Ethnographical collections from East Greenland. 683 



De Poincy, whose work on the Antilles was published in 1658, cites the 

 Dutch whaler Nicolas Tunes as having just returned from the Davis Straits 

 where he had landed at 64°10' N. lat., whether on Baffin Land or Green- 

 land is not clear. In Schacht' s manuscript from the end of the 17th century, 

 the illustrations of which are in part identical with those of de Poincy, we 

 find citations from both of the above-mentioned authors. Schacht was born in 1660 

 and died in 1700 as head-master of the grammar school in Kerteminde onFunen^). 



Wooden dolls and idols (p. 635, cf. pp. 644 — 647). — In his second jour- 

 ney (1586)^) Davis relates, that the natives in Greenland had some large im- 

 ages which they carried with them in their boats and probably worshipped. 

 This is the first time the cultic dolls are mentioned in the literature; towards 

 the middle of the following century we find descriptions thereof in Olearius 

 and Schacht (cf. pp. 635 — 636) and the latter also gives a remarkable illustra- 

 tion of a large wooden doll dressed in a stiff petticoat (of fish-scales or fur?). 

 In the foot-note I shall cite the two author's words about these idols^). 



Clothes, ornaments etc. — Olearius mentions the anoraks of the women 

 especially the long coat-tails at the back, which are longer than the front-flaps. 

 He carefully describes the tattoo-markings on their faces. The two women he 

 had seen had lines arranged in the shape of a fan on the chin, one had 13, the 

 other 15 lines. From the bridge of the nose up between the eyes ran a line, 

 which on the brow divided into several lines running above the eyebrows to the 

 temples where they ended in two forked points. Under the eyes were similar lines. 

 The women showed him also the holes in their earlaps, wherein they used to 

 carry ear-drops. 



De Poincy also described the dress of the women and made the observa- 

 tion, that the older among them are mostly dressed in anoraks of bird-sldn, 

 the younger in seal-skin (like the men). In contrast to Olearius he states that 

 they do not wear ear-drops, but this may possibly be due to lack of observation, 

 for he says, namely, that they wear neither bracelets nor necklaces nor ear-drops 

 but are decorated by tattoo-markings on the cheeks. But it is hardly possible 

 that the use of bracelets should be unknown among them at the places and 



^) Grønl. histor. Mindesmærker, vol. III p. 464. 



-) Davis (1586) Hakluyt Voyages, vol. Ill, p. 139. 



^) Olearius (1656) p. 176: "Was der Grünländer Religion anlanget, hat man nicht 

 erfahren können wie es darumb beschaffen. Sie seynd ausser Zweyfel Heyden, 

 und Götzendiener, wie dann einen solchen Götzen, welcher in der Strasse Davis 

 vom Lande genommen, wir aus Paludanus Kunst Cammer bekommen. Ist aus 

 Holtz grob geschnitzet, einer halben Ellen lang, mit Federn- und Haarfell be- 

 kleidet, und mit kleinen lenglichten Thier Zahnen behenget. Als ich ihnen solch 

 Bild gewiesen, haben sie es gekand, Nalymguisang genandt, und berichtet, dasz 

 die Kinder umb selbigen Götzen zu dantzen pflegten. Diese aber sollen bisz- 

 weilen nach der Sonnen, wenn sie klar auffgangen, sich wenden, und weinen." — 

 Schacht p. 263 "Ad Fretum Davidis, idolumGrönlandicumestrepertum,circumqvod 

 incolæ saltationes et tripudia institerunt. Vestitum est pilosis ovium pellibus, 

 avium plumis, nee non piscium dentibus ornatum. Etenim ex hisce tribus 

 elementis victum ac vestitum qvæsituri, hæc eadem tanqvam numina devote 



colenda æstimant Tale idolum possidet illustre naturæ et artis Gaza- 



philaceum Ducis Holsatiæ, quod Olearius descripsit in Musæo Gottorphiensi ad Tab.IV, 

 Num. 5. imaginem hujus idoli exprimens." — Schacht compares the latter idol 

 with the phallic gods (Priapus etc.) known by him from other countries and 

 mentions their membra virilia; as this is not to be seen on his illustration, I 

 draw the conclusion that he speaks of another similar wooden doll in the Got- 

 torp Museum, which like fig. 367 here was remarkable in this respect. 



