Ethnographical collections from East Greenland. 617 



forms into the ornamental art of the Ammassalikers. In Alaska we 

 find whole needle-cases of ivory shaped like human beings^). 



A still greater degree of conventionality has been imprinted on 

 the Ammassalik art by their imitation of the body and especially 

 the tail part of the seal. This specialization may have originated 

 from the custom of carving certain parts of their useful implements 

 as seals, e, g. the handles of the drag-lines used for hauling the seals 

 over the ice or towing them after the boat (fig. 163 c/, e), clasps and 

 side-buttons for securing the coiled harpoon-line on the kaiak stand 

 (fig. 92 b), buttons for keeping the cross-straps of the kaiak in their 

 place (fig. 95 /i), the ends of many weapons, of combs (p. 605) and 

 other implements (fig. 43), sometimes probably also the harpoon 

 toggle itself (fig. 133 e). In this 

 connection the needle-cases , 



К 



к 



of the women may also be 

 mentioned, as from Alaska [■ 

 we know of several speci- 

 mens of this implement 

 carved like seals and other 

 marine animals^). 



The attached reliefs of 

 ivory seen on many of the ШС^ ^ -.. « 



wooden implements of the 

 A .„ „Ti „ J* 1 11 Fig. 347. Relief decorations on a piece of wood. 



Ammassalikers display the ^ „ „ 



^ -^ (Petersen coll.). -h. 



same preference for the ma- 

 rine animals, especially the seal, which again and again is evident in 

 these reliefs; but human figures are on the other hand by no means 

 uncommon. Further, we find various figures representing beings 

 from the angakut's spiritual world. We know these relief ornaments 

 from a large quantity of the wooden implements of the Ammassali- 

 kers, throwing sticks, eye-shades, tubs, drinking cups etc., on which 

 they are only made for decorative purposes. — These carved figures 

 which are flat on the under side are fastened on the wood by one 

 or more, commonly two bone-nails driven through the horizontal 

 plane of the figure. These nails are seen on some of the loose reliefs 

 from the "dead house" shown in fig. 342. 



Fig, 347 shows a small board (a lid?) with characteristic reliefs, 

 which was excavated in the neighbourhood of Ammassalik. In the 

 middle is seen a man standing on his house (?), on the left side is 

 a demon (aperqiteq^), and a quadruped of unknown origin which is 

 often present in the ornamental art of the Ammassalikers and also 



1) Boas (1908) PI. XXIX, 1—2. • 



2) Id. ibid. PI. XXX; (1901) fig. 136 c. 



