HARPOON CROTCHES. 



341 



from [Ttkisivwlfi ) is made of reindeer antler, a substance much more easily 

 worked than the ivory, as the soft interior tissue exposed by cutting the 

 upper side Hat is readily carved out. As with the walrus tusk, the 

 natural curve of the material gives the proper inclination to the handle. 

 It is 18-3 inches long. 



When the umiak is fitted out for whaling a stout U-shaped crotch of 

 ivory or bone, about 7 indies long and .&quot;&amp;gt; wide, is lashed between the 

 gunwales where they meet at the bow. In this the heavy harpoon 

 rests when they are approaching a whale. It is only used when 

 whaling. The Museum collection contains specimens of this sort from 

 as far south as the Diomede Islands. 



We brought home live specimens of these ku nnu, of which No. .&quot;ilJ510 

 [1.1 7 1 Fig. 347 has been selected as 

 the type. This is made of two bilat 

 erally symmetrical pieces of white wal 

 rus ivory, each piece consisting of one 

 arm of the crotch and half the shank. 

 Its total length is 7-8 inches. The two 

 pieces are held together by a stout 

 wooden tree-nail, and above this a 

 lashing of sinew-braid, lodged in two 

 dee]) vertical channels one on each 

 side of the shank just below the arms, 

 and wedged above and below on both 

 sides with slips of wood. A hole is 

 drilled through each side of the butt 

 close to the end, and through these, a 

 lashing is stretched across the reen- 

 tering angle of the butt consisting of 

 four turns of sinew braid with the end 

 closely wrapped round the parts between the holes, and neatly tucked in. 



Just at the bend of each arm is a small round becket hole, running 

 obliquely from the back to the outer side. In each of these is a neat 

 becket, about J inches long, made of several turns of sinew braid, with 

 the end neatly wrapped around them. These beckets serve to receive 

 the lashings for attaching the crotch to the gunwales. All the orna 

 mental figures are incised and blackened. 



Three ot the remaining four specimens are of walrus-ivory, and of 

 essentially the same pattern, differing only in ornamentation and other 

 minor details. Xo. o(!511 [110], from TJtkiavwIn, is almost exactly like 

 the type &amp;lt;ind of very nearly the same sixe. It is fastened together with 

 a lashing only, but no treenail, and the beckets have been removed from 

 the becket holes. The border is colored with red ocher, and there are 

 two whales tails instead of one on the shank. The other two have the 

 tips of the arms carved into the shape of whales heads. No. 89418 

 [l-L 4], Fig. . 548. from Utkiavwln, is otherwise of the same, shape as 

 those &quot;already described, but is lashed together with stout seal thong, 



Flo. H47 Ivory crot&amp;lt;-h for harpoon. 



