NELSON] MASKS 403 



of wearing this ornament, tbat the face represented is that of a woman. 

 The upper half of the countenance is painted white and the lower half 

 bluish slate color. Surrounding the upper half, at intervals of about 

 two inches, are inserted white swan feathers. The posterior surface is 

 rudely excavated. The meaning of this mask is not known. 



Figure 3, plate xcviii, from Sabotnisky, on the lower Yukon, is a 

 grotesque human face with the forehead drawn out to the rear as a 

 long, skillet-like handle. This mask is about 20 inches in length, of 

 which the handle or projection back of the forehead represents three- 

 fourths. The inner side is shal lowly excavated. The nose is very 

 short and rudely carved, and is placed so far up between the eyes as 

 to leave a very broad, flattened space for the upper lip and cheeks. 



Below this is a broad, crescent- shape mouth with corners upturned, 

 and long, widely spaced teeth, represented by wooden pegs. Com- 

 mencing just at the base of the nose, above the eyes, and extending 

 back along the top of the extension to its extreme posterior end is a 

 deep groove representing a mouth bordered by widely spaced wooden 

 pegs for teeth. Along each side of this are set two feathers. The 

 entire front and upper surface of this mask is painted red, with the 

 face between the mouth and the eyes splashed with blood. This repre- 

 sents some mythical being, but its exact signification was not learned. 



Figure 3, plate xcix, from Paimut, on the lower Yukon, is 8J by 7^ 

 inches. This is a thin, flattened, rounded mask representing a gro- 

 tesque semihuman countenance. It has one round eye in the forehead, 

 one in the proper place on the left side, and another in the center of the 

 right cheek. Still another eye, of crescentic shape, is situated just 

 above the round one on the right side. The nose is narrow at the top, 

 curving down to the right and ending in a broad point. The mouth is 

 wide, slit-like, and pierced in two parts, the narrow, slit-like part on 

 the left being separated Irom the round, eyehole-like opening on the 

 right corner by a narrow, closed space. Surrounding the entire border 

 of the mouth are wooden pegs to represent teeth. The eyebrow above 

 the crescentic eye and a band around the border of the mask, as well 

 as the mouth and the chin, are red. The forehead and the top of the 

 nose are dull green, and the remainder of the face is white. When in 

 use the mask had quill feathers inserted around the edge. This rep- 

 resents the countenance of a tunghdk and is from the extreme upper 

 border of the Eskimo territory along the Yukon. 

 ) Figure 2, plate xcix, from Sabotnisky, on the lower Yukon, is a thin, 

 iiattened mask, with the posterior side slightly excavated, represent- 

 ing a rude, semihuman face^ In the center of the face is a rounded 

 hole for the mouth, with two narrow, slit-like eyeholes above. Sur- 

 rounding the mouth, between it and the border of the mask, are four 

 broad, concentric grooves. The interior of the mouth and a line around 

 the border of the mask are red, the rest is painted white. This mask 

 also represents the features of a tunghdJc. 



