The drawing is based upon illustrative sketches drawn by William Oquilluk to explain portions of the text. The top half illustrates the first great disaster when the carefree ancestors of the Eskimos lived in a warm climate on a rich and bountiful land. An eclipse followed by earthquake and volcanic eruption preceded an abrupt change to a seasonal climate and the first appearance of snow. From this cataclysmic disaster, the first skills of survival were developed that led to an evolving way of life to become unique among the cultures of mankind — the Eskimo life style.

The bottom half represents the caribou harvest prediction mask used by the Kauweramuit almost into the 20th Century. The face represents the idealized spirit of the caribou carved from driftwood. Painted in shades of black and red, with sharp fangs of bone or ivory, it was either attached to a post or carved all of one piece to provide a form to hold a caribou skin with the forelegs dangling like arms. The mask terminated in a sharp pointed stake so it could be firmly planted in the tundra near a natural or man-made caribou corral. Through the ritual of the Shaman, the mask was used to predict the success of a coming community caribou slaughter. If blood flowed freely from the mouth of the mask, the slaughter would be rich, but if only a trickle or none appeared, few caribou would be found and the harvest would be inadequate to meet the needs of the people.

Together, the two portions of the drawing bring home the cyclic nature of man’s adaptation to his world. The ancestors of the Eskimos, some four or five thousand years ago according to the archeologists, found themselves forced to move and adjust to a changing environment. About two thousand years ago Eskimo culture reached its peak of efficiency, and it appears to have evolved to this point on the Seward Peninsula. So it continued until about one hundred years ago when an aggressive and heavily populated society discovered the riches it prized — gold, furs, and whale oil — existed in the far North. Thus ended forever the days of the Shamen and the predictions of the Caribou Harvest Mask.

The line drawing, as it appears on the cover, was executed by Chuck Pomeroy. It is based upon a full color rendition prepared by Gloria McCubbin from sketches and information provided by the author.