66 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. 



THE USE OF THE THROWING STICK BY THE 

 ESQUIMAUX. 



Everything that exists should have a reason for its existence ; 

 so I must tell you why I am before you to-day. Prof. Goode, the 

 assistant director of this museum, came up on my balcony the 

 other day, and asked me if I would not read a short paper to you 

 on some one of my studies connected with fishing among the 

 savage people of the world. So it is at Prof. Goode's request 

 that I am here this afternoon, to say a few words about the use 

 of the instrument known as the throwing-stick by the Esqui- 

 mau in fishing. 



In the east north range of the National Museum you will see 

 many specimens of modern apparatus for capturing fish, and 

 probably in the next case you will see the savage apparatus for 

 the same purpose ; and you will be astonished over and over 

 again at the similarity between the modern and savage forms. 



Scarcely a week passes in which some patent office examiner 

 does not come to the museum to examine the collections to see 

 whether that for which a patent has been claimed is not merely 

 a duplicate of something invented years and years ago. Patents 

 have been claimed for things used in the days of Abraham, Isaac 

 and Jacob. 



One of the most interesting implements invented by savages 

 is the little wooden instrument which I am now going to show 

 and explain to you. 



In southwestern Greenland, the eastern part of Labrador, 

 mouth of the McKenzie river, Point Barrow, Bristol bay, Norton 

 sound and Kodiac island this instrument is in use. From Sitka 

 to Columbia river grow the great cedar trees, out of which 

 these immense dugout canoes are made, in which the navigator 

 carries a long spear, twelve or fifteen feet in length, and on the 

 end of that a harpoon used for whales. 



The Esquimau almost lives in his kyak or skin boat, and is so 

 securely fastened in that any accident to the boat is certain 

 death to him. Were he to use his spear alone in making a 

 lunge, he would overturn his boat and expose himself to greater 



