ABT. 14 PIBE-MAKING APPARATUS HOUGH 49 



the true mouthpiece nor any bow has been procured by the Museum 

 from this interesting region, from whence there are copious collec- 

 tions of ethnological objects. The cords without handles are worthy 

 of notice. 



Another set from Bristol Bay is said by its collector, Charles McKay, 

 to be used by both Eskimo and Indians. It is a very valuable outfit 

 because of its completeness. (Fig. 36.) The hearth is a rounded 

 piece of wood wdth four large holes opening by slots onto the step. 

 The drill is a thick, tolerably hard piece of close-grained wood like 

 the hearth. The mouthpiece has no regular block for the teeth grip, 

 but has a crescentic gash on each side instead. It is set with a socket 

 of a rock resembling marble. Nearly all the mouthpieces south of 

 Norton Sound are in the shape of seals or other long animals. Cord 

 handles are used attached to a thick thong of buckskin. Fungus is 

 used for tinder and a blaze is started with cones of the larch. These 

 are kept in the box, the lid of which is tied on with a thong. 



Kodiak, the lowest limit of the western Eskimo, is as far south as 

 the four-part fire drill extends by specimens in the Museum. (Fig. 

 37.) The hearth is of cedar wood with three central holes with a 

 connecting groove. It is neatly finished. The drill is also of cedar 

 and bears the marks of the use of a thong; the top has also been used 

 in the socket of a rest. The drill approaches in length those used 

 for twirling between the hands by the Indians. 



While the Aleutians use flint and steel, or a stone containing quartz 

 and pyrites, struck against another stone, they still make use of the 

 four-part drill at certain times. Hunting parties, says L. M. Turner, 

 carry the drill to use when their matches run out. It takes two men 

 to work it, one holding the hand rest and the other pulling the thong. 

 The spindle is made of harder wood, so as to wear the light dust which 

 ignites, from the hearth. A moment only is necessary to get fire; 

 this is fed with tinder made of willow catkins and powdered charcoal. 

 Sometimes, in order to get fire, they hold tinder at the mouth of a 

 gun and ignite it by firing off a light charge of loose powder. 



Possessed of four methods of getting fire, the Aleutian is superior 

 to more fortunately situated people who depend wholly on matches. 



Pump drill, — It appears probable that the pump drill is of Asiatic 

 origin as there are frequent occurrences of this implement in Asia. 

 There is also a pretty uniform distribution of the pump drill across 

 Siberia. Some western Eskimo and Indians use the pump drill for 

 fire making, and it is possible that it was disseminated in Nearctic 

 Canada and the United States at an early period and surviving now 

 in only a few places, as among the Iroquois. 



