CHAPTER. V. 
THE YUROK, CONTINUED. 
Weapons of war and the chase are usually made by some old man 
skilled in knapping stone and in fashioning bows and arrows. Bows are 
made from the yew (Taxus brevifolia), a tough evergreen; the outside is 
coated with sinew drawn tight, and the string is made of the same material 
Arrows are made of cedar, and are sometimes furnished with a spiral whorl 
of feather to give them a rifle motion, and being tipped with flint (or with 
metal nowadays) they are very powerful and can be driven clear through 
aman’s body. Another weapon made by them is a sword sor knife about 
three feet long, of iron or steel procured from the whites. Of course this 
is not aboriginal, but is rather a substitute for the large jasper or obsidian 
knives which they used to make and use, but which nowadays are kept 
only as ornaments or objects of wealth, to be produced on occasion of a 
ereat dance. These may perhaps be called pre-historic, as they seem to 
have fallen into disuse as weapons before the arrival of the Americans. 
They occur in numbers in the mounds of Southwestern Oregon. Even 
common arrow-heads are now manufactured only by old Indians who cling 
to the traditions of their forefathers. Mr. Chase mentions some very large 
jasper spear-heads four inches long and two inches wide; but these also 
are now brought forth only at a dance, to give the owner distinction. Flint 
or jasper flakes are used to cut and clean salmon, especially the first of the 
season, as they say that iron or steel is poisonous used for this purpose. 
In the accompanying sketch are figured two implements which may have 
been only net-sinkers, but are said by an old pioneer to have been used 
formerly as bolas are in South America, being tied together with rawhide 
and hurled at the feet of an enemy to entangle him and throw him down. 
‘To me it seems more probable that they were used rather like a sling-shot. 
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