210 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [r.mx. r,3 



Bow: Curved self bow; length, from a little over a meter to 1.34 

 and 1.60 m.; section, ovate tiiangle or rounded sector with apex 

 toward cord; shape, thickest in center, tapermg to rounded points at 

 ends; string, of twisted sinew; attachment of string, a iiinning or bow- 

 knot at one end, wound and knotted at other. Arrow: Head, trian- 

 gidar, stemmed and barbed, of stone, bone, or glass, 2-8 cm. long, 

 the stem fitted into a socket in the shaft and lashed with sinew; no 

 foreshaft; shaft, 63-76 cm. long, slightly thicker in middle and taper- 

 ing toward ends; feathering, two half feathers, 3-4 cm, long, lashed 

 radially to shaft with veiy fine sinew or gut. Quiver: Rectangular, 

 of sewii skin. 



The Yahgan and Alacalufan bows, arrows, and quivers are not only 

 in essentials, but also in most all of the above details, identical, as far 

 as our information goes, wdth those used by the Onas (cf. Hyades, q, 

 298, 300, 360-361, pi. xxx, figs. 3-8; Skottsberg, c, 96; Cunmngham, 

 122; Martial, 192; Weddell, 180; Fitz-Roy, a, 184; Narb rough, 66; 

 Coppinger, ill. opp. p. 34, figs. 6-7). 



There are, however, minor differences. The Yahgan bows seen by 

 Weddell (180) and Admiral Fitz-Roy (a, 184) were smaller, being, 

 respectively, 3 feet 8 inches and 3 feet to 4 feet long, and most of the 

 former had strings of seal thong. The Alacalufan bows and arrows 

 are not as well made as the Onan (Cojazzi, 124), while, according to 

 Dr. Lovisato (h, 138, also cited by Colini, 159), the Alacalufan arrow 

 shafts are a little shorter (cf. also Skottsberg, c, 96) — somewhat more 

 than 60 cm. — and less smoothly polished, the heads less skillfully 

 chipped and less securely tied to the shaft, and the quivers smaller 

 and less carefully sewn. The Alacalufan arrows seen by the de Cor- 

 doba expedition were 2 to 3 Spanish feet long (Vargas Ponce, a, 346; 

 b, 25; Spanish foot = 10.968 inches), while a bow collected by Bou- 

 gainville is only about 35 inches long (Hyades, q, pi. xxx, fig. 3). The 

 Yahgans have never been reported as using a quiver. 



According to Drs. Cojazzi (45) and C. Gallardo (275-276), the Onas 

 fonnerly chipped their flint arrowheads by percussion, although they 

 use the pressure method now. The statement anent the Onas' former 

 use of percussion needs confirmation; as far as our information goes, 

 all three Fuegian tribes used pressure with usually a bone flaker 

 (Lista, 6, 129, Manekenkn; Segers, 67-68; Lovisato, h, 137-138, also 

 cited in Hyades, q, 361-363; Martial, 203; Coppinger, 119-120; 

 Topinard, 775-776, "pression ou ecrasement"). See full description 

 of niethods: Onan, in SQgers, 67-68; Lovisato, h, 137-138; C. Gal- 

 lardo, 275-276; Cojazzi, 45; Alacalufan, in Coppinger and Topinard, 

 11. c. 



Among all the Fuegian tribes glass has almost entirely replaced 

 stone and the less commonly used bone as the material for arrow- 

 heads. 



