cULIN] ARCHERY: ESKIMO 387 
with a mark on them counted differently from the plain ones, or how long the 
game lasted, each side taking its turn of casting at the opposite stake. 
He, however, got the impression that the winning side kept the 
twisters belonging to their opponents. Mr. Nelson informs me in a 
letter that a similar game is played with the same implements at 
Norton sound. 
Eskimo (Western). St Michael, Alaska. 
Mr E. W. Nelson * describes the following games: 
A round block about 6 inches long is cut into the form of a large 
spool, but with the flaring rim of one end replaced by a sharpened point. 
The top is from 24 to 3 inches across and has a deep hole in the center. 
This spool-like object is planted in the floor of the kashim with the large 
end upward, and an indefinite number of players gather around it 
seated crosslegged on the floor. Near the spool is a small pile of 
short sticks, of uniform size, used as counters. These, with a small, 
pointed wooden dart, in size and shape almost exactly like a sharp- 
ened lead pencil, compose the implements of the game. The first 
player takes the butt of the dart between the thumb and forefinger, 
with its point upward and his hand nearly on a level with the spool. 
Then he gives the dart a deft upward toss, trying to cause it to takea 
curved course, so that it will fall with the point downward and remain 
fast in the hole at the top of the spool. If he succeeds he takes one of 
the counting sticks from the pile and tries again; when he misses, the 
dart is passed to the next player, and so on, until the counters are all 
gone, when the players count up and the one haying the most count- 
ers is the winner. Ordinarily this game is played by men, women, 
or children merely for pastime, but sometimes small articles are 
staked upon the outcome. It is a source of much sport to the players, 
who banter and laugh like school children at each other’s bad play. 
Dart-throwing (yokh’-whtk) . . . This is played in the kashim 
by two or more persons, usually for a prize or stake. The darts are 
small, short, and made of wood, largest at the point and tapering 
backward toward the butt, in which is fastened a bird quill for guid- 
ing the dart in its flight. In the large end of the dart is fastened a 
sharp spike of bone, horn, or sometimes of ivory. The target is a 
small, upright stick of some soft wood planted in the floor. This 
may be placed in the middle of the room and the players divided into 
two parties, seated on opposite sides of the target, or it may be 
placed on one side of the room and the players seated together on the 
other. In the former case a man is appointed from each side to return 
the darts to the throwers and to give each player a counter when a 
point is made. Each player has two darts, which he throws one after 
the other, and a score is made when a dart remains sticking into the 
target. Ten small wooden counting sticks are placed on the floor by the 
target, and one of these is given for each score; the side gaining the 
most of these counters takes the prize, and the game begins again. 
At Cape Nome, south of Bering strait, a similar dart game was seen, 
but there the target was a square board-like piece of wood with a dark- 
colored bull’s-eye painted in the center. This was set up in the kashim 
and the men and boys threw their darts at it. scoring when they hit 
the bull’s-eye. The wooden portion of the darts used in this game, 
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Ethnology, p. 332, 1899. 
