MriiDorii.] 



TOOL BOX, TOOL HAG. 



187 



braid, and, gradually growing too short by being broken and knotted 

 together again, was lengthened out with whatever came to hand. 



No. 89802 [1593], Fig. 1052*, is a large box, of a very peculiar shape, 

 best understood from the figure. The outside is much weathered, but 

 appears to have been roughly carved, and the excavation of the box 

 and cover is very rudely done, perhaps with a stone tool. A hole in the 

 larger end is mended by a patch of wood chamfered off to fit the hole 

 and sewed on round the edges with &quot;over-aud-over&quot; stitches of whale 

 bone. The string is arranged in permanent loops, under which the 

 cover can be slipped off and on. 



The arrangement, which is rather complicated, is as follows: On one 

 side of the box, one-half inch from the edge and about 7 inches from 

 each end, are two pairs of holes, one-half inch apart. Into each pair is 

 fastened, by means of knots on the, inside, a loop of very stout sinew 

 braid, 3 inches long, and similar loops of seal thong, 5 inches long, are 



Fio. 16._Tool bag of wolverine skin. 



fastened into corresponding pairs of holes on the other side. A piece 

 of seal thong is fastened with a becket-hitch into the loop of seal thong 

 at the small end of the box, passes through both braid loops on the 

 other side, and is carried over through the loop of seal thong at the 

 large end. The end of the thong is knotted into one of the pairs of 

 holes left by the breaking away of a stitch at the edge of the wooden 

 patch above mentioned. 



All these boxes are very old and were painted inside with red ocher, 

 which has turned dark brown from age. Tools are nowadays kept in a 

 large oblong, flat satchel, Ikquxbwin, which has an arched handle of 

 ivory or bone stretched lengthwise across the open mouth. These bags 

 are always made of skin with the hair out, and the skins of wolverines 

 heads are the most desired for this purpose. The collection contains 

 four such bags. No. 8!7!)4 [1018], Fig. 100, is the type of these bags. 

 The bottom of the bag is a piece of short-haired brown deerskin, with 



