TCRNEE.] 



WEAPONS. 



315 



struck. Reiudeer antler is substituted for the ivory of the Eskimo 

 weapon. The blades are of copper or iron and riveted in. These 

 spears are 8 or 10 feet long. 



The snare (Fig. l^O) forms one of the less important methods of 

 procuring these animals. It is of parchment made from the skin of the 

 reindeer cut into thin narrow thongs. Several of these strauds, usually 

 three, are ])laited together to form a layer; and of these layers three 

 are plaited together to form the snare line. It often is made, however, 

 of three single strands cut somewhat wider and creased so that they will 

 lie well when the three are plaited. The more strands the greater the 



Pig. 140. — Reindeer snare. Nenenot. 



flexibility of the line, but as there mast be a certain amount of stiff- 

 ness to hold it in position the many strands must be woven more 

 tightly together. The length varies from 10 to 20 feet, and at the 

 end is a loop formed by turning the strands back and splicing them. 

 Through the loop the other end is passed, and the noose is made. 



When a herd of deer is discovered in a fiivoi-able locality the people 

 of the vicinity are informed and hasty preparations are made. 



The effort is to cause the deer to pass through a narrow defile con- 

 taining bushes. The snares are then placed in position by tying the 

 free end of the line to a suitable tree and suspending the noose where 

 the heads or antlers will bec(mie entangled. Some are placed so that 

 when the foot is lifted the noose is carried along and tightens ou it. 



