IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k // //^/:^ H 735-745. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1899. A ^ THK MAN'S KXIKK AMOM; THK NOllTII AMKKICAN INDIANS. A S'lTDV IN TIIK niLLKlTIONS (IF TIIK V. S. NATIONAL Ml'SKlM. II Y OTIS Tl'FTOX MASOX, C II r a t II r , l> i r i n i n u of E I h ti o I it ij ij . Pacific N. W. H!>^'>^'' '^-nt, VICTORIA, B. G, 32066 THH MAN'S KNiri<: AMONV. Tllli NORTH AMl-RICAN IN- 1)I\NS-A STUDY IN THH COUTXTIONS 01' THli U. S. NATIONAL MllSUUM. Ity Otis Ti'kton Mason, Curator, DinxioH of i:ilinuloii!f. I INTRODUCTION. Ainoii},' implements used by iiiiin, the same forms may sometimes be employed for destruction and at other times for industrial purposes. When used for destruction they are weapons, but when their function is industrial they are tools. The same object, when used as a weapon, becomes a dagger, but if it be employed as an edged to(d it is a knife. As in the case of all other weapons or tools, the edged tool works by pressure, by friction, ov by a blow. One used by means of a blow is an ax if the edge is in a line with the handle, and an ad/ if it lies across the handle; an edged tool working by friction is a scraper, but one working by pressure is a knife. It will be found in the study of industrial knives tliat in the long run they become the carver's and engraver's tools, the drawing knife, the spokeshave, the plane, and the planing mill. In some styles of the last named, however, the operative part of the macliine is, more properly speaking, a nuichine adz than a knife. Carving in wood and other sub- stances by the American aborigines differentiated the ad/ f au the knife. It is i)robal)le that before the introduction of iron into America the adz was used more than the knife in dressing down woo.'; but when the iron blade came into vogue it was possible for the savage workman to carve out hollow dishes and boxes, aud other objects with his knife by simple pressure. Notable exceptions to this are those regions where soft wood came into alliance with sharks' teeth and the incisors of rodents. This is shown in all the curved knives of the collections in the U. S. National Museum from the two hemispheres, especially those from wooded aieas. 728 UEPOHT OF NATIONAL MIJSEIM, 1897. IMPROVEMENT THROUGH THE CURVED KNIFE. Tlioni oii^lit to Ih- no doubt tliiit in every ea-se where tlie savaj^e was t'oi'tunate t'nougli t(» obtain th«> knife his carving and \vhittiin;> were better done. Tl «'ro i.s a niarvelcms dillerence l)et\veen carvinjf on tlie one hand, man's work » hiell.v, and ba.skctry (tr potti-ry on theotlier, eon- .servative woinan'.s work. In no tribes were tlie two last-named aits bettered by eoiita«'t with tin' higher race. The work was done with the hands almost wholly. The tools were of the simplest character. The harsh iron awl was not .so good as the smooth pointed bone awl, of which hiindreils have been found, and the pii«le in personal endeavor departed with the (pienching of the tribal spirit. The jiolter's wheel, such as it was three centuries ago, was only a barrier to the unmechan- ieal .sex. Therefore those who constantly as.scrt that prcjinlicc made it impossible for the savage to better liimself in theadoiitioii of the white man's deviees catch only half a truth. CLASSIFICATION. In the class of cutting tools called knives, there are in the I'. S. National IMuseum, collected among the N(»rth American Indians, two series. One has l)een called the "womairs knife;'" theotlier, then'fore, may now be demmiinated the "man's knife."" Both of these series exist aboriginally in two st'.bdivisions, the one eontaining nt) iron or evidences of tiie use of that iiieial, the other ma«le partly of iron or with iron. In fact, there are four ,>'ubdivisions (;f the term "industrial knife,"' namely, woman's knife, ancit'iit; woman's knife, modern; man's knife, aneieiit; man's knife, modern. The man's knife of the modern typt^ exists in three varietie.s, to wit, the "curved knife,'" with bent blade, employed usually in whittling; a second variety, named •' straight blade,"' with a. short straight cutting part used in carving stone, antler, ivory, and other hard substances; and a third variety, usually with an old knife blade or iiiece of tile well worn down for its working part, employed in the function of a burin for scratching or etching on hard surfaces. The three varieties necessarily merge into one another, so that there are no broad dividing line.s. The curved knife may now be carefully examined as a eontribution to studying the man's knife of ancient type. PARTS OF THE CURVED KNIFE. Each variety of man's curved kinfe, as of other primitive and mod- ern mechanics' tools, consists of three elements or parts, dilfering anmug the several tribes and from place to place in materials anss (Mirvi>. The foini of the tanj^, however, will be <;overnetl by the method of its application to tiie handle, as will appear. It maybe, lirst, jtointed an«l driven into the eml of the handle; i^ut^nd, rectanj^ular and laid between tiie halves of the handle; third, set into a narrow {groove on toj) of the hamlle; fourth, laid in a sliallow jjroeve on the side of the handle: lifth, set in a saw cut in the end of tl ( liainli". Second, tlie handle or ^'vip. This may be either <»!' wood taken from the forest oi from wreckaragrai)h. The nuxlitica- tions of the handle lor the inserti(Mi of the \vorking part involve the selection of the grain, splitting f the lUinaii nf l-Lthnology, p. li}'>,ii}^. 110. 730 REPORT OP NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1897. tang; and thin', the true connective of packing, cement, lashing, rivets, wedges or screws, some of which appear in the illustrations of this paper. Where the tang is drive; into the end of the grip the elasticity or cohesion of the material forms the bond. In many examples the principle of the ratchet and of the dovetail exist in the shaping of the tang and its socket or in cutting notches on the tang. Before the introduction of the Iron Age into North America there existed the same elements in tlie composition of a knife, to wit, a blade of tooth, or shell, or stone; a handle of antler, bone, or wood; and a connective of rawhide, sinew, yarn, or twine, of packing, of cement, and possibly of rivets made of wood, bone, ivory, or antler. MODE OF CUTTING. All j)rimitive men's knives with single edge, so far as the national collections indicate, are made to (;ut toward the operator. Double- edged knives, however, cut both ways. Among the American examples all are for the right hand or for both hands. Lawson distinctly says that "when the ('aroliiia Indians cut with a knife, the edge is toward them, when. is we always «!ut and whittle from us; nor did I ever see one of them left-handed." ' The farrier, as will be seen, also cuts toward hi.'Ti, but l)y turning his hand under, in an awkward sort of way, oci'ijsionally cuts iVoin him. Two curved knives in the U. 8. NatioUtal Museum from the xiinosof nortiiern Japan, constructed exactly after the manner of t\m American curved knives, are made to lit the left hand, but they were received from the same person. It will be per- fectly plain to one who has sharpened a quill pen or lead pencil that, in the absence of spoke shaves and fine carver's to«ds, the Indian was compelled to cut toward his body. SOURCE OF CURVED KNIFE. This nuinner of working is, doubtless, a survival of old processes of hand work before the introduction of more modern tools. It may have been overlooked by the student of technology that it was not until recently that any care was bestowed upon fitting the haiulles of me- chanics' tools to the hand itself. In the case of the wonum'a knife it will be found that the farther away the Eskimo live from the white race the more simple the handle of the scrapc^r, while in those areas where the contact has been most intimate the haiulle is more completely and perfe(!tly nuide to conform to the right hand. It is astonishing tlmt until Perry's visit to .lapan the handles of all Japanese tools were extremely simple. There are some specimens of bronze implements found in Europe in which the hanted to be grasped in the hand for the purpose of making small chips and even for scraping. The Canadian Indians and thoseof the northern United States, having only soft material and bark co work upon, restrict themselves mostly to the long-bladed curved knife. On the Pacific coast, among Indian tribes from Mount St. Elias and southward, there is a mixture of hard material and soft wood, so that there is a great variety in the form of the whittler's knife. Furthermore, these tribes have been in contact with sailors for more than a century and use any piece of steel or iron they can secure in trade. The Canadian Indians were stimulated by the fur-trading companies to travel more ra])idly and to make longer jour- neys; hence, in furnishing them with tlie curved knife, they made it l)ossible for these Indians to work out the frame of the birch-bark canoe, the bows of the snowshoes, splints for basketry, and a thousand and one objects made of birch bark, with this simple but most efficient device. It has become the traveling tool of the Canadian Indians and has done more than aught else to improve their mechanical skill. An examination of old patterns of snowshoes, in comparison with the latest patterns, reveals an astonishing improvement. The versatile curved knife is just as useful in the making of fine babiche or rawhide string for' the webbing of the snowshoe as in whittling down the frame. In the old-fashioned snowshoes the rawhide footing is nearly one-fourth inch wide, while in the best and latest the strands areas tine as thread. tW( of I ove 1 IJ. kni Sec Wc let on a si wo< vei I sei EXAMPLES. Example Cat. ^o. 176431, in the U. S. National Museum, is a far- rier's knife (lig. 1), made and used by M. E. Horigan, horseshoer in Washington, D. C. The blade is a inches. In the annual report of the Hn reau of Ethnology, Dr. W. J. I loft" man figures a i;urved knife in general use among the Menoniini Indians in Wisconsin. These Indi- ans are of the Algoiuiuian stock, and one is not sur]»iised, therefore, to fin. T\V(1-1IAN1)E1) CIllVKl) KNrKK, SI[o\VlN(i STIMCITWE A.VI) METHOD (IK ISINO. Yakutat, Alaska. Cat. N... l-sl!li., I'.S.N.M. Murdoch declares that the Point Harrow Eskimo have two styles or sizes of carver's knives, one large Midlin, with a haft 10 to I'O inches long, for wood working, and a small one, Savigron (instrument for shaving), with a haft (5 to 7 inches long, for working bone and ivory. Tlie knife is held close to the blade between the index and secoml lingers of the right hand, with the thumb over the edge, which is toward the workman. Murdoch speaks in great praise of the skill of tlie carver.' ' Ninth Anniiiil l{ei»(ut of tlio nurcau of Etliiiolopy, i>. 157, fl>r. 113. NAT MUS 97 47 \\ 73« RKPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1897. It is easy to iiiidorstaiMl the existence of the two types in the arctic area, where soft driftwood exists idoiifjside of antler and ivory. Exanii)lo Cat. No. 20.S;n. in the U. S. National Museum, is a curved knife from Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, eoUected by Mr. James (1. Swan. The curved blade is of iron, with both edges alike, and resembles the modern ean-opener. To form the Joint its tang is rouf^hly let into the wooden hiindle at its end on one side, the other side bein«- notched, and is held in place by a lashing of thong. The handle of oak is curved upward outside the thumb space and FiKs. It), II. ('AliVEIl'S KN'IIK. ANI> OU.\HI> Kl m IIAIK dV IIAXK. Sitka, Alaska. Ciit. N.«. KISU'.', ItiWU,'., r..S.N..M. [t; 'M ta])ers slightly to the outer end. The noteworthy features are the adaptjition of a modern can opener for the blade, the resemblance of the handle with its thumb space to Jajjanese and Korean handles, and the notch at the inner end to prevent the slipping of the seizing. Mr. D, W. Prentiss, jr., of the U. S. National Museum, had the good fortune to observe a Yakutat Indian carving with a large specimen of this variety of two-edged blade (Cat. No. 178196, U.S.N.M.). The handle is held in both hands while the carver dresses down the inside of his canoe or wooden box. Now tihipping toward himself, now fiway, with the greatest rapidity, he gave the line adz finish often observed THE MANS KNIFE. 73!) n 1 1 on many objecsts broujjht fnun the ct'dar arena of southeast Ahiska. In this its perfected form the knife is botli chisel and adz, working always by pressure (tig. 9). Example Cat. No. IGH-Uli, in the I'. 8. Natioiuil .Museum, is a cnrved knife from the Tlin}j;it Indians of Ahiska (tig. 1(»), collected by Lieut. G. T. Enniious, C. S. N. It consists ol a blade of a common pocketknife driven into the end of a handle of antler and held in place by an iron ferrule and by a seizing <»f rawhide thong, ^"'he handle has rings scratched around it an inch apart. The example has this peculiarity, that the bevel of the bhule is un97(>. in the II. S. Niitioiuil Museiun, is si wood carvtM's knife tVoin tin; Kwukintl Indians of Fort Rupert, l>riti.sh Coliiinl)ia (fig. V\), collected by Mr. .lames (t. Swan, and forms a tran- sition between old iirt and European art. Tlie blade is that of a modern jackknifc set into tlie end of an oak handle and hehl lirm by a ferrule of sheet brass nailed on. Ilere are united in a single joint the most primitive and most persistent 97.S, in the V. S. National Museum, is a similar knife, with .jacUknifc blade iu a very plain handle without carving (lig. 14). To form the joint the inner end of the handle has a saw cut made across, into which the tang of the blade is set and made fast by a wire driven tlirough the hinge hole. Stovepipe wire is wrapped about the joint, and a wedge of wood and one of iron driven in between the edges of the tang and the wire. Outside the wire is a wrapping of cotton rag to protect the hand. This example shows that there is plasticity even in thesavagemiiul. The elements of this old form have been nearly all patented inventions. Example Cat. No. 1LM»1>77, in the U. S. Na- tional Museum, is a curved knife of the Fort Knpert or KwakiutI Indians (tig. 15), collected by Mr. .lames G. Smmu. It consists of a bhule bent up at the top, beveled only on the upper side, and by its shank la8hert liuiiiiii.s Cnl. No. laicn?, II.S.N.M, Fig. 16. CAKVEUS KNIVUS. From tlie Ainos. Cat. No. 1511716, U.S.N. M. TIIK MANS KNll'K. 741 tr+4 V\ii. 17. orRVK.n KNIVES. Aniiini' ii'dioii. AfliT v.iiMhri-iiik. 742 RKI'ORT OF NATIONAL MUSKIIM, 1«97. slijfhtly riirvcsd iiml has acliiunfcr for the tlmiiih. Thero is no attempt at ccMiieiiting or neiziii}? or ratcheting; on tlie tan^. Tlie bond is in etlect a very ancient eonneetive done in iron. Length, 7A indies. Example Cat. No. l.'»07ir> (a), in the IT. S. National Mnsfuni, is siniiUir to tiie foregoing excepting tliat tlie bhide is straight and there is a slight carving at tlie outer end of tlie handle. The handle in both of these specimens seems to be left hand, inasninch as the bevel and curve of the blade and the <'hainfer lit the left hand and do not lit the right. The great number of whittling knivesof this species in eastern Asianiises some interesting questions of the method of intrusion of the Iron Age into the aboriginal life of the Western World. In the area between Meriiig Strait and the Aleutian Islands, under th»^ inlluence of liussian traders and the whaling industry, great iinni- bers of carver's knives in endless variety are fouud. The largest col- le<;tion from this region has been nmde by Mr. K. W. Nelson, and the forms of whittling knives, carving knives, and etching knives will be found fully illustrated in Mr. Nelson's work. A large and interesting series of curved knives were collected by von Schrenck about the mouth of the Amoor Itiver and northward, and are now in the imperial Museum at Mos(;ow. These knives represent all of the ditferent classes spoken of in this ])aper, to wit: Knives with straight blades, for ordinary domestic jiurposes; those with long curve, for ordinary whittling; those with abrupt curve at the end, as in the farrier's knife, for excavating c.auoes and boxes; and those with sharp points, for engraving on hard substances. The handles are either plain or ornamented and have a short or a long bevel for the thumb. Tiiose which have a decided sidewise curve are always lifted to the right hand and cut toward the person (fig. 17). CONCLUSION. I find that in the employment of the curved knife the liSkimo, the (Janadiau tribes, together with their kindred on the northern boundary of the United States, and, more than all, the North Pacific tribes on both sides of the ocean have exhausted the possibilities of an imple- ment that has been in the hands of some only a century or two. The arts of all these tribes were bettered and not degraded by the curved knife. In every case they were inunensely improved. The form of knife with straight, short blade made it possible for the northern and western tribes to become better carvers and engravers. JJefore the i)ossession of iron there is meager evidence that either of these areas possessiMl other than the most trivial carvings in hard material. Their best results were in soft wood and slate, by means of beaver tooth or shark's tooth knives. The curved knife serves to confirm the opinion that as soon as any process or device came within the scope of a people's intelligence they have mastered it and brought it to a climax, iirom which time on new ideas and new inventions replaced the old. 1 r III TIIK MANS KNM'K. Lint of maii'i kuivfg ill llir I', S, \alioiial Muarum, 74;i Cat. No. Oiirvrd kiiivoa. Luonlity. j 1 Collector's name. 481 Iron kiiitV (Miiiiill) 8:u ForKl.Hid lloi>e. N \V Ter K. ICellllii'Ott. ! ritory. 1100 ,,,,, do . • ili»..,. K. .Marl'arlaiiA VAOn 9 KHkiiiio kill MX \iid«r (el enrvo) cd knife CK tool i!d knife Tiifiava Hay, Labrador I'gashik, Alaska Xoualan, Mexieo liinswek River, AlaHku Chile Ft. .Mexander, Alaska . Nakneek ...do Kanebiini); do I'ntnani liiver, Alaskii . Do. R. E. Earll. Clias. L, McKay. Do. Lieut. I*. II. Kay. Do. J. J. McLean. Iv W. N.l.son. Do. Do. Do .I.J. McLean." J. 11. dolinson. Lioul. I'. II. Kay. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. .1 Do, . ilolin Hurdoi'b. . Liout. IMI, Ka.v. .' Do. Do. Do. Do. . L. M. Turner. Do. . Williani .1. Fisher. . Dr. U. I'almer, . 1 I. Apide^ate. .| W.E. Curtis. . i dolinson. . Williani. I. Fisher. Do. . I.ieut,Oeo.M,Stoney, t;,S,K. THE man's knife. 745 LM ofman'x knices in the U. S. National Muxeum. Cat. No. 129976-78 130470 131220 150715 15:i046 1 53498 153603-4 166956 168342 176434 Curved knives. Locality. Collector H imnie. Ciirved knife do Knite. glass bliidii CurvtMl knife, loft hiimled(?) Cur- 'dknifo j Cm. ul knife, vino liiiH'll" ' Curved knife \ Knile IVir earvinii Carvin),' knilV Kwakiutl. Fort Uuperl, j J.G.Swan. laska. 1 •iodtl.aab, Greenland 1 Theo.Holm. Uorja nay, l'ata^"."i" ' Thonms Lee. Aino, Y('7.o.Jiii)an li, llitclioocU. Labrador , Dr. W.J. H<'""'"" Naakopies, Monta«iiais, Labrador . Mieniars, Nova Scotia . Yukon Kiver, Abi.ska.. Tliut|;it. Sitka, Alaska ,, . ' i...ir.. .' Wanliington City. Fftrnernkniie , = H (i, llryant. (i.raldM.WeHl ,T. II. Turner. Licutcnanl Kmnions. M. K. llorrijjan. oney, U.S.N.