246 



THE HUDSON BAY ESKIMO. 



■WEAPONS AND OTHER HUNTING- IMPLEMENTS. 



m 



These people are now provided with firearms, which have entirely- 

 superseded the bow and arrow. 



The bow formerly used in this region appears to have been similar 

 to the one obtained from a party of East Main Tnnuit, who made their 



way to Fort Chinio. This bow has accord- 

 ingly been figured and described (Figs. CI 

 and 02— 90137). 



It. is made of larch wood and has a back- 

 ing of eight double strands of twisted sinew. 

 This sinew is in one piece sixteen times the 

 length of the bow. One end is looped and 

 passed over one "nock" of the bow and car- 

 ried back and forth from nock to nock eight 

 times. This backing has two turns of twist 

 put in from the middle to increase its elas- 

 ticity, and is lashed to the middle of thebow 

 with a stout thong of reindeer skin. The 

 bowstring is of twisted sinew with a loop at 

 3 each end. 



With this bow were seven arrows. Three 

 3 of these are for shooting reindeer and wolves. 

 5 They have an iron point set in a short fore- 



1 shaft of reindeer antler, and a wooden shaft 

 S about 10 inches long (Fig. 03). Three more 



'I ^ are pointed with large nails, one of which 



i has been beaten to a chisel-shaped point 

 "l (Figs. 64 and 65). They are intended for 

 = large game at short range, or for small 

 I game, such as hares and ptarmigan. These 

 six arrows are feathered with the tail feath- 

 ers of the raven. The last arrow is a sim- 

 ple shaft, without feathering or head, and is 

 intended for small game, such as a wood 

 hare crouching under a sprnce tree, or the 

 little red scjuirrel on the top of a low tree. 



In drawing the bow, the Innuit invariably 

 hold the arrow between the middle two fin- 

 gers of the right hand, and the string is 

 drawn with all four fingers, and i-eleased by 

 straightening them. 



The bow and arrows are carried in bow 

 case and quiver fastened together and slung 

 on the back. Fig. 66 represents a model (No. 32r>7) of such a bow case. 

 The bow case is made of buckskin and is of sufficient length to con- 



