Ethnographical collections from East Greenland. 



427 



I found distinct evidence, that the remembrance of the whaling 

 harpoon head type still lived among the Ammassalikers. Fig, 136 

 shows a harpoon head, which Milsuarnianga cut for me out of wood 

 instead of bone, to show the appearance of an old-time toggle head. 

 It has the true whaling harpoon form, bilateral, almost straight hole 

 for the line, greater height than breadth, bevelling of the base so 

 that it forms a single, basal barb situated flush with the one 

 edge of the body. This is all in one piece, the blade consequently 

 placed vertically or at right angles to the hole for 

 the line. There is no doubt, that Mitsuarnianga has 

 carved a toggle head of a primitive type, which has 

 now fallen completely out of use, but which perhaps 

 points to the old continuity with the inhabitants on 

 the northernmost parts of this coast. In any case it 

 is a remarkable fact, that the Ammassalik Eskimo 

 should himself conceive this characteristic toggle 

 head as typical of an old-time harpoon. 



According to Johan Petersen the blade of the 

 ordinary harpoon head at Ammassalik is longer and 

 narrower than the common West Greenland type, 

 which is short and stumpy. 



Harpoon heads entirely of bone in one piece are shown 

 in figs. 131 a and Ъ and flg. 133a. Harpoon heads with blade 

 of bone are seen in fig. 131 d and figs. 1-33 e and /, blade of 

 stone in fig. 133 6, the others have iron blades (fig. 131 j ex- 

 ceptionally brass, obviously the remains of some article of 

 European ware). The mode of fixing is the same in them 

 all; the blade is inserted into a groove in the point of the 

 head, and further an iron nail is as a rule hammered 

 through the walls of the groove, thus piercing the foot of 

 the blade. 



Some further remarks may be made regarding the 

 separate pieces: 



Figs. 131a and b; bone toggles of the same form, flat 

 (parti}' concave) on the one side, convex on the other. On 

 the convex side are the openings of the curved hole for the 

 line. — Fig. 131 of; the body is flat and thin. The bone-blade 

 tied fast with sinew-thread through the nail hole. The holes for the line 

 are short and straight, separated only by a thin wall. On the upper side 

 there are line grooves under (behind) each of them. Basal socket between 

 two short and thick basal barbs. Not 15ф1са1. — Figs. 131 e, /", g, h, nearly of 

 the same type, showing small diff"erences with regard to the line-holes: 

 €, the line-holes are bored right through from the one side to the other, 

 separated only by a thin wall or partition. On the one (under) side a counter- 

 sinking, on the other line-grooves under each hole, f has two holes separ- 

 ated by a broader wall, which widens upward, so that the openings lie near 

 together in the countersinking, but further apart on the other side of the 

 body, g, the inner passage of the hole is here stronglj^ bent, the openings 



Fig. 132. Har- 

 poon head with 

 wooden sheath 

 for the point. 

 Nualik. (Amdrup 

 coll.). 4-2. 



