MURDOCH.] 



AMULETS. 



439 



FIG. 420. Little box containing 

 amulet I ur whaling. 



jade adzes 5-1 inches, slung with thong and whalebone, making a becket 

 by which it can be hung up. We did not learn the history of this 

 amulet, which at the time of collecting it was supposed to be a net 

 sinker. There would, however, be no reason for using so valuable an 

 object for such a purpose, when a common beach pebble would do just 

 as well, unless it was intended as a charm to insure success in fishing. 

 It may even have been carried as a charm on the person, since we 

 afterwards saw a still more bulky object used for such a purpose. 



Such an object seems rather heavy to be carried on the person, but 

 a well known man in Utkiavwln always carried with him when he went 

 sealing a large pear-shaped stone, which must 

 have weighed upwards of two pounds, suspended 

 somewhere about his person. It is not unlikely 

 that this stone acquired its virtue as an amulet 

 from having been a sinker used by some lucky 

 fisherman in former time or in a distant coun 

 try. Mr. II. W. Ilenshaw has already referred to 

 the resemblance of this amulet to the plummet- 

 like &quot;medicine stones&quot; of some of our Indians. 



Fig. 426, (No. 89534 [1300] from Utkiavwifi) is an amulet for success 

 in whaling. It consists of three little irregular water-worn fragments 

 of amber carefully wrapped in a bit of parchment and inclosed in a lit 

 tle wooden box 1 inches long, made of two semicyliudricalbits of cot- 

 touwood, with the flat faces hollowed out and put together and fas 

 tened up by three turns of sinew braid round the middle, tied in a loose 

 knot. The box is old and brown from age and handling. We heard 

 of other pieces of amber and earth (&quot;nuna&quot;) worn as amulets, wrapped 

 up in bits of leather and hung on the belt. 



No. 89533 [1247], from Utkiavwln, is simply a nearly square peb 

 ble, 1-4 inches long, of dark red jasper, slung in a bit of sinew braid 

 so that it can be hung on the belt. Fig. 427 

 (No. 89525 [1308] from UtkiavwTn) is some small 

 object, placed in the center of the grain side of a 

 square bit of white sealskin, the edges of which 

 are folded up around it and tied tightly round 

 with deer sinew, so as to make a little round 

 knob. I collected this amulet, and was particu 

 larly informed how it was to be used. If it be 

 fastened on the right shoulder it will insure suc 

 cess in taking ducks with the &quot;bolas.&quot; Fig. 428 

 (No. 89535 [1244] from Utkiavwln) is an amulet 

 whose history we did not learn. It is a little ob 

 long box 3-3 inches long, carved from a block of cottonwood, with a 

 flat cover tied on with nine turns of sinew braid, and contains twenty- 

 one dried humble-bees, which it was said came from the river Kulu- 



Fio. 427. A mulct for 

 catching I owl with bola. 



1 American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 1 . 



