Page 120

Layout1

he also has another way of speaking to us, through sunshine, 118 the calm sea, through young, innocent children at play who do not understand the significance of his message. These children hear a quiet, tender voice, almost like that of a woman. It speaks to them in a secretive way, a gentle way, in a way that does not frighten them—they simply understand that danger lurks somewhere. The children mention it casually upon their return home, and it is then up to the shaman to take steps to avert impending danger. In good times, Sila has no message for man, he disappears into his everlasting void and remains silent as long as man does not abuse the life that has been given to him and shows respect for the food he eats. No one has ever seen Sila: His whereabouts are so mysterious that he manages to be with us yet infinitely far away from us at one and the same time (Rasmussen 1932: 193). On their way home, Rasmussen and his three companions stopped in Washington, DC, where Science Service photographs show them looking distinctly out of place in their city garb rather than their polar gear. The Fifth Thule Expedition was considered a great success, and in the fall of 1924, its participants gathered in Copenhagen to present their conclusions to its organizers and to members of the scientific community. They asserted that the Thule culture was in fact a prehistoric culture dating back a millennium, common features of which could be traced west to its origin on the shores of the Bering Strait. They were able to correct existing maps and prepared FIG. 21 (left): Dog spirit mask. Nunivak Island, western Alaska. Commissioned in 1924. Acquired in 1926. Wood, whalebone, pigment. L. approx. 28 cm (excluding attachments). The National Museum of Denmark, Ethnographic collection, inv. P33.118. © The National Museum of Denmark. new ones of areas where no white people had ever before been. The expedition brought home approximately 15,000 objects, consisting of domestic utensils, sealing tackle, clothing, and carved figures and masks. Some of these were excavated artifacts and some had been collected from the Eskimos who were still using them in their everyday lives. It also brought back some 5,000 specimens of minerals, plants, and animals. Most of this material became a part of the great and unique Eskimo collection belonging to the National Museum of Denmark, and today the museum is considered to be an essential center for international research into the life and history of the Eskimo and their culture. BIBLIOGRAPHY Birket-Smith, Kai. Eskimoerne, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1927. Holmstedt, Leif Birger. ”Knud Rasmussen, Arctic Explorer and His Masks from Nunivak,” Tribal Art, winter 2006. Mathiassen, Therkel. Med Knud Rasmussen blandt Amerikas Eskimoer, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1926. Rasmussen, Knud. Fra Grønland til Stillehavet, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1925. ———. Across Arctic America: Narrative of the Fifth Thule Expedition, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1927. ———. Den Store Slæderejse, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1932. ———. Mindeudgave, vol. II, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1934. Rasmussen, Knud, et al. Report of the Fifth Thule Expedition, 1921–24, in ten volumes, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1927–1952. Sonne, Birgitte. Agayut, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1988. FIG. 22 (right): Eagle man mask “B.” Nunivak Island, western Alaska. Commissioned in 1924. Acquired in 1926. Wood, metal, feathers, pigment. H: 33 cm (excluding attachments). The National Museum of Denmark, Ethnographic collection, inv. P33.104. © The National Museum of Denmark.


Layout1
To see the actual publication please follow the link above