Weapons and Implements for hunting on Land. 



The wooden Bow and Implements for twisting 

 the Backing. 



The Eskimo bow stave has two main forms; it is either straight 

 or has its ends bent up Hke the Tatar bow Both forms often occur 

 in the same regions.^ 



In finds from West Greenland the straight form is most com- 

 mon.^ According to the eleven how staves in the National Museum 

 at Copenhagen, it may be described as a rather flat bow with 

 usually only a slightly rounded belly; the thickness gradually 

 increases towards the grip; the breadth does not vary greatly; the 

 grip, it is true, is narrower, and the limbs taper towards the end, 

 their extreme part, however, often widening again. None of the spec- 

 imens preserved have the end-pieces of bone mentioned by Fabricius. 

 The bow varies greatly in length, which is usually considerable. 

 Of nine bows for adults^, five are from 141 to 1-47 metres long; 

 three smaller specimens are 1-21, Г29 and 135 metres respectively; 

 the largest attains the considerable length of 159 metres. It has 

 had a backing of cords or sinew; at the point where the shorter 

 strands have been carried round the bow stave, the width of the 

 latter diminishes ahrubtly, which prevents the strands from slip- 

 ping inwards towards the middle; this point occurs, according to 

 the length of the bow, 21—39 cm. from the end. 



The "Tatar" form of the bow is, however, also represented, 

 although by only three specimens, viz. two bow staves from Disco 

 Island and one bow with the backing of cords and sinew preserv- 

 ed*. The exact origin of the latter is unknown; it was found 



' Murdoch II; Boas I, pp. 502 et seq.; Mason II. Since this was written has been 

 issued "The Greenland Bow" by Kaj Birket-Smith (Medd om Grønl. vol. LVI). 



^ Fabricius II, pp. 235 et seq. The same form is seen in two paintings in the 

 Museum, from 1654 and 1724 res]3ectively (cf. Bahnson, vol I, p. 232). 



3 One which is only 98 cm. must be regarded as a child's bow. 



* Birket-Smith II, p. 15, Fig. 2 a. 



