MUKIHICII.1 



ANTLEIt CHISELS. 



173 



on reindeer antler. Of the eight specimens collected No. Sfl. Wli [SS4], 

 Fig. 143, has been selected as a type of the antler chisel (kl fmusa). The 

 blade is of steel, and the haft is of reindeer antler, in two longitudinal 

 sections, put together at right angles to the plane of the blade, held 

 together by a stout round bone treenail -i inches from 

 the butt. The square tip of the blade is beveled on both 

 faces to a rough cutting edge. Fig. 144 

 (No. 89, ?01) [10(H)| lias a small blade with 

 an oblique tip not beveled to an edge, 

 and a haft of walrus ivory yellowed from 

 age. and ornamented with rows of rings, 

 each with a dot in the center, all incised 

 and colored with red ocher. The two 

 parts of the haft are fastened together 

 by a stout wooden treenail and a ittitcli of 

 whalebone. 



The rest of the steel-bladed chisels, 

 four in number, are all of about the 

 same size and hatted with antler. The 

 blades are somewhat irregular in shape, 

 but all have square or oblique tips and 

 no sharp edge. Three of them have 



FIG. 143. Antler 

 chiael. 



Flu. 



- A nt ler 



the sections of the haft put together as described, and fastened by a 

 treenail and a whipping of seal twine or sinew braid at the tip. One 

 has the two sections put together in the plane of the blade and fastened 

 with a large copper rivet, which also passes through the 

 butt of the blade, and three stout iron ones. The hafts 

 of all these tools show signs of much handling. The 

 remaining two specimens have blades of black flint. No. 

 89(i:57 (1207), has a haft of walrus ivory,jof the usual 

 pattern, fastened together by a bone treenail and two 

 stitches, one of sine^w braid and one of seal thong. 

 The lashing of seal twine near the tip serves to mend 

 a crack. The haft is old and rusty about the slot into 

 which the blade is fitted, showing that it originally 

 had an iron blade. The flint blade was probably put 

 in to make it seem ancient, as there was a special 

 demand for prehistoric articles. No. SiM&amp;gt;r&amp;gt;;5 [129UJ, Fig. 14.5, is nothing 

 but a fanciful tool made to meet this demand. The haft is of light- 

 brown mountain sheep horn, and the blade of black flint. Such flint- 

 bladed tools may have been used formerly, but there is no proof that 

 they were. 



Whalebone shares. There is in use at Point Barrow, and apparently 

 not elsewhere among the Eskimo, a special tool for shaving whalebone, 

 a substance which is very much used in the form of long, thin strips 

 for fastening together boat timbers, whipping spear shafts, etc. The 



