228 PAPERS KELA.TING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 



The Hiipa bows (Fig'. 103) all belong to one type, sinew-lined as dis- 

 tinguislied li'oni the sinew backing- of the Eskimo. There are two va- 

 rieties, called by the collectors war bows and hnnting bows, the former 

 4 feet long-, the latter 3 feet 4 inches, about. They are all made of yew, 

 a little over 1 inch wide and ^ inch thick at the handle, expanding to 

 1^ inches in width in the limbs, and contracting gracefully to about ^ 

 of an inch at the nock, which is about 1 inch long, less than A inch wide, 

 and bent at an angle of 45 degrees. 



The back of this bow is covered with a lining of sinew so carefully 

 [)ut on as to mimic the bark of wood, its thickness exactly titted to the 

 exigencies of the work to be done. The sinew of the larger animals is 

 carefully shredded (Fig. 8G) and laid on with glue made from the lower 

 jaw of the sturgeon, making a solid mass. The back of the wood bow is 

 gashed so as to afford a good sticking surface for the glue and sinew. 



The sinew is doubled over the nocks, whipped down with strips of 

 buckskin, and tufted with a stripe of otter fur (Fig. 103^). The grip is 

 also seized with a strip of buckskin and bound by two rings of otter 

 fur. The bo.w-string is of two-ply sinew twine, -i\- i^^h thick. Lieu- 

 tenant Ea}' thus describes bow and arrow making among the Natano 

 and Kenuck Indians : 



Manufacture of Boies and Arroics among the N^atano {Hupa) and 

 Kenucic (Klamath) Indians. — The bow-makers of both these tribes are 

 specialists, and the trade is now confined to a very few old men. 1 

 have here seen no man under forty years of age that could make a bow 

 or an arrow, and only one old man who could make a stone arrow-head. 



To make a bow, the wood of a yew sapling 2.^ to 3 inches in diameter 

 is selected and rough hewn to shape, the heart side inward anil the 

 back carefully smoothed to the form of the back of the bow. The sinew 

 is laid on while the wood is green, and held in place until dry by means 

 of a twine wrapping. In this. condition it is hung in the sweat-house 

 until the wood is thoroughly seasoned, when it is iinished and strung, 

 and in some cases the back variiished and i)ainted. The most delicate 

 part of the operation is to get the proper tension on the sinew backing. 

 If too tight the wood crimps or splinters when the bow is strung, and 

 a lack of proper tension leaves the bow weak and worthless. When 

 the bow is seasoned it has a reverse curve of about 3 inches. 



The sinew for the backing and bow-string is taken from the back and 

 the hind leg of the deer at the time of killing, and dried for future use. 

 When required it is soaked until pliable, strii)ped into fine shreds and 

 laid on by commencing at each end and terminating at the center of the 

 bow. The sinew is slightly twisted and dried before it is placed on 

 the bow. 



The glue used to fix the backing is obtained by boiling the gland of 

 tlie lower Jaw and the nose of the sturgeon. This is dried in balls and 

 preserved for use, and is prepared by simply dipping it in warm water 

 and rubbing it on the wood. 



The arrow-sliafts are usually made from the wood of the wild currant 

 and are worked to shape with a knife and tried by the eye. After 

 roughing they are allowed to season and are then finished. Any curves 

 are taken out with a straighteiu^r, made of a piece of hard wood, spin- 

 dle-shaped and perforated in the middle. The arrow-heads used for 



