44 



THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT 



[ETH. ANN. 18 



use as a drawstring in closing the bag. The bottom is oval in outline 

 and has a piece of iishskin sewed into it, with the seam inside. These 

 bags are in common use from the lower Yukon to the lower Kuskokwim. 

 Figure 7 (1) represents a handsomely ornamented bag from St Michael, 

 made from the skins of salmon trout. The bottom of the bag is fash- 

 ioned from a piece of deerskin with the hair side inward. The sides 

 arc ornamented with strips of white, parchment like leather made from 

 the gullets of large seals. These strips are edged with narrow bands 



of russet-color leather, sewed with orna- 

 mental seams of black and white. On 

 each of four upright white bands which 

 cross the side of the bag are sewed two 

 circular pieces and a four-pointed piece 

 of the shiny black skin of the sea- wolf, 

 the round pieces being edged with strips 

 of russet skin. 



Figure 8 represents a sealskin clothing 

 bag from Sledge island, it is made from 

 the skin of the ribbon seal, taken off 

 entire, including both flipi^ers. The nose 

 and the eyes are sewed up; the only open- 

 ing is a cut extending crosswise between 

 the fore flippers. The edges of this cut 

 are bound with a border of stout raw- 

 hide, pierced with holes at interv^als of 

 about two inches, through which is run a 

 strong rawhide cord for lacing the open- 

 ing. This skin is tanned with the hair 

 left on. 



Bags of this character are made from 

 skins of all of the smaller seals, and are 

 useful for storing clothing from the fact 

 that their shape makes them convenient 

 for handling in umiaks or while on 

 sledge journeys; at the same time their 

 waterproof character serves to protect 

 the contents from getting wet. Every 

 family has from one to three of these 

 bags, in which are kept their spare clothing, dressed skins, and valu- 

 able furs. 



PERSO:srAIi ADORlVMEI^rT 



Fig. 8— Clothing bag of sealskin (i',;). 



LABRETS 



The wearing of labrets and the custom of tattooing are very general 

 among the Eskimo of the Alaskan mainland and islands northward 

 from Kuskokwim river. The style of the labrets, as with the extent 

 and the pattern of tattooing, varies with the locality. The custom of 



