The Greenland Bow. 9 
far back as the time of the “Skralings” first encounter with the Norse- 
men in the ancient settlements of West Greenland? It is further 
stated that the last of the Norse chieftains, the ‘‘UNGorTOoQ” mentioned 
in the folk-tales, was shot with a charmed arrow, fashioned from the 
drying-frame used by a barren woman? — the usual material accord- 
ing to West-Greenland beliefs, whereas on the East Coast it is an old 
woman’s “‘meat-stick”’ which is supposed to posses the magic power. 
In the earliest accounts, the bow is mentioned several times, though 
not described in detail®. Despite the doubtless very active commun- 
ication between the natives and foreign whalers in the 17th century, 
we find that in the days of Hans EGEDE, the bow still was an 
implement which every man possessed*; possibly this may have been 
due to the fact, that the sailors, who doubtless were not always over- 
considerate in their treatment of the Eskimo, found it to their own 
advantage not to provide the latter with firearms. Under the Danish 
régime, however, a rapid change took place. By the middle of the 
18th century, the bow had already become scarce®; ten years later, 
although it had not then disappeared, as stated by Cranz®, it had 
nevertheless ceased to be used “save by boys now and again for 
shooting ptarmigan”?. FABRICIUS, whose work in Greenland embraces 
the years about 1770, writes that it “may be regarded as a curio, save 
in the most remote regions to the north and east, far away from the 
colonies”®. In 1912 I have myself seen at Nanortalik, near Cape 
Farewell, a boy playing with a rudely made self-bow — the last, 
degenerated scion of the old, highly developed stock. 
The northern East Coast. 
On the wide tracts, now uninhabited, of the East Coast north of 
Angmagssalik, the bow was likewise not unknown. The end-piece of 
a backed bow was found by Amprup between Angmagssalik and 
Scoresby Sund®. CLAVERING, it is true, makes no mention of the 
1 Esk, Event. p. 205. 
2 Ibid. р. 204. 
3 e.g. Purcxas, р. 820. — Gronl. hist. Mindesm. р. 683. — OLEARIUS р. 87. — 
Feykes Haan, р. 81. 
cf. EGEDE, p. 56. 
cf. DALAGER, p. 15 and 19. 
CRANZ, p. 194. 
GLAHN, p. 230. 
Fagricius, Gronl. Landd.-, Fugle- og Fiskef. р. 235. — By “East” must 
either be meant the East Coast or the present Julianehaab District, which 
of course lies somewhat farther to the east than the remainder of the West 
Coast; though this does not appear to agree altogether with FABrıcıus’ usual 
custom. In the former case, however, the information must be due to some 
misunderstanding (cf. notes above). 
THALBITZER, p. 406. 
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