Alaska -- Antiquities; Eskimos; Eskimos -- Anthropometry; Indians of North America -- Alaska; Indians of North America -- Yukon
At Bonasila the burials above ground were in boxes of hewn wood,
joined somewhat as the logs in a log house, and without any base. The
body inside was covered with birch bark (three or four pieces), then
covered with the top planks, unfastened, and these in turn covered
with about a foot of earth and sod. At Ghost Creek the same, but there
is an undressed-stake base or platform on which the sides of the
"coffin" rest and with somewhat less earth and sod on the top of the
box. But graves differ here from underground and birch bark alone (no
trace of wood, if any was ever there; but probably none used) to such
aboveground as have iron nails and sawed planks. Here, as at Bonasila,
a few simple articles are generally found buried at the head, and
for these many of the graves were already despoiled and the skeletal
remains scattered or reburied.
There appears to be no line of demarcation between the underground and
aboveground graves; possibly the latter were winter burials, but this
must be looked into further.
The bodies here, except the latest, are buried flexed. Exceptionally,
both at Bonasila and here, the planks surrounding the grave were
painted with some mineral pigments which resist decomposition better
than the wood, and decorated in a very good native way with series
of animals and men, caribou, bear, etc. Too faint to photograph, and
too bulky and decayed to take away; but decoration much superior to
ordinary Indian pictographs, and apparently connecting with the type
of art of the northwest coast. It is of interest that practically the
same decorated burials were seen by Dall among the Eskimo of Norton
Sound (Unalaklik).[4] In this case it was probably the Indian habit
that was adopted by the near-by Eskimo, for none of the more northern
Eskimo practiced such burials. The habit was also known in southeastern
Alaska. (Pl. 3, _b_.)
Jim Walker, the helpful local mix-breed trader, has dug out many of
these graves (alone or with Harry Lawrence), and a good many of the
objects are said to have been taken away by Father O'Hara, formerly of
the Holy Cross Mission.
According to all indications the stone culture of Bonasila and of Ghost
Creek (1½ miles upstream from Holy Cross) were related, both passing
apparently into the Russian period, and that at Ghost Creek continuing
down to our times, for there is still living here an old man who
belongs to this place which once had a large village. Much could be
done yet and saved in both places.
Saturday, July 3. At last slept, notwithstanding everything, and
succeeded even in being warm.
Breakfast 8.30, for a wonder. Two soft-boiled Seattle eggs, two bits
of toast with canned butter (not bad at all), some over-preserved
raspberries, and a faded-looking nearly cold "flapjack" with sirup,
also mediocre tea. But all goes here, and the stomach calls for no
other attention than to fill it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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