ABT. 14 



FIRE-MAKING APPARATUS HOUGH 



31 



Our knowledge of eastern Greenland has been very much increased 

 by the explorations of Holm and Garde, who reached a village on 

 the east coast never before visited by a white man. Extensive col- 

 lections were made, both of information and specimens. In refer- 

 ence to fire making, Mr. Holm reports : 



They make fire by turning a hard stick, of which the socket end is dipped in 

 train oil, very rapidly around by means of a sealskin thong with handles. This 

 stick is fixed at one end into a head set with bone, and the other end is pressed 

 down into a cavity on the lower piece of wood- (Fig. 23.) Therefore there 

 must be two persons in order to make a fire. One turns the drill with the 

 cord while the other presses it down on the hearth ; both support the block 

 with their feet. As soon as the dust begins to burn they fan it with the hand. 

 When it is ignited they take it and put it into dried moss (sphagnum), blow it, 

 and soon get a blaze. In this way 

 they make a fire in an incredibly 

 short time. '' 



In the preliminary report, 

 Mr. Holm gives the time at 

 almost less than half a min- 

 ute. It was made by the 

 Eskimo, Illinguaki, and his 

 wife, who, on being presented 

 with a box of matches, gave 

 up their drill, saying that 

 they had no further use for it. 



In the same report Mr. 

 Holm gives an interesting 

 note. He says: 



This fire apparatus is certainly better developed than that which has been 

 described and drawn by Nordenskiold from the Chukchis." The principle is the 

 same as the Greenlander's drill, which they employ for making holes in wood and 

 bone, and which is furnished with a bow and mouthpiece.*' (Fig. 24.) 



The central holes of this hearth are worthy of note, occurring in 

 the farthest eastern locality of. the Eskimo, and in Labrador. 

 " Western Greenland. — The material in the Museum from western; 

 Greenland is very scanty. The southern coast has been settled for 

 so long a time that the Eskimo and many of their arts have almost 

 become extinct. No view of fire making in Greenland would be com- 

 plete without Davis's quaint description of it, made 300 years ago, 

 but it was the upper end of the spindle that was wet in trane. A 

 Greenlander "begaune to kindle a fire in this manner: He tooke a 



M Danish Umiak Expedition to Eastern Greenland, 1888, p. 28. PI. 14 contains the figure.. ' ' 

 '* Voyage of the Vega, vol. 2, p. 126. ' ' 



»* Danish Umiak Expedition. Preliminary Report, p 208. This seems scarcely what would be inferred 

 from the development of these inventions. 



Fia. 23.— FiRE-MAKINQ SET. ANQMAQSALIK 



Eastern Qeeenland. Copied from Q, 



ETHNQLOaiSE AF ANaMAGSALIKERNE, 1887 



Eskimo, 

 Holm's 



