TDKNER.] THE KAIAK. 239 



mucL varied in general sliixpe. There are two joints between the spear 

 point and the bone sluift head. Tliis enabk^s the spearpoint to be- 

 come easily detached when the game is pierced. If this were not so, 

 the bone or ivory would soon break with the violent motions of the 

 animal, and the implement would be rendered useless until repaired. 

 Thongs connect the various parts together, also connecting them with 

 the main shaft of the spear. A long line, usually left lying in a coil 

 just in front of the hunter, gives ample scope for play until the animal 

 is exhausted. If the sea is rough or the hunter unable to cope with 

 the quarry, the float, to be described below, is thro\vn over and the 

 seal or whale allowed to take its course, the hunter following and en- 

 deavoring to harass the animal as much as possible, giving it a stab 

 with the hand spear whenever occasion offers. 



In addition to the whale or seal spear, the hand spear, float, and 

 paddle, the kaiaker may have a wooden shaft, on the end of which are 

 three prongs of barbed iron, each prong 8 to 10 inches long, and set in 

 the form of a divergent trident. With this implement, small seals and 

 the white-coated young are killed. Birds, too, are sometimes speared 

 with this trident. 



The hand board, or implement with which certain spears are burled, 

 is a piece of wood of such shape that a description will give but little 

 idea of its form. It is about l-l inches long, flat, and has a groove on one 

 side into which the rear end of the spear shaft rests, and is supported 

 by the three Angers of the hand while the index finger fits into a hole 

 cut through the board, of the shape to accommodate that digit. The tip 

 of the finger rests against the shaft of the spear. Other notches 

 are cut along the side of the board to enable the three fingers to lie in 

 position to give a firm grasp on the end or handle of the board. The 

 thumb turns over so as to lie directly on the spear, to steady it, while 

 the other fingers give the spear the necessary straight motion when 

 the arm is drawn back and raised nearly perpendicularly. When it 

 reaches that position the motion is arrested and the fingers release the 

 imi)lenient held along the groove. The hand board or thrower is retained 

 and the spear recovered if the object has not been struck. If the 

 aim was good the spear remains attached to the struggling animal, 

 and the hand board is quickly placed under one of the thongs stretched 

 across the top of the kaiak. The jiaddle is held in the left hand and 

 ready for instant use. 



The paddle is quite heavy and of variable length, having long, nar- 

 row blades, wliicli are alternately dipped into the water. The use of 

 the paddle requires some practice before one becomes accustomed to it. 

 When in use the paddle rests on the edge of the hoop, forming the 

 rim of the hatch, and moves along it in the motion of propulsion. 



As the paddle dips into the water the dripping often causes the 

 clothing to become wet. To obviate this, these people use a piece of 



