ESKIMO BOWS. 313 



place is almost exactly of the Arctic type, except that it has square in- 

 stead of rounded edges and the strands are not twisted into cables. 



When we consider that the Malemut of Norton Sound act ;is middle- 

 men between the natives of the Arctic coast and those of the Yukon re- 

 gion, it is natural to expect to find traces of Arctic ideas as far south as 

 their intercourse extends, namely, as I am informed, to the mouth of 

 the Yukon. Moreover it would be unlikely that the relatively weak 

 southern backing should be adopted by the northern natives. 



III. The Western Type. 



This is, in general, broader and flatter than the Arctic model, but less 

 contracted at the handle than the southern, and not so much tapered 

 at the ends, which are usually thick. It is rather a larger bow than the 

 Arctic, but not so large as the southern, being from 43 to 58 inches in 

 length and 1.5 to 1.7 inches broad, and like the others is either straight 

 or of the Tatar shape. Bows of purely western type are apparently al- 

 ways of the latter shape. 



The peculiarity of the type is in the backing, as is well show^n in the 

 bow figured (Figs. 18 and 19, No. 2505, probably from the mainland of 

 Siberia. It was collected by the North Pacific Exploring Expedition, 

 and is labeled simply " TschuJctschis Indians"!). The backing, instead 

 of being continuous, is in three parts, namely, two short cables stretched 

 across the bends, where they do not go round the nocks, but are secured 

 by half-hitches close to them as well as inside the bends. The main 

 backing consists of 21 strands laid on between the bends with half- 

 hitches, and stopped down to the bow T with a spiral seizing without be- 

 ing twisted or gathered into a wrapped cable.* 



Three large aud powerful bows from Saint Lawrence Island are of 

 the same peculiar type. It is, however, worthy of note that a single 

 u twister " of the same pattern as those used at Point Barrow was ob- 

 tained at Saint Lawrence Island by Mr. Nelson. 



The bows used by the Eskimos of Eastern Siberia (" Tuski," " Seden- 

 tary Chukches " of authors, Chuklukmut of Dall) present a mixture of 

 types. The bow figured above is purely western in type. Another 

 (Figs. 21 and 22, No. 2508, collected by the North Pacific Exploring 

 Expedition) is straight, but still has separate cables at the ends, pass- 

 ing, however, round the nocks. The main backing has upwards of sev- 

 enty strands and is twisted into three cables of the Arctic type. 



A third (Figs. 23 and 24, No. 2506, collected by the North Pacific Ex- 

 j)loring Expeditiou) approaches very close to the arctic type, but shows 

 traces of the western model in having the ends of the long strands 

 stretched across the bends and one single short strand returning to the 



* There is a modification of the " soldier's hitch" in the seizing of this bow (Fig. 

 20), made by taking two round turns to the right, and passing the end under the stand- 

 ing part and between the two turns. 



