INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 219 



prowess to the initiated. The back of the hands, the wrists, and the 

 arms receive slight decorations. 



Cleanliness. — The natives can not boast with respect to this. Semi- 

 occasionally the face and hands and possibly the scalp are bathed with 

 water, and, if available, soap. Urine is a substitute among these peo- 

 ple for soap. The fur clothing, of course, can not be washed, while 

 the calico blouse is very seldom rendered clean. Filth}^ garments on 

 unclean bodies produce lice. 



Counting. — There is no written language and no figures to represent 

 numbers. Some of the people trust wholly to memory rather than to 

 a record of their trade transactions and obligations. Others resort to 

 a very simple method of recording small numbers. On a stick or 

 anything else upon which an impression can be marked or cut, vertical 

 lines are made one after another, as in a tally. The first and last ones 

 of each series of ten are about three times higher and somewhat 

 thicker than those representing the intermediate numbers, save the 

 fifth line, which is slightly larger than the small ones. In bartering 

 with others the fingers and toes are resorted to very conveniently to 

 express numerical relations. Each hand and each foot represent, I'e- 

 spectively, the number 5. The fingers are first counted. The fingers 

 and toes together, amounting to 20, of course signifies the number 20, 

 which is called " yuweena," based on the word '"' yuke," which desig- 

 nates one man. The trade transactions do not usually involve difficult 

 numerical relations. There are words for counting numbers as high 

 as 400, but there are probably few of the people who ever count 

 higher than 100. The numl)ers from 1 to 6 bear separate names, 

 while the names of 7, 8, and 1) indicate a relation between these former 

 numbers, with 5 or 6 as a basis. The names for 10, 15, and 20 are not 

 based on the names of the smaller numbers. The numbers between 10 

 and 20 are simply constructed by combining 10 with the lesser numbers. 

 Thirty is 20 plus 10, while 1:0 equals two twenties, or '""2 men." 



One — Atassik. 



Two— Mal(gjho. 



Three — Pingn^oot. 



Four — Stammet. 



Five — Tathsleemet. 



Six — Achovindluk. 



Seven — Maharachovindluk. 



Eight — Pinglyoonungingloluk. 



Nine — Stammenungingloluk. 



Ten— Kohla. 



Eleven — Kolam atassik seepnukloga. 



Twelve — Kolam mal(g)hok seepnuklokuk. 



Thirteen — Kolam pingiyoot seepnukloga. 



Fourteen— Kolam stammet seepnukloga. 



