SEAL HAKPOONS. 



231 



sively for retrieving seals that liave been shot in open 

 holes or leads of water within darting distance from the 

 edge of the solid ice, and is thrown precisely as the 

 walrus harpoon is, except that the end of the, line is 

 held in the left hand. In traveling over the ice the 

 line with the head attached is folded in long hanks 

 and slung on the gun case at the back. The rest of 

 the weapon is carried in the hand and serves as a staff 

 in walking and climbing among the ice, where the 

 sharp pick is useful to prevent slipping and to try 

 doubtful ice, and also enables the hunter to break 

 away thin ice at the edge of the hole, so as to draw 

 his game up to the solid floe. It can also serve as a 

 bayonet in case of necessity. This peculiar form of 

 harpoon is confined, to the coast from Point Barrow to 

 Bering Strait, the only region where the seal is hunted 

 with the rifle in the small open holes of water. 



Since my nole in the Naturalist was written, 1 have 

 learned from Mr. Henry Balfonr, of the museum at Ox 

 ford, that their collection contains two or three speci 

 mens of this very pattern of harpoon, undoubtedly col 

 lected by some of the officers of the Blossom. Conse 

 quently, my theory that the retrieving harpoon was a 

 modern invention, due to the introduction of firearms, 

 becomes untenable, as the Blossom visited this region 

 before firearms were known to the Eskimo. It was 

 probably originally intended for the capture of seals 

 &quot;hauled out&quot; on the ice in the early summer. There is 

 no doubt, however, that it is at the present day used 

 for nothing but retrieving. 



Though this weapon was universally used at Point 

 Barrow, we happened to obtain only two specimens, 

 possibly because the natives thought them too neces 

 sary an implement to part with lightly. No. 800(17 

 [1695], Figs. 224, 225, has a new shaft, etc., but was 

 used several times by the maker before it was offered 

 for sale. Such a retrieving harpoon is called naiillgi:. 

 The shaft (ipua) is of ash, 4 feet &quot;&amp;gt; inches long and 1 

 inch in diameter, tapering very slightly to each end. 

 The ice, pick (tun) of walrus ivory, 14 inches long and 

 1 inch wide, has a round tang fitting into a hole in the 

 butt of the shaft. Close to the shaft a small hole is 

 drilled in one edge o&quot; the pick, and through this is 

 passed a bit of sea ~ iong, the ends of which arc laid 

 along the shaft and neatly whipped down with sinew 

 braid, with the end wedged into a slit in the wood. 



Flo. 224. Retrieving 

 sea! harpoon. 



1 See tbe writer s note on this weapon. American Naturalist, vol. 19, jt. 423. 



