546 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



Holding the twirler vertically between the iiahus of the hands, a gentle but rapid 

 alternating rotary motion is imparted. After continuing this for about five niinntes 

 the abrasion of the softer wood causes a fine, impalpable dust to collect iu the hole, 

 from which soon issues a thin, blue line of smoke. 



As soon as the Indian sees this he quickly withdraws his twirler wnth one hand, 

 while with the other he catches up and crushes a few dry leaves previously placed 

 ou a dry cloth close by (having been produced from thin wrappings, in which they 

 have been jjreserved for this very purpose, to serve as tinder), and quickly but 

 lightly sprinkles them iu and around the hole, over which both hands are now held 

 protectingly, the head bent down, and the incipient fire fanned to a blaze with the 

 breath. As soon as the blaze has fairly caught, the stick and tinder are deftly turned 

 over upon a little pile of dry twigs and leaves, got ready beforehand, and the fire is 

 started. 



This operation of getting fire is always performed by the men, and not by the 

 squaws. The fire is invariably built in the center of the hut, upon the ground, and, 

 IS usually kept burning, for the Indians never slept regularly, but Avhcuever they 

 pleased, often asleep in the day time and awake nights, or ctcc versa, as they felt in- 

 clined. 



The Iroquois are unique in America, and perhaps in the worhl, in 

 malving fire with the punip-drill. Several other tribes in America use 

 the pump drill to pierce stone and shell, for which purpose it is an ex- 

 cellent tool, but the mechanical difficulties lying in the way of making 

 fire with it have only been overcome by the Iroquois. Pump drills are 

 intended for light, tine work, with uniform, light pressure; hence, with 

 little friction. The Iroquois have added this element by increasing the 

 size of the balance-wheel and stock. Mr. Morgan, iu his " League of 

 the Iroquois," p. 381, figures a fire drill with a wooden stock 4 feet long 

 and 1 inch iu diameter. This stock has at the upper end a string and 

 bow, while near the lower eud is a " small wheel. " Mr. Morgan says 

 this is "an Indian invention of great antiquity. " 



Mr. J. IST. B. Hewitt, of the Bureau of Ethnology, has kindly given 

 the writer a set of apparatus and valuable information with reference 

 to fire-making among the Iroquois, especially the Onondagas and Tusca- 

 roras. He states that at times when there is disease atnong the people 

 they say it is because the fire is " old." They then determine to make 

 " new fire, " so all fires are put out and two slippery-elm logs are selected 

 and one of these is laid on the ground and a V-shaped notch is cut on 

 the upper side. In this notch some tinder of dry slippery-elm is put 

 and three (mj-stic or sacred number) men at either end work the other 

 log backward and forward until fire is generated, and from this the fires 

 are lighted. He believes that the new fire is made at the winter feast 

 of the Iroquois. They say that the drill with the weight is their 

 own invention. They use elm for that also. In making the pump-drill 

 they sometimes cut an elm sapling and work out the drill, leaving 

 the tap root for the fore part, the knot for the weight, and part of the 

 stem for the top part of the drill. 



It is not improbable that the Iroquois — the most advanced Indians 

 in some respects on the continent, invented this use of the widely dif- 

 fused pump-drill. It scarcely seems to be a practical way to make fire, 



