NO.    I  ARCHEOLOGY    OF    ST.    LAWRENCE    ISLAND COLLINS  325 
culture,  also  to  the  modern  Eskimos  of  the  Central  regions,  Greenland, 
and  Alaska,  and  to  a  number  of  Indian  tribes.  They  are  likewise 
widely  distributed  in  northern  Eurasia,  being  found  for  instance 
among  the  Chukchee  (Bogoras,  1904-09,  fig.  74,  /,  h,  n)  ;  Koryak 
(Jochelson,  1905-08,  fig.  96,  c,  d)  Ostiak  and  Samoyed  (Sommier, 
1885,  pp.  364,  366;  Karutz,  1925,  p.  91,  fig.  18),  and  Finns  (Sirehus, 
1934,  pi.  7,  fig.  18).  The  practically  uninterrupted  distribution  of  the 
blunt  bird  arrow  throughout  the  circumpolar  zone  is  similar  to  that  of 
such  elements  of  the  inland  culture  as  snowshoes,  the  carrying  cradle, 
bear  ceremonialism,  etc;  and  since  it  seems  to  have  been  unknown 
to  the  Old  Bering  Sea  culture,  we  would  probably  be  justified  in  re- 
garding it  as  one  of  the  elements  belonging  to  the  inland  culture 
complex. 
Wrist  Guards 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  same  explanation  might  be  applied 
to  the  bone  or  ivory  wrist  guard,  which  has  a  distribution  somewhat 
similar  to  that  of  the  blunt-pointed  bird  arrow.  It  was  absent  in 
the  Old  Bering  Sea  culture,  and  also  in  the  Thule  culture,  although  it 
is  characteristic  of  the  Punuk  stage  and  of  modern  Eskimo  culture 
generally.  In  boreal  Eurasia  this  particular  form  of  wrist  guard  as 
distinguished  from  the  leather  band,  seems  to  be  especially  character- 
istic of  those  groups  whose  culture  is  most  typical  of  the  inland  stage, 
as  for  instance  the  Chukchee    (Bogoras.   1904-09,  p.   155),  Tungus 
(Karutz,   p.   43,    fig.    10),   Ostiak    (Sommier,    p.   365),   and   Vogul 
(Karutz,  p.  87,  fig.  2). 
Bird  Bolas 
The  bird  bola  was  another  element  which  was  introduced  on  St. 
Lawrence  Island  during  the  Punuk  stage.  No  less  than  256  bola  balls, 
mostly  of  ivory,  were  found  at  the  Punuk  sites,  but  none  at  the  Hill- 
side site  or  the  old  section  of  Miyowagh.  The  bola  is  evidently  older 
on  the  A'rctic  coast  than  on  St.  Lawrence,  for  Mason  reports  it  from 
the  Birnirk  stage  at  Point  Barrow  (1930,  p.  386).  It  is  also  a  char- 
acteristic feature  of  the  Thule  culture  (Mathiassen,  1927,  vol.  2,  p.  54) . 
and  the  comparatively  few  groups  of  Central  Eskimos  who  use  it  have 
no  doubt  derived  it  from  this  source. 
Plate  Armor 
Plate  armor  is  another  characteristic   St.   Lawrence  element  that 
makes  its  appearance  during  the  Punuk  stage.  The  plates  are  all  made 
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