282 



THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



This hook would not hold the lish unless it were/&quot; gorged, &quot; but the vora 

 cious burbot always swallows its prey. In dressing these fish for the 

 table, whitefish of considerable size were frequently found in them. 

 The line is of whalebone like those already described but a little stouter, 

 78 inches long, and made of seven pieces, all black. The end of the line 

 is fastened into an eye in the small end of a rough club-shaped sinker of 

 walrus ivory, 4f inches long. There is another eye at the large end of 

 the sinker, for the attachment of a leader of double, sinew braid 5 inches 

 long connecting the hook with the sinker. 



The reel, which serves also as a short rod, is of yellow pine 10 J inches 

 long. When the line is reeled up, the hook is caught into the wood on 

 one side of the reel. No. 80545 [040] is a similar set of baited tackle, 

 bought from the same natives, differing from the preceding only in pro 

 portions, having a longer line feet and G inches and a somewhat 

 larger bait. We also jH-ocured two sets of burbot tackle unbaited. 



One of these (No. 56543 [33] from Utkiavwffi) has a whale 

 bone line 14 feet long, and a roughly octahedral sinker of 

 walrus ivory 3 inches long and 1 in diameter. The hook, 

 which is joined to the sinker as before by a leader of stout 

 sinew braid, is of the second pattern, with serrated edges, 

 and a copper hook. The leader is neatly spliced into this. 

 The other, No. 50544 [187], also from ITtkiavwIn, has no sinker 

 and a hook with a club-shaped body and iron spur. It was 

 probably put together for sale, as it is new. The sinkers, of 

 which Ave collected five, besides those already mentioned, are 

 always about the same weight and either club-shaped or 

 roughly octahedral. They are always of walrus ivory and 

 usually carelessly made. Fig. 273 (No. 50577 [200]) repre 

 sents one of these sinkers (kibica), on which there is some 

 attempt at ornamentation. On the larger are two eyes 

 and the outline of a mouth like a shark s, incised and filled 

 in with black refuse oil. 



A similar line and reel are used for catching polar cod in 

 the spring and late winter through the ice at some distance 

 from the shore. These lines are 10 or 15 fathoms long, and 

 provided with a heavy sinker of ivory, copper, or rarely 

 lead, to Avhich are attached by whalebone leaders of unequal 

 length, two little jiggers like Fig. 274 (the property of the 

 writer, from ITtkiavwIn). This is of Avhite walrus ivory, 2 

 inches long and g in diameter at the largest part. The 

 two slender hooks are of copper and are secured by 

 wedges of whalebone. This makes a contrivance re 

 sembling the squid jigs used by our fishermen. These 

 jiggers are sometimes made wholly of copper, Avhich is 

 scraped bright. Fl - ? *- 



This fishery begins with the return of the sun, about the ] 



FlO. 273 

 Ivorv sinker. 



