Ethnological results of the Point Barrow expedition: Ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1887-1888, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1892, pages 3-442Murdoch, John
History
Ethnological results of the Point Barrow expedition: Ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1887-1888, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1892, pages 3-442
Murdoch, John
Eskimos -- Alaska -- Barrow, Point, Region
These are two bow drills, one large and one small (Figs. 168_a_ and
168_b_, Nos. 89778 and 89779 [1004_a_]); a drill bow (Fig. 154, No.
89777 [1004_b_]); a mouthpiece (Fig. 155, No. 89787 [1004_c_]); a
large crooked knife with a sheath (Fig. 114, No. 89780 [1004_d_]); a
flint flaker (No. 89752 [1004_e_]); a comb for deerskins (Fig. 169,
No. 89781 [1005]); a haircomb made of antler (No. 89785 [1006]);
a fishhook (No. 89783 [1007]); and a small seal harpoon head
(No. 89784 [1008]).
[Illustration: FIG. 169.--Comb for deerskins in the tool bag. 1/2]
No. 89796 [1118], from Nuwŭk, is of rather unusual materials. The
bottom is of brown reindeer skin and the sides and ends are the heads
of two wolves and a red fox. The wolf heads meet on one side, and the
fox head is put in between them on the other. The fox head has no
lower jaw, and one wolf head has only the left half of the lower jaw.
The vacant spaces around the mouth are filled by triangular gussets of
wolf and reindeer skin. The eyeholes are patched on the inside with
deerskin. It has no handle. No. 89795 [1309], the remaining bag, is of
the usual pattern, but carelessly made of small pieces of deerskin,
with a handle of coarse-grained whale’s bone. It was probably made for
sale.
I have figured four handles of such bags to show the style of
ornamentation. Fig. 170_a_(No. 89420 [1111], from Nuwŭk) has incised
figures of men and reindeer on the back, once colored with ocher, of
which traces can still be seen. This is perhaps a hunting score. (See
remarks on this subject under “Bow drills.”) Fig. 170_b_ (No. 89423
[996], from Utkiavwĭñ) is a very elaborate handle, with scalloped
edges and fluted back, which is also ornamented with an incised
pattern colored with red ocher. The other side is covered with series
of the incised circles, each with a dot in the center, so frequently
mentioned. Fig. 170_c_ (No. 89424 [890], from Nuwŭk) has on the under
side two rows of figures representing the flukes and “smalls” of
whales. This is the specimen already mentioned, which the natives
called an actual score. The series of twenty-six tails were said to be
the record of old Yûksĭ´ña (“Erksinra” of Dr. Simpson), the so-called
“chief” at Nuwŭk. All the above handles are of walrus ivory, and have
been in actual use. Fig. 170_c_ (No. 56513 [43], from Utkiavwĭñ) is a
handle of different material (reindeer antler) and of somewhat
different pattern. One end is neatly carved into an exceedingly
accurate image of the head of a reindeer which has shed its antlers,
with small blue beads inlaid for the eyes. The back of the handle is
ornamented with an incised pattern colored with red ocher. We were
told that such handles were sometimes fitted to the wooden buckets,
but I never saw one so used.
[Illustration: FIG. 170.--Bag handles.]
[Illustration: FIG. 171.--Bag of leather.]
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