HARPOONS. 



221 



The next step was to obtain greater penetration by substituting a 

 triangular blade of stone for the barbed bone point, with its breadth 

 still in the plane of the body barb. This blade was either 

 of slate (No. 89744 [909] from Nuwiik) or of flint, as in Fig. 

 212 (No. 89748 [928], also from Nuwiik). Both of these are 

 whale harpoons, such as are sometimes used even at the 

 present day. 



Before the introduction of iron it was discovered that if 

 the blade were inserted at right angles to the piano of the 

 body barb the harpoon would have a surer hold, since the 

 strain on the line would always draw it at right angles to 

 the length of the wound cut by the blade. This is shown 

 in Fig. 213 (No. 5&amp;lt;&amp;gt;(&amp;gt;20 [199], a walrus harpoon head from 

 Utkiavwlfi), which has the slate blade inserted in this posi 

 tion. Substituting a metal blade for the stone one gives 

 us the modern toggle head, as already described. That the 

 insertion of the stone blade, preceded the rotation of the 

 plane of the latter is, I think, conclusively shown by the 

 whale harpoons already mentioned, in spite of the fact that 



we have a bone har 

 poon head in the col- 

 lection, No. 89378 

 [1201], figured in 

 Point Barrow report, 

 which is exactly like 

 No. 89379 [795], ex 

 cept that it has the 

 blade at right angles to the plane 

 of the body barb. This is, how 

 ever, a newly made model in rein 

 deer antler of the ancient harpoon, 

 and was evidently made by a man 

 so used tothe modern pattern that 

 he forgot this important distinc 

 tion. The development of this 

 spear head has been carried no 

 further at Point Barrow. At one 

 or two places, however, namely, 

 at Cumberland Gulf in the east&quot; 

 and at Sledge Island in the west 



Fio. 213.-Harpoon head, bone and stone. ( as shown ill Mr. Nelson s COllCC- 



tion), they go a step further in making the head of the seal harpoon, 

 body and blade, of one piece of iron. The shape, however, is the 

 same as those with the ivory or bone body. 



FIG. 212. Har 

 poon head, bone 

 and stuiie. 



Compare, also, llio walrus harpooii iiguml by Capt. I*yon, Parry s Second (Voyage, I l. opposite 

 p. 550, Fig. 13. 



*Soo Kumlien, Contributions, p. 35, and Boas, &quot;Central Eskimo,&quot; p. 473, Fig. 393. 



