352 



THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT 



[ETH. AN.N. 18 



Over this frame is stretched a cover of walrus or white- whale intestiue, 

 held ill place by a cord in a groove around the middle of the frame. It 

 has a large handle, 2G inches long, made of the same material as the 

 frame, and largest on the inner end, which is in the shape of a sea par- 

 rot's head. On the back of the bird's neck is a square notch, an inch 

 deep, into which the frame fits, and outside of which the handle projects 

 about 20 inches. The bill of the sea-parrot is colored red ; the rest of the 

 handle is the color of the wood, except a band of red near the middle. 



These large drums are frequently held bj' one man while the other 

 beats them with a long, slender rod. As with the smaller drums, they 

 are frequently struck so that the rod taps against the frame at the 

 same time that it strikes the cover, thus producing a sharp, rapping 

 sound which mingles with the more resonant tone. 



The International Polar Expedition obtained at Point Barrow large 

 drums, somewhat similar to that collected by me at Cape Vancouver, 

 with handles also carved on the inner ends to represent the headsof birds, 

 one of which is that of a cormorant and another the head of a murre. 



Fig. 138 — Ivory baton for beating time on a stick (/g). 



In the country between the lower Yukon and the Kuskokwim, as well 

 as on the American shore of Bering strait, I saw large and small drums 

 used at the same time, producing a pleasing combination of sound. 

 The drum is held by the handle in the left hand, the top slightly inclined 

 away from the drummer and about on a level with his chin. When 

 excited by the sound and movement, the drummers sometimes raise the 

 drums almost at arm length, so that the handles are on a level with 

 their brows. They are beaten in measured time, two strokes in quick 

 succession, then a short pause, and two strokes again. Each drummer 

 has a single slender, Hat rod about 12 to IC inches long, which he holds 

 in the right hand. 



While witnessing a festival to the dead on the lower Yukon, I saw 

 people dancing near the graves to time beaten with a stick on the end 

 of a log projecting from one of the houses, and another party dancing 

 on the ice on the river to time beaten on a piece of driftwood which had 

 been taken to the riv^r for the purpose. This was the only instance 

 south of Norton sound in which 1 saw such an accompaniment to danc- 

 ing. On the American shore of Bering strait, and thence northward 



