912 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



tail, which indicates that the natives belonged to those classes referred 

 to by Captain Beechey in his Notice of the Indians of Schisma Keef 

 Inlet, who wore such ornaments attached to their clothing, giving them 

 a ridiculous appearance, and may probably have occasioned the report 

 of the Chukche that the people of that region have tails like dogs. 



The remaining figures upon this bow consists of human beings and a 

 few animal forms, near the extreme right being a curious outline of an 

 umiak, the occupants of which are shown with extended arms from 

 which numerous short lines project. These may denote the fur upon 

 the sleeves of the dress, or they may have other signification, or they 

 may possibly be merely a fancy of the engraver. 



SHAMANISM. 



Although the Eskimo are extremely superstitious, and numbers of 

 them are recognized shamans of ability, yet there seems to be a gen 

 eral scarcity of pictographic matter pertaining thereto. This is strange, 

 too, as among some peoples the records are almost entirely devoted to 

 shamanistic ceremonies, and in several instances, as among theOjibwa, 

 for instance, the mnemonic and hunting records all shamauistic are 

 the only relics of pictography at this day. 



MYTHIC ANIMALS. 



But a few specimens portraying mythic animals occur, the following 

 being the most conspicuous: 



The accompanying specimen, on plate 72, is from Cape Prince of 

 Wales, and was collected by Mr. E. W. Xelson. It represents a whale- 

 line guide, and is used on the bow of an umiak used for whale hunt 

 ing. The two pieces of ivory, measuring in height 4J inches, are 

 ingeniously joined together by mortising, the slot in either piece being 

 made so as to face its fellow ; and into these slots is afterwards placed 

 a piece to hold both sides in place, by being secured by ivory pegs 

 which pass through at right angles to the connecting piece, as will be 

 observed in the illustrations. In the lower cut will be noticed an addi 

 tional piece, larger than the round pe gs, which consists of a large 

 glass bead. 



The horns of the specimen represent the heads of a mammal, the 

 eyes consisting of wooden pegs, while the nostrils are drillings filled 

 in with pegs which appear -to have been blackened. 



In the upper figure are portrayed two thunderbirds or eagles, each 

 descending to grasp a whale, the latter having spray in the act of 

 being ejected from the &quot;blowholes.&quot; In the lower figure the birds are 

 represented as having secured the whales and have risen into the air, 

 as seems indicated by the form of the whale on the right-hand side. 

 The engraving of the characters is decidedly bold and expressive, the 

 entire surface of the etched portions still retaining more or less black 

 color. The general artistic form of the bird is very like that usually 



