Page:Archæology of the Central Eskimos.djvu/509

caribou lance, the shaft of wood; in its fore end is inserted the wedge-shaped rear end of the lance head, cut in one piece with the blade, all of bone; another miniature lance head is similar in shape but is longer, with a smaller blade; a loose blade of bone is somewhat bigger (2). Three wooden models are of harpoons or lances; one (13) is of a lance, the other two, of similar size, also very roughly made, are to represent harpoons, the foreshaft being indicated by a narrow neck, and one of them has the other end pointed (ice pick). Five wooden models of bows (8); their lengths vary from 8 to 33 cm; they are roughly made, with knobs for the string, of sinew thread, which is partly preserved on the three smallest specimens; the smallest has a small arrow tied to the bow. 11 is presumably a model of a salmon spear side prong, cut out of a leg bone; another specimen is much more slender, of the shape of a small crotchet needle. Three wooden models of kayaks (14, 15 and 19), all with the characteristic angled stem and stern which is still used in these regions; on the smallest one the paddle is lashed on with thread; the other two show signs of having had the same, but the lashing has disappeared and the paddles are thus loose (16); on 15, just behind the mark of the paddle, can be seen a small oblong socket in which is a vertical stump of wood, presumably to represent the man; it only projects very little above the socket, however. Three wooden models are apparently intended to represent knives, but they are very roughly made; a round stick of wood, 16 cm long, with a big head, is possibly a model of a snow beater. A stick of wood, 15 cm long, quite unworked, has in the one thin end a very small (1.2 cm long) flake of iron, rounded at the point; it is probably a model of a knife but, as it is, it is quite unsuitable for any purpose whatever. Finally, the find contains a small bone point (miniature arrow head?), a small flat stick of bone, sharp at the end, and three larger sticks of wood, one bound round with plaited cord of sinew thread.

It will be seen that this grave find for the most part is related to the modern Netsilik culture. The harpoon head, the arrows with obliquely cut tang, the kayaks with angled stem and stern, the toggle and the marrow extractor, are types that are not known from the Thule culture and which sharply separate this grave find from the settlement find at Malerualik; on the other hand these types are known in the modern Netsilik culture; but the small quantity of iron, the persistent use of bone for weapon blades, show that the find must be fairly old, at any rate from before the time when the Franklin Expedition gave these Eskimos large supplies of metal. The absence of stone blades also stamps this find as was the case with the settlement find. No approach to the Thule culture can be traced, except perhaps the