288 



THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



pressed against the He-shy part of the palm which serves as a cushion 

 and is protected by wearing a thick deer-skin mitten. The tool is firmly 

 grasped well forward in the right hand with the thumb on top of the 

 blade and by pressing the point steadily on the edge of the flint, flakes 

 of the desired size are made to fly off from the under surface. 



These tools vary little in pattern, but are made of different materials. 



KlQ. 279. Flint Makers. 



Hard bone appears to have been the commonest material for the blade, 

 as three out of the seven blades are of this substance. One specimen 

 (No. 80263 [796] from Utkiavwln) has a blade of iron of the same shape 

 but only 2 inches long. No. 81)2&amp;lt;i4 [1001] also from Utkiavwin, Fig. 

 279, has a short blade of black flint flaked into a four-sided rod 1 

 inches long. This is held in place by a whipping of stout seal thong 

 tightened by thrusting a splinter of wood in at the back of the groove- 

 Two specimens (Nos. 89L&amp;gt;60[794] Fig.279Z&amp;gt; and 89261 [1216| 

 both from Utkiavwin) have blades of the peculiar Nnisstiknan 

 concretions previously described. Each is an oblong pebble 

 wedged into the groove and secured by a lashing as usual. 

 No. 89260 [794] has a haft of antler. This is rather the com 

 monest material for the haft. Two specimens have hafts of 

 walrus ivory and three of fossil ivory. The length of the haft 

 is from (i to 8 inches, of the blade 1-5 to 4-7 inches. Fig. 280 

 (No. 89265 |979] fromNuwuk) is t-he haft of one of these tools, 

 made, of fossil ivory, yellow from age and stained brown in 

 blotches, which shows the way in which the groove for the 

 blade was excavated, namely, by boring a series of large round 

 holes and cutting away the material between them. The re 

 mains of the holes are still to be seen in the bottom of the 

 groove. The tip of this haft has been roughly carved into a 

 bear s head with the eyes and nostrils incised and filled with 

 t^ ac ^ dirt, illl( ^ * ue eves ) nostrils, and mouth of a human 

 of flint Maker, face have been rudely incised on the under side of the butt 

 and also blackened. All this carving is new and was done with the 

 view of increasing the market value- of the object. The- original orna- 

 mentation consists of an incised pattern on the upper surface of the 

 butt, colored with red ocher which has turned black from age and dirt. 



