40 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



VOL. 73 



!i il 



im 



Fig. 26. — L o w B B 

 part of pibb- 

 making set (on 

 one end is gum 

 fob cement). 

 Cat. No. 1978, 

 U.S.N.M. Mac- 

 kenzie R I V E B, 

 British Colum- 

 bia. Collected 

 Bx B. R. Ross 



hearth' is a square block of soft wood with three 

 central holes. (Fig. 28.) 



The other parts of this set are also worthy of 

 consideration. The mouthpiece is set with a square 

 piece of black stone. The part held in the mouth 

 is very much chewed. One of the wings has a hole 

 for tying, as has the hearth. 



This is an imusual Eskimo precaution to prevent 

 small objects from being lost in the snow. The drill 

 is short, being only 7 inches long. The bow is the 

 fibula of a deer, pierced at each end for the frayed 

 thong of sealskin. It has a primitive look, but it 

 admirably serves its purpose. 



The Point Barrow set was collected by the most 

 successful expedition under charge of Lieut. P. H. 

 Ray, United States Army. The 

 knucklebone of a deer serves as a 

 mouthpiece, the cup cavity and its 

 general shape fitting it for the pur- 

 pose admirably. 



The drill is regularly made of 

 light pine wood; it is slightly 

 smaller in the middle . The hearth 

 is a rudely rounded piece of pine. 

 A fragment has been split off, and 

 on this surface a groove has been 

 cut and three fire holes bored 

 along it. The thong is without 

 handles; it is used to tie the parts 

 together when they are not in use. 

 A bunch of willow twigs, the down 

 of which is used as tinder, is also 

 shown. (Fig. 29.) 



This set is especially interesting, 

 because it shows the degeneration 

 of an art. The fire drill is so rarely 

 used at Point Barrow, John Mur- 

 doch says, that it was not possible 

 to get a full set devoted to that 

 purpose. Those here shown are a 

 m akeshif t . The method only sur- 

 vives by the conservatism of a few 

 old men of the tribe, who still cling 

 to old usages. One of these made 

 the drill for Lieutenant Ray, tell- 

 ing him that it was the kind used in 



Fig. 27. — Lower part 



OF fire - MAKING 



SET. Cat. No. 

 19 6 3, U.S.N.M. 

 Eskimo of Mac- 

 kenzie River, Brit- 

 ish C OLU m BI A. 



Collected by B. 

 R. Ross 



