176 Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



away, presumably blown there by the wind. About twelve feet to the south 

 (inland) and parallel to the body had been placed the following articles: — 



One fish-hook attached to a small stick, 6 inches long, by a short length 

 of braided sinew. 



One brass seal-spear head. 



One pair of scissors (made of bone, tin-lined). 



One battered lard-pail. 



One pair of outer boots. 



One broken bow without string or sinew lashing. 



Two arrows with bone heads, in good order. 



One bone-handled iron-bladed knife (snow knife). 



One worn-out whittling knife, with a bone handle and an iron blade. 

 The most interesting of the ancient graves was one discovered near Bernard 

 harbour by some western Eskimos who were serving the expedition. There 

 were no bones, but they brought me a fishing rod, a woman's knife with aniron 

 blade, a drill with an iron point, a marrow-spatula, two horn points and pieces 

 of the shafts of a child's arrows, and two skewers for pinning up the blood-bag. 

 The local Eskimos did not know whose grave it was; they thought a whole 

 family must have been laid there, for while the arrow-shafts suggested a boy, 

 the knife indicated a woman and the drill a man. Some of the natives protested 

 against our removing the objects, but suggested that if we really wanted them 

 we ought to leave their equivalent on the grave. Following their advice, there- 

 fore, we deposited a cartridge for the use of the man, some needles for the woman, 

 and a small trinket for the boy. 



Often the relatives of a dead man will retain his more valuable property 

 and place only miniature copies on his grave. This is done more particularly 

 with the water-boots, but sometimes too with the bow and arrows. The dead 

 man is able to enlarge the miniatures if he wants them, so there is no necessity 

 to leave the' genuine articles.^ Captain Bernard found a grave in Richardson 

 bay ^, on south-west Victoria island where miniature water-boots had been 

 substituted for the real ones. He described to us, too, a funeral in which the same 

 substitution had taken place. A native named Ekkeahoak was stabbed by 

 a companion near Lambert island in the spring of 1913. His kinsmen wrapped 

 the corpse in caribou skins and conveyed it by sled to the mainland, where they 

 deposited it on the ground with its back to the north and its head to the east.^ 

 They laid his possessions in a row by his side, piece by piece, the various tools, 

 the bow and arrows, the seaUng-harpoon broken into two pieces, and all his 

 spare clothing, each garment neatly folded in a separate bundle; in place of 

 the real water-boots, however, they left a miniature pair about an inch long. 

 As soon as the corpse was thus disposed of all the people returned to their seal- 

 ing-ground.' 



iThe Rev. E. J. Peck says that in south Baffin island: "In the case of a woman's death the articles 

 she had been accustomed to use, such as needles, circular knife, etc., were placed at her grave by female 

 relatives and friends, but in the case of a man's death his hunting implements were placed by his male 

 relatives and friends by the side of his grave. These did not always consist, in either case, of the full 

 sized articles, but miniature things made to resemble the larger were often used instead." 



'Haviron's head also pointed toward the east, but I do not know whether this is the universal practice . 



'The following extract is taken from Dr. Anderson's diary of his first expedition — the Stefansson- 

 Anderson Arctic Expedition — under date July 28, 1911: — 



"On the western side of cliff (a little east of Point Williams, Victoria island) found part of old seal- 

 spear, bone head, copper-riveted, also shaft of human femur (ca. 15 years). On top of rock, Tanaumirk 

 found fragments of oblong stone pot and shaft of human ulna. I went up and found epiphysis of femur, 

 and two phalanges of toe. No sign of grave about. About 30 yards W. of cliff I found old iron knife, 

 long bone handle. About 100 yards inland Tanaumirk found remainder of stone pot, and about 100 yards 

 from this the runners of a sled — very old. Two or three hundred yards W. found old tent site (stones 

 in circle), a few broken arrows, sealing implements, etc., About 25 yards from house saw a little circle 

 of stones on ground (about 2 feet across). In centre, half buried in moss and dirt, found quite a set of 

 miniature implements, child's toys, bows, 3 copper-headed arrows (about 6-8 in. long), copper ice-pick, 

 drill, fire-stones, knife (tin riveted to bone handle), caribou hunting accessories, etc. — all diminutive, 

 much weathered." 



These miniature implements may have been a child's toys, as Dr. Anderson thought at that time, 

 but I strongly suspect that they were placed on a gravS instead of the rsal implements. 



