly brought out. This specimen is a little older than the rest, 

 and may have been an amulet for good luck in seal catching. The 

 other two are of compact white bone, perhaps that of the reindeer. 



No. 89331 [1143 1, from Utkiavwifi, is 3-4 inches long, and has the 

 breast and back flattened and the flippers in high relief. The anus, 



genital opening, and eyes 

 are incised, the latter two 

 tilled in, as usual, with 

 black dirt. The drag line 

 is of sinew braid and has 

 an ivory cylinder slipped 

 over it. 



No. 89328 [1167], from 

 ITtkiavwIn, is the poorest 

 in design. It is 5-6 inches 

 long and has the neck bent 

 up as in dragging. The 

 back of a freshly caught 

 seal is always somewhat flattened by dragging it over the ice, and 

 this flattening is very much exaggerated in this carving by the natural 

 shape of the bone. The fore nippers are in high relief, with three 

 toes to each flipper, colored round the edge with red ocher. The tips 

 of the hind flippers are joined together, and each has only two toes. 

 The eyes, genital opening, and the spots on the back and belly arc indi 

 cated by shallow round pits colored with red ocher. The drag line is 

 a double bit of sinew braid, which has on it two ivory cylinders, one 

 ornamented with an incised pattern. 



We found but a single figure of the beluga, which is such a favorite 

 subject for Kskimo artists farther south. This is the gypsum carving 

 already mentioned (No. 89573 [1015J, Fig. 405, from Nuwuk). It is 3-5 

 inches long and is very characteristic, though rather short in proportion 

 to its girth. It was neatly carved with a knife. 



The &quot;bow-head&quot; whale (Balasna mysticetus), is a very favorite sub 

 ject, appearing often as a decoration and represented by 21 carvings. 

 Three of these are of wood, very much resembling in design and exe 

 cution the harpoon boxes already described. They are all very old, and 



Fio.405. Wliitc wlml 



from gypsum. 



