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PROCEEDINGS OP THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



VOL. 73 



plan is like the charring of the linen rags used in the old-fashioned 

 tinder boxes of 40 years ago. The Eskimo then puts the tinder into 

 a little round, flat pouch, with a flap in the middle. (Fig. 41, 1.) 



The pyrites (fig. 42, 3) looks like a short pestle, to much of which 

 appearance the repeated scraping has no doubt given rise. The up- 

 per end is concave, while the lower end has the original smooth sur- 

 face of the concretion. Pyrite is found at Point Barrow in spherical 

 masses of various sizes up to several pounds in weight. These spheres 

 are nearly always cracked in two and scraped on the plane surface 



for very obvious reasons. This 

 gives the shape seen in Fort 

 Simpson and Long Barrows 

 specimen. Mr. Murdoch says 

 that the Eskimo think that 

 P3'rites comes down from above 

 in meteors. They^ call it " fire- 

 stone. " A native related that 

 in old times they did not use 

 flint, but two pieces of pyrites, 

 and got "big fire. " 



The flint (fig. 42, 4) is an ob- 

 long piece of chert, square at 

 the base and rounded at the 

 forward end. It is more elab- 

 orately made than the flakes 

 so numerous in Europe, one of 

 which was found with the piece 

 of pyrites in the English Bar- 

 rows. The Mackenzie River 

 scraper is more like the curved 

 ancient one. In most cases the 

 flints used are not mounted in 

 a handle; this specimen, however, is fixed in a handle made of 

 two pieces of wood held together by a thong of seal skin. (Fig. 42, 

 4a.) 



The bag (fig. 41, 2) is made of reindeer skin. The little bag that 

 hangs from the larger has a double use ; it is a receptacle for reserve 

 tinder, but its chief use is for a toggle; being passed under the belt it 

 prevents the loss of the outfit, which is said to be carried by the 

 women. 



An oblong pad, stuffed with deer hair, is sewed to the mouth of the 

 firebag to protect the hand from sparks and blows of the flint. 



Fig. 41.— 1. Tinder pocket. 2. Fire bag. 

 (Part of strike-a-light set.) Cat. No. 128405, 

 U.S.N.M. Mackenzie River District, British 

 Columbia. Collected by E. P. Herendeen 



