112 



THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT 



[ETH. ANN. 18 



No implements of this kind were seen among the Eskimo elsewhere 

 in the region visited, and it is quite possible that the St Lawrence 

 islanders obtained the idea from some of the whaling ships which stop 

 so frequently along their shore. 



FIG. 31 Sinew spinner from St Lawrence island. 



r TOOLS 



For dressing and tanning skins several different implements are 

 used, the most important of which are scrapers for cleaning the fat and 

 water from the surface, and polishers for the purpose of softening the 

 hide. From the lower Kuskokwim to the northern part of Norton 

 sound and the coast of Bering strait, stone-blade scrapers with long 

 handles are the prevailing style, although on the coast and islands of 

 Bering strait a short-handle scraper is frequently seen, while from 

 Kotzebue sound northward they are all of the latter type, with the 

 handle made to fit the hand and elaborately carved. 



Plate XLlx, 17, from Big lake, represents one of these scrapers of 



