The Material Culture of the Eskimo in West Greenland. 195 



for the blade, the socket for the foreshaft, the angular barb, and 

 especially the large line hole cut straight across the body of the 

 toggle head. In the primitive examples this last feature cost the 

 maker a great deal of trouble. He had to bore two holes slanting 

 toward each other and meeting inside, to unite these by removing 

 the rough surface, and to separately prepare grooves to receive the 

 line." 



The latter remark I do not understand, as it would seem that 

 the complicated holes and grooves could be produced more easily 

 with the help of machinery than with the Eskimo's primitive tools, 

 so that even if the importance attaching to the various forms of the 

 line holes was not comprehended, yet, at least, the less complicated 

 form would have to be considered as being the more primitive one. 

 But that the author's judgement in this matter is not wholly trust- 

 worthy appears from the fact, that this harpoon, notwithstanding 

 the beauty and perfection of its execution is a thrusting harpoon 

 (kapissiniut) of ancient form, and one which has actually had a 

 stone blade! There is no rivet hole and if nothing more can be 

 seen on the specimen in question than is to be seen on the drawing, 

 I do not hesitate to declare that it may well have been made with 

 stone tools. 



If a man took an old stone knife and started cutting a walrus 

 tooth with it in the same manner as he sharpens his pencil with a 

 pen-knife it would be a most tedious task indeed before a harpoon 

 was turned out. Even if the Eskimo had more time as well as more 

 patience than we, I think, nevertheless, that he would hesitate before 

 he began. But the Eskimo had another and more efîective method 

 of working. From the above statement by Mason, and from similar 

 statements by other authors, I must presume that this method of 

 working is not known at all, but neither my own knowledge nor the 

 literature which I here have at my disposal allows me to speak with 

 certainty regarding this point. Amongst the Greenlanders, however, 

 the working method of the stone knife is not only well known, but 

 the method itself and the grips are used to this very day; the old 

 method from the stone-age has as a matter of course been 

 found practical for, and has been converted to the use 

 of the modern steel knife, and it is dispensed with only 

 when a vice, a file and half a dozen other up to date tools 

 can be afforded. 



Before describing this method we must consider the handles of 

 some knives which together with the bow-drill have been used as 

 universal tools for the production from bone and wood of weapons 

 and various parts of instruments. 



Fig. 41 shows five different bone-handles for stone knives. Fig. 41, 

 A is of antler, somewhat unfinished. At the one end an oval hole 



