ABORIGINAL AMERICAN HARPOONS. 



225 



flukes (fiof. 18). On this wooden sluuik. the butt end of which fits loosely 

 into the so( ket of tlic shaft, is a proiectioii to hold the striniiTonnootino- 

 head and shaft. This tribe of Indians belonu'. as their name shows, to 

 the Dene or Tinne Indians, whose home is in central Alaska and the 

 western portion of the Dominion of Canada. This Athapascan famil}' 

 is represented on the Pacific coast also by the Hupa. Wailaki, Saiaz, 

 and many other tribes given by Powell (1891. p. 55). The time of 

 their mio'ration is not known, but extensive movements have taken 

 place since the coniino- of the w'hites. They have added nothing- to 

 the inventions of the localit3^ The barbed harpoon 

 blade, with barlis also on its shank, is widespread. 



Sixty years ago Wilkes described harpooning at Walla 

 Walla, on the Columbia River, as very much like that 

 at Willamette Falls, except there is no necessity for 

 planks to stand on. The Indians use hooks and spears 

 attached to long poles, both of which are made to 

 unship readily and are attached to the pole by a line 

 1 feet l)elow its upper end. If the hook were made 

 permanently fast to the end of the pole, it would be 

 liable to break and the large fish more difficult to take. 

 The Indians are seen standing along the walls of the 

 canals in great numbers fishing. It is not uncommon 

 for them to take twenty or twenty-five salmon in an 

 hour.' AVilkes brought home one of their harpoon 

 heads, which is coml^ined barbed and toggle, made up 

 as follows: The head is of iron, triangular in shape, 

 with a large barb on one side. The shank is set in 

 between two pieces of bone, which serve three pur- 

 poses, namely, to hold the shank firmly, to become two 

 spurs at their outer ends, and to form a socket for the 

 end of the shaft b}'' the hollow between them. The 

 line or leader is laid on the joint between them and the 

 whole lashed secui-el}' together and dipped into hot pitch 

 of many strand braid. 



One of the oldest pieces in the U. S. National Museum. Cat. No. 

 1439. collected by Lieutenant Whipple, is of similar type, only there 

 is not a bit ol iron about it. So far as its materials and form are con- 

 cerned, it might have come down from aboriginal times. The blade is 

 of bone, having two large flukes or barbs on one side cut out. In this 

 example also the spurs at the butt end. which form the toggle, are of 

 bone. The leader joining the head to the shaft is a strap of rawhide. 

 The blade, spurs, and line or leader are neath' joined together with 

 thread and pitch, so as to provide a socket for the end of the shaft. 



1 



Fig. 18. 

 / 



BARBED HARPOON 

 HEAD. 



Xiiltnnne Indians, 

 Oregon. 



Collected by ,1. Owen 

 Dorsey. Cat. No- 

 ISl.S.'iS. U.S.N.SI. 



The line is 



* Charles Wilken, P>xploring Expedition, IV, p. 384. 



