40 NAirh-AL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



^oiiKMi. One tliinjj;- is, lliey get more freshly killed skins to prepare, and 

 then 11 ley generally liavo a surplus stock of the winter's eat<li AvJii<'li 

 they could not take care of by the slow process of drying over the. 

 lanii)s in the huts during winter. The skins of the young in the white 

 coats are dried in some considerable quantities, as it takes about lifti'en 

 to laake a single suit of clothes, and many have double suits made from 

 this material. They have no idea of any tan, and i)repare llie skins 

 merely by rubbing them with their skin-scrapers. 



\Vc insert a sketch of a very old skin-scraper, such as are now found 

 only in the oM graves. It is iiiinle of stone, with a wooden handle, 

 which is fastened to the stone by means of a strip of whalebone. An- 

 other and later i)afctern is made from the scapula of a reindeer. A bet- 

 ter idea of its make can be got from the sketch than by a description. 

 Such scrapers are still in use, but serve as a sort of auxiliary to a scraper 

 made ftom a tin can, resembling a little scoop in shape, and having a 

 v. ooden handle. This is the style of scraper made at the present day, 

 and is by far the most eilective instrument of the three. The manner 

 of using these scrapers is to take the skin lirmly in the left hand and 

 ])utting the knee or foot upon tlu' lower part of it holding it securely, 

 while the scraper is worked witli tlie rigid hand, pushing downward 

 with some force. If the skins are very dry, when they begin they are 

 somewhat softened by rubbing with the hands, or even chewing the 

 most stubborn i)arts. They continue using these tools upon a hide 

 till it gains the desired ])liability. All tlie work of stretching, drying, 

 cleaning, washhig, and softenhig the skins falls upon the women. 



The skins of Phoca harbata are stretched on a frame like those of the 

 lietsick, but not till the liair has been removed. The ctilliug of tlie hair 

 is one of the nastiest and most disgusting sights on<' can imagine. It gen- 

 erally falls to the lot of some old woman to do this. The skins are allowed 

 to lie and become somewhat imtrid, a portion of (he blnblM^r remaining on. 

 The only tool used is the woman's kuil'e belore iiieiit ioiied. ^Vll»•n about 

 to clean one of these skins, the squaw takes olf her boots, stockings, and 

 jKintaloons, and, tucking her feet under her body, lays this dirty, bloody, 

 greasy, stinking skin on her bare thigh, the llesh side down. She th(>n 

 pusltcfi the knife <i;/tiiii.st th<' hair, culling, <»r ralher shaving it olf. As 

 her hand becomes too oily lo hold on lo the skin, sho puts her lingers 

 into her mouth, and thus <-leans thnu. \\ lien ])roi)erly cleaned, it is 

 dried in the manner already spoken ol', «'\((']it that the ba<'k an<l belly 

 of the animal are drietl separately, as the skin is ditVer«'nt on those por- 



