156 



THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



haft are held together, not by rivets, but by a close spiral lashing of 

 stout seal thong exteuding the whole length of the haft. No. S9293 

 [1830], Fig. llli, from Utkiavwlii, has a peculiarly shaped blade, which 

 is a bit of some steel tool imbedded in the end of a straight bit of 

 antler 4 inches long. One of these knives, not figured, is evidently 

 part of the blade of an old-fashioned curved case knife. It is stamped 



FIG. 111. Small iroii knives. 



with the name &quot;Wilson,&quot; and underneath this are three figures, of 

 which only &amp;lt;^&amp;gt; can be made out. This may be a table knife bought or 

 stolen from the Plover in 1852- 54. 



There is in the collection one large double-edged knife (Fig. 112, No. 

 89298 [Hfi2]) of precisely the same form as the slate hunting knife (Fig. 

 103) and Mr. Nelson s jade knife previously mentioned. The blade is of 

 thick sheet iron, which has in it a couple of rivet holes, and the haft 

 of reindeer antler in two sections, held together by a large copper rivet 



Flo. 112. Iron hunting kllUe. 



at each end and a marline of sinew braid. Each edge has a narrow 

 bevel on one face only, the two edges being beveled on opposite faces. 

 There are a small number of such knives still in use, especially as hunting 

 knives (for cutting up walrus, one man said). They are considered to 

 be better than modern knives for keeping off evil spirits at night. As 

 is not unusual, the antiquity of the object has probably invested it with 

 a certain amount of superstitious regard. These knives are undoubtedly 

 the same as the &quot;double-edged knives (paii -na)&quot; mentioned by Dr. 



