МАЭ № 2938-4

Figure of an ancestor

The Alutiiq

18th century

wood, paint, human hair, beads, tendon thread

height 16 cm, height without the hair 12.5 cm, width 4.7 cm, thickness 2.9 cm

“They bury the dead in their finest clothing with all their belongings including their kayak. At the time they break all these things into little pieces. If a poor person dies in an open area they dig the grave right there, line it with seal skins and also use skins to cover the body. Then they cover the deceased with dirt. The skin from which his kayak was made is torn up, the wooden frame is broken into pieces, and all this is piled on the grave. Then they cover the top of the grave with rocks. If someone dies in a yurt they bury him in his sleeping quarters and do everything as described above. When a wealthy person dies they kill his favorite slave and bury him with his master, and if a wealthy woman dies a similar fate awaits her favorite servant girl: they kill her and bury her with her mistress.” (Billings 1978: 50).

Ethnography of America