MURDOCH.] 



CARVINGS, ETC. 



409 



Fit;. 420 (No. 89741 [1011 ] from Nuwiik) is an ivory cross 15-5 inches 

 long. The cross is ornamented by incised rings and dots colored 

 with red ocher. The shaft of the cross is surmounted by a female 

 human head neatly carved from soapstone, fastened on by a lashing of 

 smew braid, which passes through a transverse hole in the head and 

 round the crosspiece. No. 89742 [1091], also from Nuwiik, closely re 

 sembles the preceding, but is slightly shorter 

 and has a four-sided shaft. The head, more 

 over, which is made of bone, represents a man, 

 as is shown by the little pits, which indicate the 

 labrets. The cheeks and crown of the head are 

 colored slightly red with red ocher. 



The ingenious Yoksa, so often mentioned, 

 made the first image and brought it down for 

 sale. All he could or would tell us about it 

 was that it was &quot;tuua ktiip kuni a,&quot; &quot;A kuni a 

 (jargon for woman) of soapstoue.&quot; The suc 

 cessful sale of this first cross encouraged him 

 to make the second, but we saw no others be 

 fore or after. Other natives who saw these 

 objects only laughed. The whole may be simply 

 a fanciful doll, perhaps meant for a caricature, 

 the shaft representing the body, and the cross- 

 piece the outstretched arms. The object is 

 very suggestive of a crucifix, and there is a 

 bare possibility that the maker may have seen 

 something of the sort in the possession of some 

 of the eastern natives who have been visited 

 by a missionary of the Roman Catholic Church 

 (Father Petitot). 



Under the head of works of art may properly 

 be included No. 89823 [1130], from Utkiavwlfi. 

 This is the skeleton of the jaws of a polar bear, 

 cut off just back of the nose, neatly sewed up 

 in a piece of sealskin with the hair out, so as 

 to leave uncovered only the tips of the jaw 

 bones and the canine teeth. This specimen 

 was put up by the same quick-witted young 

 native after his removal from Xuwfik to Utki 

 avwlfi, evidently in imitation of the work of 

 preparing specimens of natural history, which 

 he had seen done at the station. For the same * &quot; 42 Ivor - v ll &quot; n - 

 reason he dried and carefully preserved in a little box whittled out of 

 a block of wood and tied up with sinew a little fresh-water sciilpin 

 (Cottus quadricornis), which he had caught at Kulugrua (No. 8953G 

 [11451). 



