MURDOCH. ] WALRUS HARPOONS. 227 
Only three out of the forty-eight show this peculiarity, of which No. 
56613 [53], Fig. 217), is an example. 
The specimens figured show the different styles of ornamentation, 
which always consist of incised patterns colored with red ocher or rarely 
with soot. These never rep- 
resent natural objects, but 
arealwaysconventional pat- 
terns, generally a single or 
double border on two or 
more faces with short ob- 
lique cross-lines and branch- 
es. Harpoon heads at Point 
Barrow are probably never 
ornamented with the ‘ cir- 
cles and dots,” so common 
on other implements and on 
the harpoons of the south- 
ern Eskimo. 
Twenty-eight of the heads 
still have the leaders at- 
tached tothem. The object 
of this short line is to ena- 
ble the hunter to readily de- 
tach a broken head and put 
ona fresh one without going 
to the trouble of undoing a 
splice, which must be made 
strong to keep the head from Fic. 217.—Typical walrus-harpoon heads. 
separating from the line. It is made of a stout piece of rawhide thong, 
the skin of the walrus or bearded seal, about one-third inch in diameter, 
and usually from 2 to 
3 feet long. It is al- 
ways passed through 
the line hole, asin the 
specimen described, 
and the ends are 
made into a becket 
for attaching the line, 
with an end left to 
serve as a handle for 
pulling the two beck- 
ets apart when the 
Fic. 218.—Walrus-harpoon head, with leader. main line ends in a 
becket. Occasionally (two are made this way) the longer end is simply 
doubled in a bight, and the three parts are then seized together with 
sinew braid, but it is generally made with a splice, the details of which 
differ slightly on the different leaders. 
