222 



PAPERS RELATING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 



TOOLS OF GENERAL USE. 



The comiuou tools of tlie aborigines were such as were naturally 

 attached to their life and habits, plus the natural retiuemeat of the 

 people. 



The leaf-shaped blades of the jasper knives found in graves closely 

 resembles those now in use (Plate x, Figs. 75-78), but the handle of 

 pine is very much decayed, being partially protected by a covering of 

 pitch. The blade is fastened in place with pitch, and the color is 

 brown, striped with green. 



These specimens, with those before described, afford a probable ex. 

 planation of the method of hafting the whole class of implements com- 

 monly called leaf-shaped spear-heads. 



There are eight specimens of this kind in the collection, the material 

 varying from a dark-brown to a dull bluish chalcedony color, some 

 brown striated with light blue. All of them are set in handles by 

 means of pitch. The following tabular statement will characterize them : 



No. 



1.... 

 2 ... 



3 



4 



5 



6 



7 



Blade. 



Inches. 

 Brown, veiuod with blue 4 



Length, 

 blade 



Browu 



Browu, veined witli blue 



do 



Grecu and lnown mixed 



Brown . . 



Brown, striped with bluh 



Blue-sray 



Width. 



Inches. 



2i 



Thick- 

 ness. 



Inches. 



Length 



Inches. 



H 



4J 

 4A 



Handle. 



Description. 



Pine, of one piece, blade glued. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 

 Pine, of one piece, blade lashed. 

 Pino, of two pieces, lashed at both 



ends. 

 Pine, of two pieces, lashed at one 

 end. 



Compare these hafted knives with Wheeler (Vol. VII, Plate vii). 



There is in the Ray collection an obsidian knife, wrapped around 

 one end with a strip of otter skin (Plate x. Fig. 78). The blade is of 

 mottled obsidian, black and brown, 7;^ inches long, 1| inches wide, 

 and 1 1. inches thick. The Indian who gave this knife to Lieutenant 

 Eay informed him that this particular kiud of stone is held in great 

 veneration, and is brought from a great distance. 



The mottled obsidian is not found in the Tlupa Valley. The use of 

 this form as a talisman is paralleled by the veneration in which stone 

 implements are held all over the world when their active normal use is 

 lost. 



Among the articles paraded or worn in the ceremonial dance is a 

 flake or knife of obsidian or jasper, some of which are 15 inches or 

 more in length, and about 2i inches wide in the widest iiart. These 

 are wrapped with skin or cloth to prevent the rough edges from lacer- 

 ating the hand. But the smaller ones are mounted on wooden handles 

 and glued fast. The large ones can not be purchased at any price, but 

 Mr. Powers procured some about G inches long at |2,50 apiece. These 



