The Material Culture of the Eskimo in West Greenland. 213 



Fig. 47, В and С are old Ulos from Hunde Eiland, В is almost 

 worn out; C, nearly eaten away by rust. 



Fig. 47, D, Handle of Ulo (kimagtut, 178) of European manu- 

 facture. Hunde Eiland. 



Fig. 47, E is another specimen from Sarqaq, made from the bone 

 of a Caribou. 



Various Tools, especially for Skin dressing. 



Fig. 47, F is the handle of whale's bone of a skin scraper. 

 {kiliortût, 177). The blade was of stone and was fitted into a groove 

 by a lashing of sinew thread. At the back countersunk grooves 

 proceed from the hole. Kronprinsens Eiland. 



Fig. 48, Л is a diminutive boot- stretcher {kangmiut, 166) of 

 whale's bone, formed like a boot or rather like the conventional shape 

 of a tigussaut (see below). It is intended for use when travelling, as 

 for instance, when Caribou-hunting, when a large boot-stretcher of 

 regular size would be cumbersome to carry. The tooth of a seal is 

 tied by a piece of sinew thread to the boot-stretcher; it has been in 

 use as putugkisit (see below) during necessary repairs to the boots. 

 The boot-sole, after it has been dried, is daily moulded along its edge 

 over the edge of the boot-stretcher. 



As a couple of indispensable little tools for boot-sewing may here 

 be mentioned — the sole-pucker (tigussaut, 363) and the loop -awl 

 (putugkisit of putuaq, the loop on the edge of the boot-sole, through 

 which the boot-lace is put, 303). The sole of a Greenland boot is 

 formed like a barge, where the sides are so high, that wearing away 

 of the seam, where it is joined to the upper-leather, is impossible. 

 At the sides it is simply bent upwards, but in order to make it rise 

 at the heel, and bend upwards and backwards at the toe, the edge 

 has to be gathered into innumerable fine folds. Only a woman skilful in 

 needle-work can perform this task so cleverly, that the boot in that 

 place, becomes perfectly tight. These puckers are gathered with a 

 tigussaut, which generally is made of the tusk of a walrus or of a 

 sharpened and finely ground and polished stone. Fig. 48, B, D, F and G 

 show some forms made of ivory; form F is especially common here. 

 But as a rule, the form of the implement is rather immaterial; if the 

 tool is too small, the fingers get too tired; and if it is too large, the 

 woman has difficulty in seeing what she is doing. Only the edge is 

 of importance; it must be absolutely flawless; it must not be able 

 to cut, and yet be somewhat sharp. Hard varieties of bone are 

 therefore preferable to metal. И the tool becomes blunt, it is 

 sharpened on a fine-grained whetstone. 



