466 



In analogy with the buckles [ saw in the National Museum at 

 Copenhagen (Cabines 76 and 66, Nos. 98 — 99), inv. Amd. 85 must 

 rather be thought to have belonged to a kaiak skirt which was 

 held up by two buckles, and been attached to its border by a 

 little loop through the elongated horizontal slit at the bottom 

 of the buckle. The single brace string must have passed 

 through the large central hole. The smaller holes are perhaps 

 reserve holes for use in the case the brace got wet before it 

 was attached, and therefore required different degrees of tight- 

 ening according to the different degrees of contraction and 

 expansion due to the wet. 



A bone buckle of exactly the same form was found by 

 Nathorst (Hammar) further to the north; it has the same elon- 

 gated horizontal slit at the basal edge ; on the other hand the 

 larger round hole lies right out at the opposite end, between 

 the fin-like wings, and two small apertures are seen across the 

 middle. 



The same Expedition also found in a young girl's grave 

 (at Cape Franklin) ^), a fairly similar buckle which is ornamented 

 with numerous dots (minute holes). As it is hardly hkely that 

 an implement belonging to the man's kaiak accessories was laid 

 in a woman's grave, we must cast about for another explanation 

 as to the purpose for which this buckle was used. Boas^) 

 describes some buckles of a similar character, serving to carry 

 needle-cases or similar implements at the girdle. This resem- 

 blance to a woman's buckle, if it really exists, need not alter 

 our view of inv. Amd. 85 as a buckle belonging to a man's 

 kaiak dress. 



Inv. Amd. 86 (Fig. 64), from Dunholm, is an ornamented 

 comb of yellowish-brown bone (the shoulder-blade of a large 

 mammiferous animal?). Length 12 to 12*5 cm; breadth 3"9 to 

 4 cm ; thickness 4 to 5 cm. 



M Stolpe PI. 6, (ig. 19; Nathorst 364. 

 2) Boas I. 560, flg. 514. 



