318 THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 
namental seam on the waterproof gut shirts. The stitches employed 
have already been described under the head of clothing (which see). 
They hold the needle between the thumb and middle finger, with the 
thimble on the forefinger (both are called by the same 
name, ti/kya) and sew toward them. This appears to 
be the regular Eskimo method of sewing. 
At the present day they are well supplied with steel 
needles (miksun) of all sizes and patterns, but formerly 
they used bone needles made from the fibula (amilyértin) 
of the reindeer. We collected sixty of these needles, 
eighteen of which appear to be old and genuine. ‘The 
rest were more or less carefully made for sale. Nika- 
waalu told us that once when he and a young man were 
out deer hunting a long distance from camp their boots 
gave out. Having killed a deer he made thread from 
the sinew, a needle from the bone, and with pieces of 
the skin repaired their boots, so that they got home in 
comfort. 
No. 89389 [1191], Fig. 325 will serve as the type of 
“9 these needles. This is a case 35 inches long, made of 
Fia. 325.—Quill ease of the butt of a large quill, closed with a plug of walrus 
bone needles. “ hide, and contains 6 needles. One is 1°8 inches long, 
stout, and round-pointed, with a large eye. It is much discolored from 
age. The second is also round-pointed but more slender, 1°9 inches 
long, and flattened and expanded at the butt. The third is 2:4 inches 
long, and has a four- 
sided point like a glov- 
er’s needle. All three 
of these are very neatly 
made and appear old. 
The other three are 
stout, roughly made, 
and flat, respectively 
2-1, 2:2, and 2:5 inches 
long. Two of them look 
suspiciously new. This 
set was said to have been 
the property of the wife 
of Puka, Nikawaalu’s 
father. 
Fig. 326a is a pecul- Fic. 326.—Needles and thimbles: {a) large bone needle and peculiar 
iarly large and flat nee- thimble; (+) leather thimbles with bone needles. 
dle (No. 89392 [1195] from Utkiavwin) 3-2 inches long, with a round, 
sharp point and a large eye, with little grooves running to the butt on 
each side for the thread to lie in. This needle was perhaps specially 
1See Parry, Second Voy., p. 537; Lyon, Journal, p. 93; Kumlien, Contributions, p. 25. 
