AMERICAN ABORIGINAL PIPES AND SMOKING CUSTOMS. 595 



with a large tiaiidoor in the uuder i)art which allows a fe\*^ pieces of 

 dry grass to be laid inside to absorb the moisture, Avhich when closed 

 is covered with a strip of leather which effectually keeps it air-tight. 

 Wheu about to smoke, a pinch of hair plucked from the deerskin frock 

 is pushed with the pricker down the very small hole in the bowl of the 

 pipe. This is to prevent the tobacco from drawing through.'*' 



Mr. Henry Seebohm illustrates a pipe of the Tungoosk, which so 

 closely resembles certain of the pipes of the Alaskans, both in bowl 

 and manner of lashing the same to the stem, as well as the shape 

 and lashing of the stem itself, as to leave little doubt of their common 

 origin.- 



The same author illustrates a pipe of the Samoyede which should be 

 classed as of the same type as those pipes here described, yet present- 

 ing other characteristics than such as are embodied in the Alaskan 

 specimens. 



Arising probably from similar conditions is an Afridi pipe from the 

 Jvhyber Pass, in India, illustrated by Pritchett, which has a small 

 brass bowl and a stem composed of two pieces of wood which have 

 tiFst been scooped out and subsecjueutly lashed together with thongs, 

 and so closely resembles the Alaskan type that one would be i^er- 

 lectly excusable in mistaking it for the latter.^ It appears diflS- 

 cult to determine the period when the pipe appeared first on the 

 extreme northwestern coast of America, and equally so to deter- 

 mine Avhence it came, its form in many respects resembling more 

 nearly the Chinese than the Japanese type, though there are accounts 

 of the Eussians having in the last century attacked Japanese islands 

 and brought away prisoners to Kamtschatka, pipes being referred 

 to among articles enumerated as taken at the same time. The extent 

 of communication between Kamtschatka and the Japanese is little 

 known, though Japanese was taught at Irkutsk about 1807, accord- 

 ing to G. E. Von Lingsdorf, who says: "It is worthy of remark that 

 by command of Her Imperial Majesty, the late Empress Catherine, the 

 Japanese language was taught, and the teacher of it was a native of 

 Japan." ^ 



Cook informs us that, in 1778, of the islanders near Kamtschatka 

 there were few who did not both chew, smoke, and take snuff, a luxury 

 which he truthfully says bids fair to always keep them ijoor.' 



It is known that about 17G4 the Kamtschatdales "sometimes smoked 

 tobacco" which they received from Europe." 



"It is said that the Kamtschatdales knew the use of iron even before 



'Teuts of the Tuski, p. 176, London, 1853. 

 -Siberia iu Asia, p. 149, London, 1882. 

 "R. T. Pritchett, Ye Smokiana, j). 66. 



^Voyages and Travels, 1803-1807, Pt. 2, pp. 297, 381, London, 1813. 

 ■'•Voyages to the Pacific Ocean, p. 513, London, 1784. 



"The History of Kamtschatka and the Kurilski Islands, p. 276, translated by 

 James Grieve, M. D., Gloucester, 1764. 



