216 THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



oC tlifsc tlircp s)>(':ns darted into the seal iu succession is said to be siif- 

 liciciil to fatiffiu- the seal so tliat he cau be easily approached and dis- 

 ])atclic(l. We never saw these weapons used, though they are very com- 



II ,as they are intiMided only (iiruse from the kaiak, whieli these jieople 



seldom use in the nei.uhliorh 1 of the villages. Wlien in the iimidl; 



si tins "'tl' tl'*' 'i'lt' ■'^ " """■'' exiiedirious means of taking seals. We 



collected three sets of these darts (kukigii). 



No. S'.)-2i'Jb \:>-S.i\, Fig. 203, has been selected for desori])tion. The shaft 

 is of si)ruee. •-)4i inches long, ami O-S inch in diameter at the tip, tapering 

 slightly almost to the hntt, which is hollowed on the end to fit the catch 

 of the throwing hoaiil. The foreshaft is of white walrus ivory 5 inches 

 long, and is tilted into the tij) of the shaft with a wedge-shaped tang. 

 This foreshaft. which has a deej) oblong slot to receive the head in the 

 middle of its Hat tip. serves the double purpose of making a strong 

 solid scickit for tlie head and giving sufficient weight to the end of the 

 dart to make it lly straight. The head is a simple iiat barl)ed arrow-head 

 of hard Ihiiic L'-.'> inches long and one-half inch broad iicross the barbs, 

 with a Hat tang, broadest in the middle, where there is a hole for attach- 

 ing the line. This head simply serves to attach the drag of the shaft 

 to the seal as it is too small to inflict a serious wound. It is fastened to 

 the shaft by a martingale made as follows: One end of a stout line of 

 sinew laaid 5^ feet long is j)assed through the hole iu the head and se- 

 emed hy tying a knot in the end. The other end of this line divides 

 mio i\M> parts not i|uite so stout, one 3 feet long, the other 2 feet 8 

 inelK's. The latter is fastened to the shaft ISJ inches fi-om the butt by 

 a sin-le marling hitch with the end wedged into a slit in the wood and 

 seized down with tine sinew% The longei' ))art serves to fasten the fore- 

 shaft to the shaft, and was probably put on separately and worked into 

 thi' braiding of the rest of the line at the junction. The foreshaft is 

 kept from slii>])ing out by a little transverse ridge on each side of the 

 tang. When the weajion is mounted for use the two parts of the bridle 

 are liroiight together at the nnddle of the shaft and wrapped spirally 

 around it till only enough liiu' is left to iiermit the head to be inserted 

 in the socket, and the bight of the line is secured by tucking it under 

 the last turn. When a seal is struck with this dart his sudden plunge 

 to escape unshijis the head. The catch of the martingale immediately 

 slips; the latter unrolls and drags the shaft through the water at right 

 angles to the line. The shaft, besides acting as a drag on the seal's 

 motions, also ser\ es as a float to indicate his position to the hunter, as 

 Its bno.van.y l)rings it to the surface before the .seal when the latter 

 rises for air. 



The shaft is usually painted red exeejit so nmch of the end as lies in 

 the groove of the tlirowing boar.l, in the a<t of darting. These darts 

 vary but little in size and material, and are all of essentially the same 

 I.attern. They are always about r, feet in length when mounted for 

 use. (The longest is ti4^ inches, and the shortest 57.) The head, as 



