AMULETS. 437 



three joints of the foot of a reindeer fawn, with the skin and hoof and 

 about li inches of tendon attached behind, through a hole in the end 

 of which is knotted about . 5 inches of seal thong. No. 89525 [K514] from 

 the same village, is a precisely similar chaiin. No. 89099 [77!)] from 

 Utkavwlii, is the snbfossil incisor tooth of some ruminant with a hole 

 drilled through the root for a string to hang it up by. It was said to 

 be the tooth of the u ug ru nu,&quot; a large animal, long extinct. As the 

 natives said, &quot; Here on the land are none, only the bones remain.&quot; No. 

 8974. } [1110], from Utkiavwln, is a molar tooth of the same animal, 

 probably, weathered and old, with a hole freshly drilled through one 

 root and a long piece of sinew braid with the ends knotted together 

 looped into it. There are also in the collection two very old teeth 

 which probably were inclosed in little sacks of skin and worn as amu 

 lets. 



No. 89698 [1580], from Utkiavwln, is the tusk of a very young walrus, 

 only 2 inches long, and No. 89452 [1148] from Utkiavwln, is the canine 

 tooth of a polar bear. No. 50547 [050], from the same village, is a simi 

 lar tooth. 1 



The only amulet attached to a weapon, which we collected, is the 

 tern s bill, already alluded to, placed under the whalebone lashing on 

 the seal-spear, No. 89910 [1094J. Perhaps the idea of this charm is that 

 the spear should plunge down upon the seal with as sure an aim as the 

 tern does upon its prey. 2 



A number of amulets of this class are always carried in the whaling- 

 umiak. I have already mentioned the wolf-skulls, stuffed ravens and 

 eagles, fox-tails 3 and bunches of feathers used for this purpose. Most 

 of these charms are parts of some rapacious animal or bird, but parts 

 of other animals seem to have some virtue on these occasions. 



For instance, I noticed the axis vertebra of a seal in one whaling- 

 umiak, and we collected a rudely stuffed skin of a godwit (Limosa 

 lapponica baueri), which, we were informed, was &quot;for whales.&quot; This 

 specimen (No. 89520 [1328], Fig. 424, from Utkiavwln) is soiled and 

 ragged, and has a stick thrust through the neck to hold it out. The 

 neck is wrapped around with a narrow strip of whalebone and some 

 coarse thread, part of which serves to lash on a slip of wood, apparently 

 to splice the stick inside. A bit of white man s string is passed around 

 the boily and tied in a loop to hang it up by. This charm is perhaps 

 to keep the boat from capsizing, since Crantz says that the (Jreenlanders 

 &quot; like to fasten to their kajak a model of it * * * or only a dead 



Compare Kumlien. Contributions, p. 45. &quot;Another charm of great value to the mother who has A 

 young babe is tho canine tooth of the polar bear. This is used as a kind of clasp to a seal-skin string, 

 which passes round the budy and keeps the breasts up. Her milk supply cannot fail while she wears 

 this. (Cumberland (iulf.) 



Compare the story in Kink s Tales and Traditions (p. 445), where the kaiak, which had a piece of 

 sheldrake fastened into the bow for an aimilrt. went faster than the sheldrake Hies. 



Compare ( rantz, vol. 1, p. 216. &quot;The boat [for whaling] must have a fox s head in front, and the 

 harpoon be furnished witli an eagle s beak.&quot; The latter statement is interesting in connection with 

 the tern s bill on the seal harpoon, from Point Barrow, already referred to. 



