The Material Culture of the Eskimo in West Greenland. 147 



1. Ernangnaq, 71, the feathered shaft or little shaft, lighter 

 and shorter than the following, and provided at the hinder end with 

 two parallel plates of bone to balance and steer it. 



2. Unâq, 395, the knobbed shaft or long shaft, generally longer 

 and heavier than the foregoing, without feathers at the hinder end, but 

 often with a bone knob to balance it. In some districts unâq is as 

 short and thick as a lance-shaft. 



Both these harpoon shafts are made preferably of red drift-wood 

 (pingeq, Larix sp.), while that of the shorter and thicker form of unâq 

 is often made of paler coloured and also lighter wood {Picea sp.). 



Shafts for bladder-dart and bird-dart are always made of light, 

 and also pale coloured wood {iinarsivik, 395, Picea sp.), lance-shafts of 

 any kind of wood at hand. 



All these shafts with the most important of their accessories and 

 the terms for these, are described fairly exphcitly by Fabeicius, and 

 later, amongst several others, by Nansen. Collocations of the Green- 

 land terms are found in Rybeeg. 



In order to enable one to throw these weapons far and surely a 

 throwing stick, (norssaq, 255) which is a sort of sling contrivance 

 and increases the length of the arm, is used. The form and construction 

 of the throwing sticks vary, partly according to the shaft for which they 

 are intended, partly according to the use and wont of the district con- 

 cerned and the caprice of the user. In accordance with the shaft for 

 which they are intended, two main types, connected with an intermediate 

 type, can be distinguished. A little behind the centre the long and 

 heavy unâq has two ivory pegs which fit tightly into a couple of holes 

 in the throwing stick, so that a jerk is necessary to loosen the throwing 

 stick when the weapon is thrown (see below description to Fig. 14, A). 

 Ordinarily nowadays, this throwing stick also fits the lance, but this is 

 often thrown without a throwing stick, and then various finger-rests 

 of bone are fixed in the shaft, and thus it was formerly with the unâq 

 also. This throwing stick has, then, two holes and a groove running 

 through its entire length for the reception of the shaft. 



The light darts must be such that they can be thrown further, and 

 the bird-dart, especially, such that it can be thrown high. At the hinder 

 end they are provided with a button of hard bone, upon which the throw- 

 ing stick has to act. Consequently, the upper end of the stick is curved 

 slightly upwards, and here is inserted a bone nail, the point of which 

 acts on the rear button of the shaft. The remainder of the throwing 

 stick has a groove in which the shaft lies; but there is no peg in the 

 shaft and, therefore, no hole either in the throwing stick. Consequently, 

 a dart-shaft cannot balance in the groove of the throwing stick without 

 being held fast with the fingers. This a unâq can do, as the friction 

 of the pegs is great enough to hold it. In order to save space on 

 the kayak the throwing stick always fits both forms of dart. 



