42 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



VOL. 73 



Fig. 29.— Firk-making set (with mouthpiece of 

 deer's knucklebone, thong, and tinder of wil- 

 low CATKIN). Cat. No. 89822, U.S.N. M. ESKIMO 

 Point Barrow, Alaska. Collected by P. H. 

 Bay 



the transverse section of one 

 would be a parabola. They are 

 in general more finely wrought 

 than any of the prehistoric drills 

 found in various localities all 

 over the world. Prehistoric 

 man was an adept in the art of 

 drilling stone, bone, and shell; 

 the stone tubes, some of them 

 18 inches long, bored very truly, 

 are triumphs of the American 

 Indians. Without doubt the 

 prehistoric drill points were 

 mounted like the Eskimo spec- 

 imen, and were, perhaps, twirled 

 between the hands, the almost 

 universal method of using the 

 fire drill. Japanese carpenters 

 drill holes in this way. 



The winged mouthpiece is 

 also a good example of work- 

 manship. It is set with a mot- 

 tled, homogeneous stone that is 

 tolerably soft, which gives a 

 minimum friction. This stone 

 is much affected by the tribes 

 over quite an extent of coast for 

 labrets, etc. It is probably an 

 article of trade as are flints. 

 The bow is of walrus tusk, accu- 

 rately made, but poorly engrav- 

 ed in comparison with the life- 

 like art work of the southern 

 Eskimo. 



Another drilling set is from 

 Sledge Island. The Museum 

 has no fire-making specimen 

 from this locality. The drill 

 stock is set with a point of jade- 

 ite lashed in with sinew cord. 

 The bow is of walrus ivory; it 

 is rounded on the belly and flat 

 on the back. All Eskimo bows 

 of ivory have a like curve, no 

 doubt determined by the shape 



