Ethnological results of the Point Barrow expedition: Ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1887-1888, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1892, pages 3-442Murdoch, John
History
Ethnological results of the Point Barrow expedition: Ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1887-1888, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1892, pages 3-442
Murdoch, John
Eskimos -- Alaska -- Barrow, Point, Region
_Chisels._--We collected a number of small short handled chisels,
resembling the implements called “trinket makers,” of which there are
so many in the National Museum. We never happened to see them in
actual use, but were informed that they were especially designed for
working on reindeer antler. Of the eight specimens collected No. 89302
[884], Fig. 143, has been selected as a type of the antler chisel
(kĭ´ñnusa). The blade is of steel, and the haft is of reindeer antler,
in two longitudinal sections, put together at right angles to the
plane of the blade, held together by a stout round bone treenail 2½
inches from the butt. The square tip of the blade is beveled on both
faces to a rough cutting edge. Fig. 144 (No. 89301) [1000] has a small
blade with an oblique tip _not_ beveled to an edge, and a haft of
walrus ivory yellowed from age, and ornamented with rows of rings,
each with a dot in the center, all incised and colored with red ocher.
The two parts of the haft are fastened together by a stout wooden
treenail and a _stitch_ of whalebone.
[Illustration: FIG. 143.--Antler chisel. 1/2]
[Illustration: FIG. 144.--Antler chisel. 1/2]
[Illustration: FIG. 145.--Spurious tool, flint blade. 1/2]
The rest of the steel-bladed chisels, four in number, are all of about
the same size and hafted with antler. The blades are somewhat
irregular in shape, but all have square or oblique tips and no sharp
edge. Three of them have the sections of the haft put together as
described, and fastened by a treenail and a whipping of seal twine or
sinew braid at the tip. One has the two sections put together in the
plane of the blade and fastened with a large copper rivet, which also
passes through the butt of the blade, and three stout iron ones. The
hafts of all these tools show signs of much handling. The remaining
two specimens have blades of black flint. No. 89637 [1207], has a haft
of walrus ivory, of the usual pattern, fastened together by a bone
treenail and two stitches, one of sinew braid and one of seal thong.
The lashing of seal twine near the tip serves to mend a crack. The
haft is old and rusty about the slot into which the blade is fitted,
showing that it originally had an iron blade. The flint blade was
probably put in to make it seem ancient, as there was a special demand
for prehistoric articles. No. 89653 [1290], Fig. 145, is nothing but a
fanciful tool made to meet this demand. The haft is of light-brown
mountain sheep horn, and the blade of black flint. Such flint-bladed
tools may have been used formerly, but there is no proof that they
were.
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