MI-KUOCH.] CROOKED KNIVES. 157 



Simpson (op. cit., p. 200) as brought for sale by the Nunatafiminn, who 

 obtained them from the Siberian natives, ai d which he believes to be 

 carried as far as the strait of Fury and Hecla. It would be interesting 

 to deeide whether the stone limiting knives were an original idea of the 

 Eskimo, or whether they were copies, in stone, of the first few iron 

 knives obtained from Siberia; but more material is needed before the 

 matter can be cleared up. 



The natives of Point Barrow, in ordinary conversation, call all knives 

 savlk, which also means iron, and is identically the same as the word 

 used in Greenland for the same objects. If, then, there was a time, as 

 these people say, when their ancestors were totally ignorant of the use 

 of iron and the large number of stone implements still found among 

 them is strongly corroborative of this the use of this name indicates 

 that the first iron was obtained from the east, along with the soap- 

 stone lamps, instead of from Siberia. Had it first come from Siberia, as 

 tobacco did, we should expect to find it. like the latter, called by a 

 Russian or Siberian name. 



Like all the Eskimo of North America from Cape Batlmrst westward 

 the natives of Point Barrow use for tine whittling and carving on wood, 

 ivory, bone, etc., &quot;crooked knives,&quot; consisting of a small blade, set on 

 the under side of the end of a long curved haft, so that the edge, which 

 is beveled only on the upper face, projects about as much as that of a 

 spokeshave. The curve of blade and haft is such that when the under 

 surface of the blade rests against the surface to be cut the end of the 

 haft points up at an angle of about 45. This knife differs essentially 

 from the crooked carvi ig knife so generally used by the Indians of 

 North America. As a rule the latter has only the blade (which is 

 often double edged) curved and stuck into the end of a straight haft. 

 These knives are at the present time made of iron or steel and are of two 

 two sizes, a large knife, mi dllfi, with a haft 10 to -!() inches long, intended 

 for working on wood, and a small one, savigro n (lit. &quot;an instrument for 

 shaving&quot;), with a haft (5 or 7 inches long and intended specially for cut 

 ting bone and ivory. Both sizes are handled in the same way. The 

 knife is held clow to the blade between the index and second fingers of 

 the right hand with the thumb over the edge, which is toward the work 

 man. The workman draws the knife toward him, using his thumb as a 

 check to gauge the depth of the cut. The natives use, these knives with 

 very great skill, taking off long and very even shavings and producing 

 very neat workmanship. 1 



There are in the collection four large knives and thirteen small ones. 

 No. 89^78 [787J (Fig. 113) will serve as the type of the large knives. 

 The haft is a piece of reindeer antler, flat on one face and rounded on 

 the other, and the curve is toward the rounded face. The flat face is 

 hollowed out by cutting away the cancellated tissue from the bend to 



Compare this with what Capt. Parry nays of the workmanship of the people of Iglnlik (2d Voy.,p. 

 336). The almost exclusive use of the double-edged pan na is the reason their work is so &quot;remarkably 

 coarse anil clumsy.&quot; 



