HRDLICKA] 



THE YUKON TERRITORY 135 



coal, a piece of pottery (for details see Narrative), or an object of 

 ivory. 



The ax proper is peculiar. It is a cupid's-bow ax, double-edged, 

 and with one or two grooves across its middle. (PL 10.) It is as 

 a rule made <>f heavy basaltic stone, and its edges are sharpened by 

 polishing. Rough parts may have been polished also on the body. 

 Its distal surface is convex (from sharp edge to sharp edge), its 

 proximal surface straight or mildly convex. I succeeded in getting 

 a specimen remounted recently by one of the Indians near Tanana. 

 This form of an ax is still remembered by the old Indians when in 

 use. They cut trees with it, cutting sidewise and detaching the wood 

 in splinters. They also remember clubs with stone heads, and told 

 me they were carried on the back over the right shoulder so as 

 to be ready for instant and effective use. 



These axes have apparently been used by both the Indians and the 

 Eskimo, but there is an interesting difference. The several specimens 

 I obtained or saw from Tanana to Ruby were all complete. But 

 from about the vicinity of Ruby downstream the bi-edged ax seems 

 to disappear, or, rather, one-half of it disappears, the butt hence- 

 forth cither being left unfinished or one-half of the double ax being 

 broken off and the remainder being mounted now as an adze on a 

 shorter handle. This form, and it exclusively, with various sec- 

 ondary modifications, is found over a wide area among the Eskimo 

 and may reach into Asia, for I obtained a specimen of it from one 

 of the Diomede Islands. It connects directly with the Bering Sea 

 Eskimo ivory adze and chisel. On the other hand the bi-edged ax 

 appears, in various modifications, to extend widely over Indian 

 Alaska. 



The remaining stone implements need but little mention here. 

 They will be studied and reported separately by our archeologist. 

 A special note will, however, be necessary later about the very primi- 

 tive stone industry of Bonasila, below Anvik. (See p. 144.) 



Of pottery I have seen no example above Anvik, but this can 

 not be taken as evidence of its absence above that point. At Anvik, 

 Bonasila, and farther down the pottery is like that of the western 

 Eskimo. It is coarse ware, hand shaped, and of rather poor quality. 

 It consists of small round bowls to fairly large, more or less conical. 

 jars. It is never painted but is frequently decorated with thumb 

 marks and especially with grooves running parallel with the border. 



Ivory implements were encountered first at Bonasila and consisted 

 of a few fine long points barbed on one side, looking like those of 

 the Eskimo and probably of Eskimo origin. There were also a few 

 tools of bone, generally scrapers. 



