419 



that the tips are turned inwardly towards the body of the person 

 wearing the belt. In other belts in this collection bear's 

 teeth, bodkins, animal bones of one kind, or talons of birds 

 are hung. 



Inv. Amd. 58 (Fig. 32) is a bear's tooth (7 cm long) with 

 a hole pierced in the part nearest the root, but otherwise un- 

 wrought. As it was found isolated, there is no ground for as- 

 suming that it has hung in a chain of bear's teeth. 



"Die zweite Deutsche Nordpolarfahrt" M mentions a similar 

 find from North East Greenland of a bear's tooth with a hole 

 pierced at the root. — The Fram Expedition likewise found a 

 bear's tooth with a similar hole at Leffert Glacier (Ellesmere 

 land?^)). 



The use to which these isolated teeth were applied is not 

 quite certain. According to Boas, a bear's tooth was used as 

 bait in spearing salmon (just as carved ivory fish are used for 

 the same purpose) among the Baffin Land Eskimo^). And with 

 regard to the Eskimo from Southampton^ Island, he says "knives 

 are carried in seal-skin pouches, provided with a bear's tooth, 

 which may be used for whetting"^). There are, however, no 

 grounds for supposing that this is the use to which the tooth 

 we are speaking of was applied. 



Occasionally a bear's tooth of this kind is found hanging 

 among the different objects which generally depend in a bunch, 

 attached to the women's needle cases'"). Inv. Amd. 58 is per- 

 haps rather to be taken to be a pendent ornament of this kind. 



In conclusion, I must remind the reader that the Lapps 

 used to employ bear's teeth pierced at the root as amulets"). 



M Koldewcy 1, 603. 



*) Christiania Kthnographical Museum No. 12377. 

 8) Boas I, 513, and Fig. 4.04. 

 *) Boas 11, 71, Fig. 94. 

 *) NeLson 104, PI. 44, fins. 23 and 2îj. 



•) 8 pieces of this liind are in the N'ordiska Museum, Lapp section, at Stock- 

 holm. 



