NELSON] MASKS 403 
of wearing this ornament, that the face represented is that of a woman. 
The upper half of the countenance is painted white and the lower half 
bluish slate color. Surrounding the upper half, at intervals of about 
two inches, are inserted white swan feathers. The posterior surface is 
rudely excavated. The meaning of this mask is not known. 
Figure 3, plate xcviu, from Sabotnisky, on the lower Yukon, is a 
grotesque human face with the forehead drawn out to the rear as a 
long, skillet-like handle. This mask is about 20 inches in length, of 
which the handle or projection back of the forehead represents three- 
fourths. The inner side is shallowly excavated. The nose is very 
short and rudely carved, and is placed so far up between the eyes as 
to leave a very broad, flattened space for the upper lip and cheeks. 
Below this is a broad, crescent-shape mouth with corners upturned, 
and long, widely spaced teeth, represented by wooden pegs. Com- 
mencing just at the base. of the nose, above the eyes, and extending 
back along the top of the extension to its extreme posterior end is a 
deep groove representing a mouth bordered by widely spaced wooden 
pegs for teeth. Along each side of this are set two feathers. The 
entire front and upper surface of this mask is painted red, with the 
face between the mouth and the eyes splashed with blood. This repre- 
sents some mythical being, but its exact signification was not learned. 
Figure 3, plate xcrx, from Paimut, on the lower Yukon, is 84 by 74 
inches. This is a thin, flattened, rounded mask representing a gro- 
tesque semihuman countenance. It has one round eye in the forehead, 
one in the proper place on the left side, and another in the center of the 
right cheek. Still another eye, of crescentic shape, is situated just 
above the round one on the right side. The nose is narrow at the top, 
curving down to the right and ending in a broad point. The mouth is 
wide, slit-like, and pierced in two parts, the narrow, slit-like part on 
the left being separated from the round, eyehole-like opening on the 
right corner by a narrow, closed space. Surrounding the entire border 
of the mouth are wooden pegs to represent teeth. The eyebrow above 
the crescentic eye and a band around the border of the mask, as well 
as the mouth and the chin, are red. The forehead and the top of the 
nose are dull green, and the remainder of the face is white. When in 
use the mask had quill feathers inserted around the edge. This rep- 
resents the countenance of a tunghdk and is from the extreme upper 
border of the Eskimo territory along the Yukon. 
Figure 2, plate xc1x, from Sabotnisky, on the lower Yukon, is a thin, 
flattened mask, with the posterior side slightly excavated, represent- 
ing a rude, semihuman face. In the center of the face is a rounded 
hole for the mouth, with two narrow, slit-like eyeholes above. Sur- 
rounding the mouth, between it and the border of the mask, are four 
broad, concentric grooves. The.interior of the mouth anda line around 
the border of the mask are red, the rest is painted white. This mask 
also represents the features of a tunghdk. 
