■n.iiNKK I TATTOOING. 207 



this trip. Tlic skins of birds arc removed in a peculiar niaiiiier. The 

 wings are out oft' at tlio body, and tlirough the incision ail tlie llesii and 

 bones are talcen out. Tlie sliin is tlieu turned inside out. Tlu; gn^ase 

 is removed by scraping and chewing. Tlie sliin is dried iind preserved 

 for wear on the feet or for the imrpose of cl(?ansing tlie liands, wliich 

 have become soiled with blood or other oll'al in skinning large game. 



When the season arrives for hunting the reindeer for their skins, 

 with wliicli to make clothing for winter, the women licl]) to (iieparc the 

 ticsh and bring the wood and water for the camp, while the men are 

 ever on the alert for the herds of deer on the land or crossing the 

 water. The women hang the skins over |)oles uiilil the greatiM' ])ortioii 

 of the animal mat ter is dry, when they roll them up an<l store Ihcm 

 away until the party is ready to return to the permanent camp for the 

 winter. ITere the skins collected are carefully examined and suitable 

 ones selected for winter garments. 



The skins are moisteiusd with water and the adherent fleshy jiarti- 

 cles are removed with a knife. They are then roughly scrajicc! and 

 again wetted, this time with urine, which is supposed to render Ihcm 

 more pliable. The o])eratioii is practically the same as that of tanning 

 sealskins. The hair is, of course, left on the skin. When the skins 

 are finally dry and worked to the required pliability, they arc cut into 

 shape for the various articles of apparel. The thread used in sewing 

 is simply a strip of sinew of the proper size. The libers are separated 

 by splitting off a suflQcieut amoimt, and with the finger nail the strip is 

 freed from all knots or smaller strands which would prevent drawing 

 through the needle holes. The thread for this purpose is never twisted 

 or plaited. The necdhs is one procured from the trader. Small bone 

 needles, imitations of tlics(\ are sometimes used. Tn former years the 

 bone needle was the only means of carrying the thread, but this has 

 now, except in the rarest instances, been entirely superseded by one 

 of metal. 



The thimble is simply a jiiece of stift' sealskin sewed into a ring 

 half an inch wide to slip on the first finger, and has the same name as 

 that member. In sewing of all kinds the needle is pointed toward the 

 operator. The knife used in cutting skins is the same as that pre- 

 viously described. Stdssors are not adapted to cutting a skin which 

 retains the fur. So far as my observations goes, scissors are used only 

 for cutting textile fabrics jirocurcd from the store. 



In the use of a knife women acquire a woiid(!rous dexterity, guiding 

 it to the desired curve with much skill, or using the heel of the blade 

 to remove strips which may need trimming ofi". 



TATTOOING. 



In former years the women were fancifully tattooed with curved 

 lines and rows of dots on t\w face, neck, and arms, and on the legs up 

 to mid-thigh. This custom, however, fell into disuse because some 



