THE INDIANS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST. 



281 



villages are now found large and small stone mortars and pestles, sur 

 prisingly well carved in totemic designs. 



These were by some people supposed to indicate that 

 in early days these Indians ground maize, as did and 

 do the hunting Indians of the interior, but such is not 

 the case, as they were unacquainted with cereals of any 

 kind. These mortars were used for an entirely different 

 purpose. In the larger ones were ground and i:>repared 

 the tobacco plug, for chewing; in the smaller were 

 mixed and ground the different paints used for the 

 body, masks, carvings, and all the various purposes to 

 which these native pigments were and are now applied. 

 Fig. 83, Plate xxii, represents a paint-pestle, which was 

 also used as a weapon or missile, carried in the hand in 

 times of local feuds, brawls, and quarrels. Fig. 83a 

 represents a pestle of this kind in the JEmmons Col- 

 lection already referred to. Another variety of pestle is 

 sh- vu in Plate lxiii. Fig 338. Fig. 339 of same plate 

 is an ancient tobacco mortar of marble or calcite, neatly f CD^ 

 carved on the exterior with a totemic design. Other 

 mortars carved in likeness of frogs, birds, fishes, and 

 flower-pots are found throughout the northern region. 



Wedges. — These are usually of wood and formerly 

 were entirely so. Now, however, iron wedges are some- 

 times used. These, in any case, are for splitting up logs 

 into boards, and in getting out timber in the rough 

 generally. A very useful type of wooden wedge is 

 shown in Fig. 84, Plate xxii, general throughout the j,j ^g^ 



coast. These were used in connection with the heavy bone skin scrapek. 

 sledges shown in the same plate. The heads of the (TUngit. Emmons coiiec- 



tion. ) 



Fig. 83a. 

 Paint Pestle. 



(Tlingit. Emmons Collecti< 



wedges are protected, or prevented from splitting, by a grommet woven 

 from tough withes or from spruce root and put on as shown in the 



