668 



KEPORt 01-^ NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



itfi,. 



Pig. 41. 



LOWEK riKCE AND SPINDF-E OF 



Fire MAKING Set. 



^Cnt. Nn. -2514. U.S. N.M. Kskimi.of Kndiak 

 IslaucI, Alaska. ColleetKa by VV. J. Fisher, i 



drill is a thick, tolerably hard piece of close- 

 grained wood like the hearth. The mouth- 

 piece has no regular block for the teeth-grip, 

 but has a crescentic gash on each side in- 

 stead. It is set with a socket of a rock resem- 

 bling marble. Nearly all the mouth-pieces 

 south of Norton Sound are iu the shape of 

 seals, or other long animals. Cord handles 

 are used attached to a thick thong of buck- 

 skin. Fungus is used for tinder and a blaze 

 is started with cones of the larch. These are 

 kept in the box, the lid of wiiich is tied on 

 with a thong. 



Kadiak, the lowest limit of the western Es- 

 kimo, is as far south as the four part fire-drill 

 extends by specimens in the Museum (tig. 41). 

 The hearth is of cedar wood with three cen- 

 tral holes with a connecting groove. It is 

 neatly finished. The drill is also of cedar and 

 bears the marks of the use of the thong; the 

 top has also been used in the socket of a rest. 

 The drill approaches in length those used 

 for twirling between the hands by the In- 

 dians. 



While the Aleutians use flint and steel, or 

 a stone containing quartz and pyrites, struck 

 against another stone, they still make use of- 

 the four-part drill at certain times. Hunting 

 parties, says Mr. L. M. Turner, carry the drill 

 to use when their matches run out. It takes 

 two men to work it, one holding the hand rest 

 and the other pulling the thong. Tlie spindle 

 is made of harder wood, so as to wear the light 

 dust which ignites, from the hearth. A mo- 

 ment only is necessary to get fire; this is fed 

 with tinder made of willow catkins and pow- 

 deied charcoal. Sometimes, in order to get 

 fire, they hold tinder at the mouth of a gun 

 and ignite it by firing off a light charge of 

 loose powder. 



Possessed of four methods of getting fire, 

 the Aleutian is superior to more fortunately 

 situated people who depend wholly on 

 matches. 



