482 



W. Thalbitzer 



Manufacture of thongs. Thong smoothers. — Special smooth- 

 ing apparatus for straps or thongs (figs. 195 — 197) I have not found 

 mentioned from any other Eskimo region outside Ammassalik. The 

 apparatus {nak"^kin) consists of a bone, often the penis bone of a 

 bearded seal (two specimens are shown in fig. 45), or of a longish, 

 flat piece of wood with holes bored through it; it is used to soften 

 the hard, strong thongs, which are made from the skin of the 

 bearded seal. The thongs are drawn piece by piece through one 



Fig. 195, Thong smoother made from a bone. (Hohn coll.). ^k. 



Fig. 196. Thong smoother made of wood. 

 (Amdrup coll. from Nualik). Чз. 



Fig. 197. Thono' smoother made of wood. f,J. Petersen coll.). ^1з. 



of the holes and the apparatus is rubbed quickly backwards and 

 forwards over the piece, until the edges of the new thong are rounded 

 and it becomes supple. There are specimens of this apparatus in 

 all the collections and I myself have seen it in use at Ammassalik, 

 The Eskimo cut the thongs out of a seal skin very dexterously. 

 With a small knife they cut a very long strip, quite narrow and in 

 the form of a spiral, of exactly the same breadth throughout, then 

 they tan it in urine and slretcli it out afterwards in the open air 

 between two posts or rocks, preferably in frosty air, and lastly soften 



