Page:Material Culture of the Iglulik Eskimos.djvu/60

As has been stated, walrus hunting is of great importance in many places, especially in the Iglulik area, but also on Southampton Island, at Depot Island and formerly at Repulse Bay too. It is pursued in winter from the ice, and in summer from boats.

Ice hunting. The following are the implements for this: the walrus harpoon (unâng). Fig. 17.1 (Iglulik) shows one of these. The total length of the shaft is 1.83 metres. The wooden shaft is squareoval in cross section; to the fore end is scarfed with sinew thread a foreshaft of ivory, composed of two pieces lashed together; at the butt end of the shaft a piece of iron piping has been fastened on as an ice pick (otherwise this is of bone). On one side of the fore end of the foreshaft a seal-thong is fastened, and this is pulled tight down along one side of the shaft, passes in under the scarf lashing and a smaller transversal lashing and is finally made fast under the lashing at the rear end. About midway up the wooden shaft is a tikâgut of ivory.

Fig. 17.2 (Qajûvfik) is the line and head of a harpoon of this kind. The line is of thick seal-thong. 30 m long, about 0,8 cm wide and 0.5 cm thick. In a 20 cm loop at one end is the harpoon head, of antler, thin, with the iron blade at right angles to the plane of the line hole, and one spur; 10.1 cm long. At the other end of the line is a loop, 20 cm long.

The lance (anguvigaq) is of the same type as that figured by Boas 1888, p. 496, fig. 432, from Cumberland Gulf: a wooden shaft with tikâgut and a cap-shaped socket piece at the fore end, loose foreshaft. fastened to the shaft by lashings through two holes at right angles to each other and with an inserted iron blade; the foreshaft itself is oftenest of ivory. A lance of this description, now in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh (No. U. C. 159), doubtless from Parry's Expedition 1821–23, is shown in fig. 18. The length of this shaft is 1.11 m. of the foreshaft 0.44 m; the foreshaft is of whale bone.

Fig. 19 (found at Mitimatalik, Ponds Inlet) is an earlier foreshaft. of a similar lance; it is of whale bone, 10.4 cm long, oval in section. pierced by two holes at an angle to each other; in the rear end a short, distinct tenon; in the fore end a deep, cylindrical socket for the tang of the iron blade.

Fig. 20 (Pingerqalik) is a loose lance head,^[1] which can be fixed to the harpoon shaft. This specimen is old. found in the ground. It is of ivory, with an iron blade, oval in section, with closed shaft