228 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [ErH. ANN. 18 
splices; holes are pierced through the ends, or a shoulder is left across 
the upper side to retain the lashings by which they are fastened. | Fig- 
ures 32 and 36, plate LXXxyIII, show examples of splices for use on 
umiaks, collected on Sledge island. 
A small deerhorn splice, from St Michael, intended for use on a kaiak, 
is shown in figure 31, plate Lxxvi1l. It is pointed oval in outline, and 
has holes along the middle to receive the lashing. 
A longer splice, from Chalitmut (figure 30, plate Lxxv111), is slightly 
hollowed below and convex on the outer side; it has two holes along 
' the central line, which is grooved on the convex surface; the latter is 
crossed by numerous incised lines to prevent the lashings from slipping. 
When paddling about among the broken ice in spring and autumn 
there is danger of the skin covering of the kaiak being cut at the bow 
by floating pieces of ice; to lessen this risk protectors are made from 
deerhorn and bound on the bow at the water line. 
Figure 27, plate LXXVIII, represents one of these protectors from 
Pikmiktalik; it is 74 inches long, and is excavated within so as to form 
a hollow shoulder. One end terminates in a hollow, spoon-shape 
point, which rests against the bow above the water line. The lower 
end has a bar of the material left across it, which rests against the 
bow below the water line, thus permitting the curve to enter the hollow 
but not to rest against the interior of the protector. Holes along the 
sides and three notches across the outer surface serve for the lashing 
by which it is attached to the bow of the boat. The sides are orna- 
mented with a conventional pattern of etched lines. 
A similar bow protector from Cape Nome (figure 28, plate LXXVIII) 
is made of deerhorn; it has holes along the sides for attaching it to the 
boat. This protector is not ornamented. 
The cross-cords for kaiaks are generally plain rawhide lines, but 
sometimes they are ornamented with beads carved from walrus ivory 
and strung on them. The commonest form of these represents an 
inflated sealskin float, generally alternated with round or elongated 
beads of ivory, and ornamented with etched patterns or having the 
surfaces of the beads pierced with round holes, in which are inserted 
small, black wooden pegs. 
Figure 1, plate LXxxvii1, represents one of these cords from King 
island. The ornaments strung along it are held in place by wooden 
wedges, inserted in the holes through which the cord passes. Examples 
of similar cords were collected at points from Bristol bay to beyond 
Kotzebue sound. 
TRADE AND TRADING VOYAGES 
According to traditions of the Unalit, the people on the coast of 
Bering strait, in ancient times, made regular summer trading voyages 
back and forth across the strait. Old men told me of having seen small 
pieces of cloth which had been brought by the people of East cape, 
