274 ADAPTATION OF EUROPEAN ARTICLES. 



adapted to native requirements and customs. Of such is a fragment of a 

 short knife-blade, probably made out of a piece of hoop-iron, which has 

 been inserted in a wooden handle by the use of asphaltum. This was found 

 at La Patera; and from the same place is an iron nail over the head of which 

 a mass of asphaltum has been placed, so as to permit the nail being held 

 in the hand, probably for use as a boring instrument. 



From Santa Cruz Island there was obtained a small triangular piece 

 of iron, like an arrow-point, which was inserted in a piece of wood and 

 probably served as a knife (P. M. 9313). This iron point is represented of 

 actual size in Fig. 8 of Plate IV, for comparison with the stone knives of 

 the same shape. 



Another adaptation is shown by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 of Plate XV. These 

 short blades are probably made from hoop-iron, in imitation of the short 

 swords of bone of which a description has already been given. They may, 

 however, have been forged into their present shape by the early traders with 

 the Indians, for the purpose of supplying a desired form of implement. At 

 all events, they are tolerably common in the graves ; and that they were 

 highly prized seems to be shown by the fact that they were either enclosed 

 in a cloth or a fur-lined scabbard, or that they were carefully wrapped in 

 these materials at the time of burial. The photographic figures on the plate, 

 taken from specimens from La Patera, are good evidence of this, inasmuch 

 as the fur and woven cloth, preserved by the action of the iron, can be dis- 

 tinctly seen. Another of these iron blades, also from La Patera, is repre- 

 sented by Fig. 133. At the time of its burial, this blade had also been en- 



p 1G . 133. closed in cloth, the remains 



iron sword, j. en( j an( j m su cri a manner 



as to lead to the belief that these blades were not inserted in wooden han- 

 dles, a view which is sustained by the fact that of all the specimens of this 

 character in the Peabody Museum not one shows signs of having been in 

 contact with wood, although many other of the iron implements have por- 

 tions of the wooden handles preserved. 



In connection with the adaptation of foreign metallic articles to their 



