Page:Archæology of the Central Eskimos.djvu/188

settlement and at the settlement near the beach at the mouth of Dry Valley.^[1]

To establish now the characteristic features of the graves at Naujan on the basis of these examinations we may say:

They are rectangular, or more irregularly oblong stone erections, built of large, flat stones; the inside dimensions of the chamber are: length about 1.4 metres, breadth and depth 0.5 metre; the bottom is the natural rock or gravel. The chamber is covered over with a number of large flat stones and the holes are closed with smaller stones; more stones are heaped over the whole erection so that, from the outside, the grave resembles an oblong heap of stones. The direction varies greatly and there does not seem to be any general rule for which way the head faces. As the grave is so short that the body cannot lie extended, the legs must be drawn up and this has been observed in one or two instances. In a few cases the grave goods have been placed in the grave, but as a rule outside it, by one of the sides, in a small chamber by the head or under a large stone near the grave. Hunting implements, tools and household utensils have been used as grave goods; only the men's graves have contained grave goods. That on the whole so few grave goods were found in proportion to the many graves examined must presumably be due to the great demand for Eskimo antiquities (especially Capt. Comer's collections), which has tempted the Eskimos to plunder the graves for payment.

The position of these graves round the Naujan settlement, the overgrown stones and very much decayed skeleton bones indicate that they belong to the same ancient period of culture as the settlement with one single exception (grave 32). The same conclusion is arrived at after a consideration of the types of implements found as grave goods; these are types known from the settlement find and types which are very closely related to these. Particularly interesting. are the finds in the low-lying graves, Groups V–VI; they lie at a height of only 6–7 metres above s. l. and must thus in advance be regarded as being the latest of the graves as well as later than most of the settlement find. Nevertheless the finds at these graves show close relationship to the settlement find; in them were found such characteristic types as harpoon heads of the Thule type 2, fore-shaft for a harpoon with lateral linehole, bird harpoon and arrow heads with conical tangs. There is thus no doubt that the ancient Thule culture which is represented by the Naujan find has lasted here at