216 THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



of these three spears darted into the seal in succession is said to be suf 

 ficient to fatigue the seal so that he can be easily approached and dis 

 patched. We never saw these weapons used, though they are very com 

 mon, as they are intended only for use from the kaiak, which these people 

 seldom use in the neighborhood of the villages. When in the umiak, 

 shooting with the rifle is a more expeditious means of taking seals. We 

 collected three sets of these darts (kukigu). 



No. 89240& [523], Fig. 203, has been selected for description. The shaft 

 is of spruce, 54 inches long, and 0-8 inch in diameter at the tip, tapering 

 slightly almost to the butt, which is hollowed on the end to fit the catch 

 of the throwing board. The foreshaft is of white walrus ivory 5 inches 

 long, and is fitted into the tip of the shaft with a wedge-shaped tang. 

 This foreshaft, which has a deep oblong slot to receive the head in the 

 middle of its flat tip, serves the double purpose of making a strong 

 solid socket for the head and giving sufficient weight to the end of the 

 dart to make it fly straight. The head is a simple flat barbed arrow-head 

 of hard bone 2-3 inches long and one-half inch broad across the barbs, 

 with a flat tang, broadest in the middle, where there is a hole for attach 

 ing the line. This head simply serves to attach the drag of the shaft 

 to the seal as it is too small to inflict a serious wound. It is fastened to 

 the shaft by a martingale made as follows: One end of a stout line of 

 sinew braid 5 feet long is passed through the hole in the head and se 

 cured by tying a knot in the end. The other end of this line divides 

 into two parts not quite so stout, one 3 feet long, the other 2 feet 8 

 inches. The latter is fastened to the shaft 18 inches from the butt by 

 a single marling hitch with the end wedged into a slit in the wood and 

 seized down with fine sinew. The longer part serves to fasten the fore- 

 shaft to the shaft, and was probably put on separately and worked into 

 the braiding of the rest of the line at the junction. The foreshaft is 

 kept from slipping out by a little transverse ridge on each side of the 

 tang. When the weapon is mounted for use the two parts of the bridle 

 are brought together at the middle of the shaft and wrapped spirally 

 around it till only enough line is left to permit the head to be inserted 

 in the socket, and the bight of the line is secured by tucking it under 

 the last turn. When a seal is struck with this dart his sudden plunge 

 to escape unships the head. The catch of the martingale immediately 

 slips; the latter unrolls and drags the shaft through the water at right 

 angles to the line. The shaft, besides acting as a drag on the seal s 

 motions, also serves as a float to indicate his position to the hunter, as 

 its buoyancy brings it to the surface before the seal when the latter 

 rises for air. 



The shaft is usually painted red except so much of the end as lies in 

 the groove of the throwing-board, in the act of darting. These darts 

 vary but little in size and material, and are all of essentially the same 

 pattern. They are always about 5 feet in length when mounted for 

 use. (The longest is 64 inches, and the shortest 57.) The head, as 



