22 YESSO. 



are also worn by some of them. Besides trimming 

 their deer-skin robe with blue cloth, they work pat- 

 terns on their other single and simple dress made 

 of the birch bark. The women only tattoo, and this 

 in two ways. On the upper lip of the little girls a 

 small patch of tattooing is seen, which is gradually 

 added to until they marry, when the finishing touch is 

 put to it in the shape of a sharp point on the cheek ; 

 the mark then resembles a moustache turned up into 

 a fine point on the face. The other mode consists in 

 marking rings round the arm, commencing at the wrist 

 and working up to the elbow. I think these rings 

 mark certain periods of time, but I never was able to 

 find out for certain what they really meant. As a 

 rule, these people are excessively dirty in their per- 

 sons. I doubt if they ever wash themselves, and in 

 consequence skin-disease is very prevalent amongst 

 them. In every settlement some are sure to be seen 

 who have lost all the hair from the head. Lime in 

 a state of paste is smeared over the head as a curative, 

 and I daresay this helps to destroy the hair. Small- 

 pox occasionally makes its appearance on the island, 

 generally brought by the Japanese trading to the 

 settlements. The Ainos immediately disperse into 

 the interior when this dreaded disorder reaches them. 



