The herald., 1896-03-22

The nose ring is confined to the gen.
tier sex. They pierce hole through
the nasal septum large enough in
some cases to admit an ordinary lead
pencil, and through this they pass
ivory ornaments. A few large blue
beads strung on a wire form the com
mon everyday nosegay.
Both sexes wear labrets and there is
great variety in the style of inserting
them. The women pierce two holes in
the lower lip near the base of the eye
teeth, while the men insert their lab
rets close to the colners of the mouth.
Often these labrcts are very heavy, and
the weight distorts the features and
impedes the circulation.
THE CITY HALL
In each native village is a large
house, in which they meet for various
purposes, mainly to clean themselves
and give their clothes an airing. The
house is unique. Some Alaskan travel
ers call it casino, but the native des-
ignation is koshga.
1t can best be described as simply
cellar with roof over it. It is deep,
square excavation, with pyramidel
roof of rough logs, covered thickly
with earth. At even a short distance
it can be easily mistaken for small
hillock. The only light and ventilation
is by little opening at the top which
is protected by curtain made of fish
skin. The internal arrangement varies
in different places in respect to details,
but the main features are the same.
Around three sides of the interior a
bank of earth is left, which extends
like broad step or divan. On this the
natives sit in their customary squatting
attitude.
Some casinos have second and mar
rover divan, extending from the wall,
above the other. On extraordinary oc-
formed of three little fiat sleds called
teks suspended from the roof by skin
ropes will extend all around the CAST
no. Thus space is economical and a
large number of persons accommo.
dated. On the fourth side of the casi-
no the main divan extends only short
distance from the corners, leaving free
the middle portion where the entrance
is situated. In the center of the floor
is large, square pit, covered with
logs. in this pit large fire is built.
A PEClLlAR ENTRANCE
The casino has no door in our sense
of the word. The following ingenious
method is used instead: Close by
there is little structure which serves
as vestibule This has large hole
in the door, and from the bottom Of
this hole or shaft extends tunnel,
which terminates in the fire-pit of the
casino. A person desiring to enter a
casino goes into the vestibule, jumps
down into the hole, and then crawls
along the tunnel until he reaches cor
responding hole in the floor of the
casino. Woe to the luckless stranger
who fails to emerge as soon as this
hole is reached, for should he proceed
any further he would discover that the
short section Of the tunnel which re-
mains between this exit and the fire.
pit is the sink.
Crawling along in the dark, slippery
tunnel is not a graceful proceeding,
and this bobbing up from the hole is
decidedly an abrupt manner of making
ones appearance in society. The de-
parture is fully as ludlcrous. The soft
boats and fur clothing make no rust.
ling, and you behold the inmates dis
appear instantly and silently through
the floor. after the fashion Of imps in
pantomine. TIE interior of the casino
is always gloomy; the sides and ROOT
are blackened with smoke and covered
thickly with SCOT.
THE NATIVE HOUSE
The women and children seldom visit
the casino, for the reason that the first
thinga man does on entering is 20 re-
move his clothing, hang it up near the
fire, where it gets kind of vapor bath
and while it is drying he reclines or
one of the divans. The odor of this
] place wonld kill the average citizen o