ABORIGINAL SKIN-DRESSING. 567 



time depends on the season of the year ; for if it be in the height of the 

 deer-killing the poor squaw has her hands full of labor, since she must 

 not only remove the skins from the carcasses, but prepare the flesh for 

 drying, smoking, or other manner of preserving it for the future. To 

 these labors are to be added the other domestic duties which fully oc- 

 cupy the shortening days of the year, and often cause her to express a 

 wish that the deer were less plentiful for the time being. When a num- 

 ber of reindeer skins have been collected they are wetted and thrown 

 into a pile, where they are allowed to decompose or ferment until the 

 hair is loosened in its follicle. The process may be inspected from time 

 to time, and when advanced to a proper state a skin is taken from the 

 heap to undergo the act of depilation, which is effected in the following 

 manner. (Plate LXVII, Fig. 1.) 



The radius or large bone of the fore-leg of the reindeer is cleaned of 

 its flesh and one side of the shaft or central portion of the bone is re- 

 moved, leaving two sharp edges. One ei\ge is dull or rounded for rea- 

 sons which will appear clear in the manner of using the scraper. The 

 other or outer side (for the instrument is to be held in a certain way) is 

 rendered sharp, so as to form an edge, but not so keen as to cut the pelt. 

 The skin is now placed upon a ahott beam of wood about .'> or 4 inches 

 in diameter and long enough to reach obliquely from the abdomen of 

 the standing person to the ground at a convenient distance, say 4 feet 

 in length. Over this beam the skin is laid with the hinder part of the 

 skin towards the person, so as to allow the edge of the scraper to work 

 against the layer of hair. The scraper is now seized with one end in 

 each hand and applied to the portion of the skin lying in contact with 

 the beam. A skilful push dislodges the hair, and the skin appears clean 

 and free from hair wherever the edge of the boue has scraped its sur- 

 face. The process continues until each part of the skin is brought un- 

 der the edge of the scraper and the work is complete. This instrument 

 is also employed to remove the excess of water from a skin that has 

 been wetted to bring it into the degree of pliability desired. It is em- 

 ployed in the same manner to remove the scurf from the skins of the 

 white whales ( Delphinaptenis calodoti), captured in goodly numbers each 

 year near Fort Chimo. (I must here add that the Whale River (Fort 

 George) Indians perforin this labor, as the Naskopis consider the whale 

 too oily a creature for them to work, ft only proves that the employ- 

 ment of this instrument is not confined to the Naskopi Indians.) 



If should be understood that this form of aboriginal beaming-knife is 

 employed for removing the hair from reindeer skins that are to be con- 

 verted into parchment (raw hide) or into buckskin. It is to be remarked 

 that the scraper is used only after the flesh side of the skin has received 

 attention. The flesh side requires another form of instrument to effect 

 the removal of the skin-muscles, ligaments, and adherent fat. An in- 

 strument is especially made for removing that part. The heel bone of 

 the reindeer is cut very obliquely at the lower end, so that the Hat edge 



