Eskimo Bow Variations and Backing Techniques

(Figs. 10 and 17, No. 8822, collected by W. H. Dall), which in outline and size is essentially of the straight southern type, though slightly narrower than usual, while the backing is put on entirely in the Arctic manner, except that the A seizing is less complete. large bow from Norton Sound is of the same model, but has the Arctic backing complete in all its details, as does also a small boy's bow from the same region. Still another from the same ESKIMO BOWS. 313 place is almost exactly of the Arctic type, except that it has square instead of rounded edges and the strands are not twisted into cables. When we consider that the Malemut of Norton Sound act as middle- men between the natives of the Arctic coast and those of the Yukon re- gion, it is natural to expect to find traces of Arctic ideas as far south as their intercourse extends, namely, as I am informed, to the mouth of the Yukon. Moreover it would be unlikely that the relatively weak southern backing should be adopted by the northern natives. III. The Western Type. This is, in general, broader and flatter than the Arctic model, but less contracted at the handle than the southern, and not so much tapered at the ends, which are usually thick. It is rather a larger bow than the Arctic, but not so large as the southern, being from 43 to 58 inches in length and 1.5 to 1.7 inches broad, and like the others is either straight or of the Tatar shape. Bows of purely western type are apparently al- ways of the latter shaj^e. The peculiarity of the type is in the backing, as is well shown in the bow figured (Figs. 18 and 19, No. 2505, probably from the mainland of Siberia. It was collected by the North Pacific Exploring Exj^edition, and is labeled simply " TschuMschis Indians'''' ). The backing, instead of being continuous, is in three parts, namely, two short cables stretched across the bends, where they do not go round the nocks, but are secured by haif-hitches close to them as well as inside the bends. The main backing consists of 21 strands laid on between the bends with halfhitches, and stopped down to the bow with a spiral seizing without being twisted or gathered into a wrapped cable.* Three large and powerful bows from Saint Lawrence Island are of the same peculiar type. It is, however, worthy of note that a single " twister " of the same pattern as those used at Point Barrow was obtained^at Saint Lawrence Island by Mr. Nelson. The bows used by the Eskimos of Eastern Siberia (" Tuski," " Sedentary Chukches " of authors, Chuklukmut of Dall) present a mixture of types. The bow figured above is purely western in type. Another (Figs. 21 and 22, No. 2508, collected by the North Pacific Exploring Expedition) is straight, but still has separate cables at the ends, passing, however, round the nocks. The main backing has upwards of seventy strands and is twisted into three cables of the Arctic type. A third (Figs. 23 and 24, No. 2506, collected by the North Pacific Ex- ploring Expedition) approaches very close to the arctic type, but shows traces of the western model in having the ends of the long strands stretched across the bends and one single short strand returning to the * There is a modification of the " soldier's hitch " in the seizing of this bow (Fig. 20), made by taking two round turns to the right, and passing the end under the standing part and between the two turns. 314 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, J884. tip from beyond the bend,* while a fourth is precisely of the arctic type with a very large number of strands.t Several of these bows are made of oak, evidently barrel-staves ob- tained from white men, but are, notwithstanding, providejl with a pow- gnul backing, which shows how inseparably this invention, in its origin applicable only to inelastic wood, has become connected with the idea ^f a.bow in the mind of the maker. ^^ Comparing what I have said of the geographical distribution of these types of bow with the divisions of the Eskimos of the Northwest adopted by Mr. Dall,| it will be seen that of the Western Mackenzie Innuit (his first great division) the Kopagmut {Kupu'nmeun of the Point Barrow natives) and probably the Kangmaligmut {Kunmu'Wlin of the same people, an almost unknown tribe, concerning whom there appears to be no reliable information), with probably all the Western Innuit except the Chuklukmut, Kikhtd'gamut, and Mahlemut, use the pure arctic tjpe. The Chuklukmut and Kikht5'gamut use the western type, with some admixture of the arctic. The Mahlemut and Unaligmut (the northernmost tribe of Fishing Innuit) use the arctic ancj the southern type and intermediate forms, while the remainder of the Fishing Innuit use the pure southern type. Assuming, as is highly probable, that all the branches of the Eskimo race started with the primitive form of bow above described, the in- habitants of the well- wooded shores of Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, who have a plentiful supply of fresh living spruce, have im- proved on this type chiefly by lengthening and strengthening the wood of the bow and collecting the loose strands into a compact round cable, which is occasionally made somewhat thicker across the middle than towards the ends. Those who live on the treeless shores of the Arctic Ocean are forced to depend on comparatively scarce dead and brittle drift-wood, and have j_been obliged to devote their attention to the improvement of the sinew [.Jbacking in order to increase the efficiency of the weapon. The conse- Lquence has been the development of the exceedingly complicated and perfect form above described. This is probably the ultimate step in the development of the sinew-backed bow. Xot only is it difficult to imagine making a more perfect weapon from the materials, but atten- tion will no longer be paid to possible improvements in a weapon which is rapidly passing into disuse and becoming superseded by fire-arms. The people of Saint Lawrence Island, out of the direct line of com- munication between the two continents and also dependent on drift- T^od, have developed the bow in a different way from all the rest. * A peculiar clove-hitch (Fig. 25; occurs at each end of this bow. tThis bow (No. 2507) has a reversed " soldier's hitch" in the seizing (Fig. 26) in which the end passes under the standing part and over the turns. X Contribations to North American Ethnology, vol. i, p. 23. j ESKIMO BOWS. 315 , / They have, as it were, lengthened the ends of the bow beyond the origi- nal backing, bent them up, and added extra cables across the bends. � On the mainland of Siberia, where the natives are in direct communi- cation both with Saint Lawrence Island and the arctic shores of the New World,, by way of the Diomedes, the bow is of a pattern inter- mediate between the types of these two regions, partaking more of the characteristics of one or the other, according to the fancy of the maker, perhaps as his dealings have brought him in contact with people of one or the other region. There is one bow in the Museum, not an Eskimo bow, which is inter- esting in the present connection. It comes from Sitka, where the In- dians use a plain spruce or cedar bow with a round back and flat belly. The bow in question is of the same shape as the other bows from the same locality, but the maker, who has evidently had some acquaint- ance with the handiwork of the nearest Eskimos, has tried to improve it by putting on a typical " southern " backing of sinew. This, however, is of but little use, as the round back of the bow is not of the proper shape to receive it, and, in spite of the lashing round the handle, it slips oflf to one side as soon as the bow is bent. I may remark that the bow appears to be new and never to have been used. -- Note. It should be borne in mind that what I have said about the geographical distribution of the different forms of bow refers not to the present time, but to the period when this weapon was in general use among the Eskimos of the Northwest. Most of the material in the Museum collection was either collected many years ago or shows signs of having been old and disused when collected. Fire-arms have so completely superseded the older weapon, especially at the great trading centers like Saint Michael's, that even in distant lo- calities, like Point Barrow, it would be difficult to find half a dozen full- sized bows fit for service. The boys still adhere to the bow for shoot- ing small birds, &c., and for them it is still made as carefully as ever. -- Note on the Sinew-Twisting Tools. In the above paper, I have had occasion to speak of the toggles or levers used in twisting up the cords of sinew on the back of the bow, making what I have called "cables." These are little flat rods of ivory or hard bone (Fig. 27, No. 89466, front and side view, from Point Barrow, collected by our expe- dition), about four or five inches long, with the ends slightly bent