Ethnographical collections from East Greenland. 



531 



procedure. Fig. 69 shows old Ukuttiaq engaged in drilling the fire. 

 The wife held the cross-bar with both hands whilst pressing the 

 concave surface of the bone-knob firmly down on the top of the 

 drill-stick, the lower end of which was inserted in a hole in a block 

 of wood greased with blubber. This hole was connected with a 

 neighbouring hole b}^ means of a groove in the surface. The string 

 was wound one or two times round the stick and was drawn to 

 and fro by the man so that it rotated in alternate directions. In less 



Fig. 256. Fire-making implements. (Holm coll.). ^/4. 



than a minute smoke came out of the hole and immediately after 

 sparks were seen. It was perhaps because the piece of wood had 

 been greased with blubber that the small loose particles so easily 

 caught fire. The cross-bar and the drill -stick were quickly laid 

 aside and the woman began to waft air towards the hole with her 

 hand so that the sparks revived, all the more quickly as the opera- 

 tion was performed in an open door where there was a draught. 

 The man now took the block of wood, placed a spark on the dark 

 lamp-moss and blew upon it till it flared up. With the burning 



34* 



