78 



THE ESKIMO ABOUT RERINCI STRAIT 



[eth.ann. 18 



pierced with a series of lioles, through which cords are passed and 

 wrapped around the handle to give a stronger grip. A double cord, 

 about two inches in length, with a knob made from a little roll of cloth 



at its upper end, is attached to the 

 handle, and serves for buttoning this 

 implement to the belt so that it may 

 be carried conveniently. 



Another specimen from Cape Prince 

 of Wales (figure 21, 3) consists of a 

 long, tajjering piece of ivory, nearly 

 flat on one side and beveled to three 

 surfaces on the other; the handle has 

 a series of notches along each border. 

 Strongly curved beaters of deer- 

 horn, similar to those found on St 

 Lawrence island and the lower Yukon, 

 were observed in use among the na- 

 tives of the eastern Siberian coast. 



SNOW SHOVELS AND ICE PIOKS 



In the region visited, the Eskimo use 

 wooden or bone shovels for clearing 

 away snow from around their iiouses 

 or for excavating the snowdrifts. 



Picks of walrus ivory or deerhorn 

 are also used for removing frozen snow, 

 for cutting holes in the ice for fishing, 

 and for other purposes. 



A fine wooden snow shovel from 

 Point Barrow is represented in plate 

 XXXV, 4. The blade is broad, nearly 

 flat, and formed of three pieces, held 

 together by means of lashings of 

 whalebone passed through holes bored 

 for that purpose; the lower edge of 

 the wood is fitted by a tongue into a 

 groove, in a sharp, flat piece of walrus 

 ivory, which is fastened by a series of 

 wooden pegs. A blue bead is inlaid 

 on the upper part of the blade near 

 the handle. The handle is IS inches 

 in length and subtriangular in cross 

 section ; the upper end is bound with 

 braided cord of sinew, to give a firm grip for the hands, while on the 

 lower end, near the blade, is a lashing of whalebone. 



Figure 22, 2, from St Lawrence island, is a rude shovel made from a 



Fui. 22— Snow shovels (jV). 



