320 



POINT BAKKOW ESKIMO. 



in the same way. but are a trifle larger. As they sliow uo ucedle-marks, 

 they were probably used only as fiuger guards. The remaiuiiig four are 

 siniUar to the above, but newly made, for sale. 



A most peculiar thimble, the ouly one of the kind srcii, is shown iu 

 Fi-'- ;«(;« (No. «!«'••-' lll!).j] from Utkia\ win, lirl.Mi-iiiu with the large 

 bone ueedle of tlu- sanu^ number already desnU.ed an.l tigured). This 

 is made of a sin-it' piici- of walrus ivory, browned with age, and the 

 round shallow sorNet is lor tlie butt of the needle. The ends of the half 

 rin-are slightly fxpandrd and iiotclu'd on the outside to receive a string 

 p) Complete tlu- ling so tliat it can lie fitted round the linger, with the 

 flange in the same position as tlie i.ad of a leather thimble. 



Needles are Icept in a <'ase (ujyami), consisting of a tube of bone or 

 ivorv abour ."« nv (i inches long, through which is drawn a broad strap of 

 er furnished with a knot at one end 

 to kee]i it from slipping wholly through. 

 Into one side of this strap the needles 

 are thrust obliquely, so that when the 

 strap is pulled iu they are covered by the 

 tube. To the other end of the strap is 

 usually attached an ivory snap hook for 

 fastening the ueedle case to the girdle of 

 the pantaloons. These ueedle cases are 

 made of two slightly difterent patterns, of 

 which the first is represented by No. 89365 

 [1277], Fig. 327a. It is of white walrus 

 ivory, 4i inches long, and the strap is of 

 .seal thong about 11 inches long and 0-3 

 inch wide. At one end of this is a pear- 

 shaped knob of wah'us ivory, which is 

 shouldered off at the small end and worked 

 into a short flattened shank perforated 

 with a large eye, through which the end 

 of the straji, which is cut narrow, is thrust. 

 Itisfastt'oed hy doubling it back and sew- 

 ing it to tlie standing part. A sky-blue 

 t rans|i;irent glass bead is inlaid in the large eud of the knob. The other 

 end of I lie straji is fasteued iu the same way into a trauverse slot iu the 

 end of the belt hook (ti'tklbwiii) of ivory, 4-7 inches long. 



I'liis ])attern appears to be usually made of walrus ivory. Only one 

 of tlie six brought home is of bone, and this is an uuusually small one, 

 only 3-(i inches loug, made for sale. The usual length is 4A to 5 

 inches. No. .S!W(i3 [110.5], Fig. .327/^, from Utkiavwih. is a tulie \-ery much 

 like the one described, but is ornamented with an incised pattern colored 

 with red ocher, ami has a dittereutly shaped belt hook. When the latter 

 is hooked over the girdle the ring is pushed up the shank over the point 

 of tiu" hook till it fits tight, and thus keeps the hook ti-om slipping off 

 the belt. 



Flii^ 327.— Xeedte cases with litlt liooks 



