FIRE AS AX AGENT IN HUMAN CULTURE 111 



THE STRIKE-A-LIGHT 



The strike-a-light of pyrites and flint and pyrites has an ancient 

 history of which a few threads may be traced. The precedence of 

 the art of wood friction and percussion of minerals is a subject of dis- 

 cussion and inquiry, but there appears Httle probabihty of coming at 

 the facts. It is clear that the so-called steel could only be an intro- 

 duction of the Iron Age. Malleable iron does not produce sparks 

 with flint, so that the discovery of iron as a product of smelting iron 

 ore had no effects in superseding the earlier pyrites, which appear to 

 have persisted until steel became available. Flint struck upon flint 

 yields no sparks, but there is produced an evanescent luminescence 

 expanding in the substance of the stone and rapidly fading away. 

 Whatever the explanation of this phenomenon, it is not important 

 in the art of fire making. The sparlis struck from pyrites are dull 

 red and inflame only quick tinder. The spark struck with flint and 

 steel results from a minute fragment of metal heated to incandes- 

 cence by the friction. By friction is meant the sudden transfer of a 

 disproportionate force to a small mass, with the resultant heat effects. 

 It is also thought that not all sparks from flint are thus explained, 

 but that a chemical combination of iron and silica is produced in 

 some of the flashing meteoric sparks. 



The most ancient form of strike-a-light is that employing flint and 

 pyrites. This dates certainly to Neolithic times, and doubtfully 

 earher. The tendency of pyrites to decompose or disintegrate often 

 renders it difficult to locate this method in sites under exploration. 



ETHNOGRAPHY OF FLINT AND PYRITES 



Araerica. — The combination of a lump of pyrites and a flint scraper, 

 wliich is so common that they are always associated, as noted in flint 

 and steel, does not indicate a necessity for the flint. Two lumps of 

 pyrites struck together are adequate. The reason for the flint scraper 

 is that it gives more precision and lessens the danger of breaking the 

 pyrites, which easily occurs when two masses are struck together. 

 Neohthic scrapers of a certain type are therefore not necessarily imple- 

 ments of fire making with pyrites. 



Harris states that the Virginia Indians made fire with fhnt and 

 pyrites." 



Of the Algonkians Le Jeune says : 



''Concerning their fusil they do not do as we. They have for a 

 match the skin of an eagle's thigh with the down on, which takes fire 

 easily; they strike two iron stones together as we use a strike-a-hght 

 with a bit of iron or steel; in place of allumettes they use a little 

 bit of timber (it is of punky wood very dry, which burns easily and 



" Voyage and Travels, vol. 1, London, 1705, pp. 816, 1602. 



