414 



THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT 



[ETH. ANN. 18 



rounded, seiuihumau countenance upon the front and deeply but roughly 

 excavated behind. A projection 

 below is pierced with a rou nd hole 

 for the finger. Two round open- 

 ings for eyes and a larger one rep- 

 resenting tlie mouth pierce the 

 face and are the only indications 

 of a countenance. The face is 

 painted black, with a red border. 

 Upon each side and on the top is 

 inserted a quill with downy 

 plumes at the end. It is a wo- 

 man's finger mask, used in cere- 

 monial dances, but its 

 meaning is unknown. 



Figure 2, plate cv, 

 from Cape liomauof, is 

 a pear-shai^e ring con- 

 taining within it a simi- 

 larly shaped block at- 

 tached at 

 the sharp 

 point of 

 the ring 

 and hav- 

 ing an ob- 

 ovate i)ro- 

 jection be- 

 low with 

 a hole in 

 the center 

 for the insertion of the finger. 

 The outer ring is beveled both 

 outwardly and inwardly, and has 

 a deep groove about its border 

 in which is fastened a strip of 

 reindeer skin having the long 

 hairs upstanding. On each side 

 and above are inserted long 

 feathers from the tail of the old- 

 s(iuaw duck, tipped with down. 

 The ring and the central block 

 are painted yellowish white on 

 both surfaces, with round red 

 and black dots. This mask was 

 used by the women in ceremo- 

 nial dances. ^^^' 1^2— Eagle-featLer wand used in dances (J). 



Figure 141 shows a maskoid, from the lower Yukon, representing the 



Fig. 141— Maskoid represent- 

 ing a seal-head witli rising 

 air bubbles (i). 



