Page:Archæology of the Central Eskimos.djvu/445

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continued to do until the caribou became so accustomed to it that they took no notice, and then the men could approach close enough to them to shoot them with arrows. They also hunted them with the use of the caribou "fence", the hunters lying concealed while others drove the herds towards them. They did not, however, hunt the caribou from kayaks. The most important weapon was therefore the bow, of antler or wood, with sinew backing (Boas 1901, p. 64) or of baleen, 3 to 4 layers, with a backing of plaited baleen thread and a string of the same material; it was 1¼ to 1½ m long and used especially in cold weather. On the arrows which were used for caribou hunting there often was, about 15 cm from the point, a small cross piece of wood to prevent the arrow going right through the animal and becoming lost. Bow and arrows were carried in a case of sealskin, to which was attached a cord that could pass round the back, and a bone handle; a small pocket was sewn on the case, containing arrow heads of flint. When using the bow glove fingers were put on the second and third fingers of the right hand which were used to bend the bow, as well as pieces of skin on the left thumb and fore-finger to protect them from the whip of the string.

For foxes they used the ordinary box-traps and, in particular, tower-traps — hollow, cone-shaped stone erections with an opening in the top; in this opening was a flat stone set in a slanting position and sluiced with water so that it became slippery; this caused the fox to slide into the trap when it clambered on to it to smell the bait — a piece of meat hung up inside the roof or placed on the floor; at the base was a door through which the fox could be taken out. In- stead of the slippery stone, strips of baleen were sometimes stretched across the hole, and they bent inwards when the fox trod upon them. They also employed a deadfall of a heavy slab of ice, 1 × 1¼ m, 30 to 40 cm thick, set in a leaning position against a vertical stick; the bait was fastened to a cord which passed through a hole in the ice to the supporting stick. Fox traps were also built like a square ice box, about 1 m high, with a narrow hole in the top and a piece of meat in the bottom.

Birds were of much greather value to the Sadlermiut than to the Iglulik Eskimos. The island is fairly well stocked with birds. For large nesting birds like the swan they used bird harpoons, 1¼ m long arrows with two feathers and loose heads, tied to the shaft by a cord; the movement of the bird broke off the head and the shaft hampered its flight. Bolas were especially used against flocks of eider ducks, mostly three or four bone balls connected by cords 1½ metres long. Bird darts were also used, with one point and three side prongs of equal height; throwing boards were used with these, with a handle and a hole in the fore end for the peg of the dart. Geese were driven