156 THE ESKIMO AHOUT BERING STRAIT [EXH.ANx.ts 



elsewhere iu Alaska. These bows are of the kiud generally in use, -but 

 some are made Avithout backing. At St Michael, and thence to the 

 northward, bows without sinew backing were common, but the majority 

 of all bows in this region have a backing of some kind. 



A large number of bows were collected which vary considerably in 

 formand style of backing. 



Figure 1, plate lx, illustrates a bow from Askinuk, narrowed and 

 thickened in the middle, where it is grasped by the hand ; thence it 

 broadens in eacli direction for a short distance and then narrows 

 toward the tips, where it is notched for the reception of the string. 



Figure 4, plate LX, from Nunivak island, is a bow with a heavy 

 sinew cable along the back, with three sets of cross-lashings to hold it 

 in position; the string is of twisted sinew. 



Figure 2, plate lx, from the lower Yukon, is backed with a single 

 heavy cable of sinew, with two cross-lathings near the ends and one in 

 th'.' middle. 



Figure 6, plate lx, is a bow from Askinuk, made with a single cable 

 as backing, which is held in position by fine cross lashings; to force ui) 

 and. tighten this backing two small wooden blocks, each notched on its 

 upper side, are inserted on one side of the middle. 



Figure o, plate lx, is a broad, heavy bow from Tununuk, with a sin- 

 gle cable along the back and a continuous lashing to hold it in position 

 along the inner two-thirds of its length. The string is of sinew, with a 

 wrapping of spruce root on the middle to afitbrd a good hold for the 

 fingers. 



Figure 7, plate lx, from Nunivak island, has a single cable along the 

 back, which is held in position by a continuous cross-lashing along 

 the middle third and one near each end; inserted under the cable in 

 the center of the bow is a long strip of ivory, flattened below and 

 grooved above, to receive the cable, which is intended as a strength- 

 ener'and to give elasticity. 



Figure 3, iDlate lx, from Unalaklit, has two flattened cables of sinew 

 along the back, with a thin layer of skin beneath them. They are held 

 in position by a continuous cross-lashing of sinew, which extends along 

 the entire length from within about six inches of the ends. 



Figure 8, plate lx, from Pastolik, has a single light cable along the 

 back, v/ith a cross-lashing extending about one-third of the length each 

 way from the middle. This bow has a double curve about one-fourth 

 of the length inward from each end; along the biick, in this curve, is 

 laid a piece of deerhorn, which is flat on the lower side for resting 

 upon the bow and grooved above to receive the cable. 



Figure 10, plate lx, represents a heavy bow obtained by Captain 

 Hooper on St Lawrence island. It has a double curve about eight 

 inches from each end and is backed with a series of braided sinew 

 cords, the ends of which are wound around the bow and form cross- 

 lashings for about eight inches from each end. 



Figure 11, plate lx, is a bow from Cape Vancouver, with a double 



