ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 



563 



The firedrill is turned by means of a bow : the upper end is held in a piece 

 of bark, while the lower ends turns in a slit of a piece of wood. Dry 

 rotten wood is used for tinder. The sinew-b?.cked bow was made of yew 

 wood. There was a stud on the inner side, which served to keep the string 

 from the bow. The string w-as made of the skin of the back of the 

 beaver, which was cut into strips and twisted. One end was tied to the 

 end of the bow, while the other had an eye which was hung over the 

 other end. Bows of this description are used by the Kenai and the 

 Tinneh of the Lower Yukon River. The arrow was made of yellow cedar 

 and winged with eagle feathers. Flint for arrow-heads was obtained 

 from a place in the mountains north of Laq'uyip'. It is said that the 

 people made e.xpeditions for obtaining this material, which lasted two 

 years. The bow is held horizontally. The arrow is grasped by the bent first 



Sometimes the bow is held vertically. 



finger and thumb of the right hand 



Fig. 3. — Marmot trap. 



Then the arrow is grasped by the thumb and first and second fingers of the 

 right hand, and rests between the first and second fingers of the left. When 

 hunting they carry their small game in pouches. In winter they travel on 

 snow-shoes, the netting of which is made of beaver skin. For mountain 

 climbing they use a pole about three fathoms long (tqe). Marmots are 

 caught by means of traps of simple construction (fig. 3). A stick, the end 

 of which is carved in the shape of a blue jay, crane, or some other animal, 

 is tied to a longer stick, which is placed upright in the ground (1). A 

 heavy club-shaped stick (2) is laid over the place where the two sticks are 

 tied together, pressing on the head of the carved stick. The lower end of 

 the latter is held to stick 1 by means of a loop. The lower end of 

 the stick 2 is loaded with heavy stones. A small flat stick or board (3) 

 is placed over the loop, and lies in the entrance to the marmot hole. 

 This board is covered with dirt and grass, and as soon as the animal 

 steps on it the loop slips down stick 1, the heavy stick falls down and 

 breaks its back. AH these sticks are painted red, and are then covered 



3 



