BULL. 30] 



SCALTALPE SCANDINAVIAN INFLUENCE 



483 



a strong tug at the scalplock. The teeth 

 also were sometimes used in the pulling 

 process, and the victor usually knelt 

 with knee pressed down upon the back 

 of his victim stretched face downward. 

 The one who took the scalp was not neces- 

 sarily the same one who had killed the 

 victim; neither was the number of scalps, 

 but rather of coups (q. v.), the measure 

 of the warrior's prowess. The fresh 

 scalp was sometimes soon afterward 

 offered as a sacrifice to the sun, the water, 

 or some other divinity. In the former 

 case it was held up to the sun, with a 

 short prayer by the owner, and then care- 

 fully stretched on a buffalo-chip and thus 

 left on the prairie. When sacrificed to 

 the water the scalp was thrown into the 

 river after a similar prayer. When pre- 

 served for a time, as was most usual, the 

 scalj) was cleaned of the loose flesh on 

 its under side, and then stretched by 

 means of sinew cords around its circum- 

 ference within a hoop of al)out 6 in. dia- 

 meter, tied at the end of a light rod. 

 When dry the skin side was painted 

 either entirely red, or one half red and 

 the other half black. The hair was care- 

 fully rebraided and decorated with vari- 

 ous ornaments. It was carried thus by 

 the women in the triumphal scalp dance 

 on the return of the successful war-party 

 to the home camp and then, having served 

 its first pur])Ose, was retained as a bridle 

 pendant by the warrior, deposited with 

 the tribal "medicine," or thrown away 

 in some retired spot. 



The many ceremonies, taboos, and be- 

 liefs in connection with scalps and scalp- 

 ing are too numerous fortreatment within 

 the limits of a Vjrief article. For a discus- 

 sion of the whole subject the reader 

 should consult Friederici, (1) Skalpieren 

 und tihnliche Kriegsgebriiuche in Amer- 

 ika, Braunschweig, 1906, (2) in Smith- 

 son. Rep. 1906, 1907. 



The numerous popular misconceptions 

 in connection with the scalping practice 

 may be recapitulated in a series of nega- 

 tives. The custom was not general, and 

 in most regions where found was not even 

 ancient. The trophy did not include any 

 part of the skull or even the whole scalp. 

 The operation was not fatal. The scalp 

 was not always evidence of the killing of 

 an enemy, but was sometimes taken from 

 a victim who was allowed to live. It was 

 notalwaystaken by the same warrior who 

 had killed or wounded the victim. It was 

 not always preserved by the victor. The 

 warrior's honors were not measured by 

 the number of his scalps. The scalp 

 dance was performed, and the scalps car- 

 ried therein, not by the men, but by the 

 women. See Hair dressing. (.i. m.) 



Scaltalpe. A Chinookan village a short 

 distance above the cascades of Columbia 



r., Oreg. — Lee and Frost, Oregon, 176, 

 1844. 



Scandaouati, Scandawati. See Skanda- 

 ivaii. 



Scandinavian infinence. The discovery 

 of Greenland by the Norsemen in 985 

 A. D. and their occasional voyages south- 

 ward apparently as far as Nova Scotia, 

 together with their colonization of Green- 

 land for most of the period between 1000 

 and 1500, form an episode in the pre- 

 columbian period the influence of which 

 on the natives has been confined almost 

 exclusively to the Eskimo of Greenland 

 and the coast of Labrador. It is now the 

 generally accepted belief that the Mark- 

 land of the Icelandic historians was New- 

 foundland, and Mneland a part of Nova 

 Scotia. Storm states that he would iden- 

 tify the inhabitants of Vineland with the 

 Indians — Beothuk or Micmac (Reeves, 

 Finding of Wineland the Good, 176, 

 1895). The long contact of Scandinavian 

 settlers with the Eskimo of Greenland, 

 although having no marked effect on the 

 habits and customs of the latter in the 

 historic era, has had some influence in 

 this direction. The contact began about 

 1000, and by 1450 the colonies had ceased 

 to make reports to the home country and 

 were forgotten l^y the civilized world. 

 They were probably exterminated or 

 absorbed by the natives. Rink (Tales 

 and Trad, of Elskimo, 75, 1875) goes so 

 far as to say: "The features of the na- 

 tives in the southern part of Greenland 

 indicate a mixed descent from Scandi- 

 navians and P>skimo, the former, however, 

 not having left the slightest sign of any 

 influence on the nationality or culture 

 of the present natives." Mason (Am. 

 Anthr. xi, 356, 1898) suggests that the 

 well-known skill of the Eskimo in ivory- 

 carving and etching has arisen since con- 

 tact with the whites, and is due to the 

 introduction of iron; but Boas (Bull. Am. 

 Mus. Nat. Hist., xv, 367, 1901) considers 

 that the resemblance of Eskimo art to the 

 birch-bark art of the Indians indicates 

 that such origin is impossible, though 

 European influence may account for some 

 of its exuberant development. With the 

 mission of Egede in 1721 began the Chris- 

 tianizing of the Eskimo of the w. coast of 

 Greenland and the institution of schools, 

 charitable and judicial institutions, etc., 

 which have resulted in what is called their 

 civilization (see 3fissions). Intoxicating 

 liquors have largely been kept from 

 them, but the introduction of flrearms 

 has caused deterioration of their ancient 

 skill in fishing and hunting. The adop- 

 tion of writing, according to some, has 

 impaired the ability of the Eskimo as 

 kaiakers. The abolition of native laws 

 and authority has led. Rink observes, 

 to "a kind of self-abasement and dis- 



