THH MAN S KNIFE. 



737 



\ 



held bj^ a seizing of line rawhide thong. One end of the thong is 

 driven into the groove end of the handle, a favorite method of fasten- 

 ing otf among the Eskimo. The other end is fastened off by simply 

 drawing it through a dozen turns of the seizing. There are no knots 

 tied. The handle is of fine spruee wood in tiie shape of a knee, and 

 chamfered on the back to lit the thumb. This is an unusual shape 

 among handles. Length of blade, 5 inches. 



I'll 



TWO-HANDED CURVED KNIFE, SHdWINU STRrCTURE AND JIETHOD OF USINf). 



Yakutat, Alaska. 



Cat. No. nsi9i;, U.S.N.M. 



Murdoch declares that the Point Barrow Eskimo have two styles or 

 sizes of carver's knives, one large Midlin, with a haft 10 to 20 inches 

 long, for wood working, and a small one, Savigron (instrument for 

 .shaving), with a haft to 7 inches long, for working bone and ivory. 

 The knife is held close to the blade between the index and second 

 fingers of the right hand, with the thumb over the edge, which is 

 toward the workman. Murdoch speaks in great praise of the skill of 

 the carver.' 



' Ninth Annuiil l\e]>ort of tlie IJuruau of Ethnology, p. 157, fig. 113. 

 NAT MUS 07 47 



