70 



TRANSACTIONS OF TH i: CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



[Vol. IV. 



The object in view while .spreading" the skin in its wooden frame is to 

 remove its " mack " or inner cuticle. This is accomplished by means of 

 bone scrapers * which arc; everywhere essentially the same, but whose 

 form or even material varies accordini,^ to the tribe by which they are used. 



Fi 



■'H- 53- 



/i size. 



Thus the Tsijivoh'tin scraper (Fig. 53) is of bear bone and wedge-like 

 in form. The skin wrapping shown in the cut is quite often wanting. 



t'ig- .S4- 'A size. 



The Carrier scraper (Fig. 54) is of cariboo bone and shaped somewhat 

 Hke a chisel. Its main peculiarity consists in the teeth cut in its edge to 

 prevent its slipping too easily over the skin and ensure better gripping 

 power. Identical implements are at times found as relics ot extinct 

 races in many parts of the northern American continent, and I still 

 remember how the perplexity as to their probable destination evi- 

 denced through the lines of an antiquarian, who some years ago was 

 describing one of them, brought home to me the advantages enjoyed, 

 even from an archaeological standpoint, by persons actually passing their 

 life among the aborigines. 



ig. 55. }4 size. 



AmoncT the Tse'kehne the skin scrapers are of cariboo horn, thinned 

 and reduced to the form of that delineated in fig. 55. A piece of buck- 

 skin wrapped around the end held in the hand facilitates the handling of 

 that rather awkward implem Mit. The serrated edge of the Carrier 

 scraper is also reproduced by the Tse'kehne. Or indeed it is quite as 

 likely that the Carriers have learned this peculiarity from the Tse'kehne, 

 who in their turn have borrowed it from the Crees and other Algonquian 



' 3t'ia-iihv.'>/, "it scrapes (by peckini;) the flesh side." 



