Yahi Archery
Yahi Archery
Yahi Archery
99
14
517
SEfi
OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS
YAHI ARCHERY
SAXTON
T.
POPE
BERKELEY
6,
1918
6,
1918
YAHI ARCHERY
BY
SAXTON
T.
POPE
CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction
103
Technical terms
105
The bow
The arrow
Manufacture of arrow points
The quiver
Handling the bow
Ishi
105
..
110
116
118
119
bow
123
Hunting methods
126
Explanation of plates
132
INTRODUCTION
Archery is nearly a lost art. Among civilized peoples it survives
only as a game. It is well known, however, that^even as late as two
centuries ago the bow was a vigorous competitor with the flintlock
in warfare.
Benjamin Franklin
at the
is
effective as
rifle
has, of course,
some
undergone
It is
now
2
See, for example, the narrative of Cabeza de Vaca concerning the Indians
of Florida, in Buckingham Smith, Relation of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca,
New York, 1871, p. 30.
434000
104
Am.
Arcli.
and Ethn.
[Vol. 13
almost extinct.
information as to
as to
present the facts concerning the archery of one tribe, the Yahi or
Deer Creek Indians of north- central California, the most southerly
division of the
survivor, Ishi,
fornia.
of the
The paper will deal first with the very interesting methods
Yahi for the manufacture of the implements of archery, and,
civilized archers,)
It
bow
as a serious
who
"style"
modern game.
Ishi, the native informant for the present paper, comes of a tribe
famous for
its
fighting qualities.
We
The group
bow was
lived,-to
their glory
skill
a considerable
and their
delight.
Con
Ishi
He knew what
and 1914 there was opportunity for two extended trips in the moun
tains in his company. Dr. J. V. Cooke and the present writer took
up the
English
3
style.
At
first Ishi
Myftis- in-
in
guidance, at first
we followed the
later
marksmanship, but at
volume
10o
1918]
equaTTiis"
to outdo
way
iniply
gFeatef"sRriI
He
when requested
His dexterity
made anywhere.
bow has
archer
when
grip, a portion near the center for holding the weapon; limbs, that
part between the handle and the extremities. These extremities usually
The process
of
This
is
called the
"weight"
of the bow.
THE BOW
Ishi called the
bow man
i.
He made bows
of
many woods
while
under observation, but upon an expedition into his country three years
after his capture he showed us the tree from which the best bows were
made. It was the mountain juniper. He made a stave from one of
these trees on the spot, though
He
man
it
was
later ruined.
in his tribe
This, he said,
who owned an
iron axe,
and
split
with wedges of
deer horn into proper-sized staves. To obtain the wood for his bow
he broke a limb from the tree, which seems to have been the custom
before the days of axes.
106
Am.
and Ethn.
Arcli.
[Vol. 13
The Indian with the axe seems to have been the bow maker of the
He also owned a long knife, and was known as Chunoydki,
vicinity.
that is, Atsugewi or Hat Creek Indian. Of his prowess with the bow,
Ishi told us
many
tales.
Juniper \vood Ishi called nogu i. Yew wood he did not seem to
have used, though he knew of it and said that other tribes used it.
was hulogos
this
He knew
i.
that
its
leaves
were
poisonous to eat.
While with us he used eucalyptus, tanbark oak, red cedar (tiyu-n i),
hickory, ash, juniper, and yew for his bows. All of these were of the
of course,
The distance
between these points was the proper length for a bow. This measured
in his own case four feet and two inches. The wddth of the bow at the
middle of each limb was three or four
fingers,
according to whether a
light
at
His w ood, after being split or partially blocked out from a limb,
was laid in a horizontal position in a warm, sheltered place. Here it
r
seasoned.
it,
Ishi
But
as to
seemed to have no
The process
or obsidian.
of shaping the
With
bow was
infinite patience
to cut
it,
or
how long
to season
set opinions.
to
The
by 1^ inches;
at midlimb, %c, by
inches.
Pulls 40 pounds.
inches; at nock,
6 by
Bow in possession of author. Shown in use in plate 31. Length, 54 1/ inches.
Diameters, at handle,
by 1%; at nock, 14 by i/2 inches.
by 1%; at midlimb,
Pulls 45 pounds.
1%
He seemed
Avhite sap
to
wood
%
%
of
of his bow, he did not hesitate to cut through its grain to attain a
symmetrical form, and just as often he would scrape most of it away,
leaving only a thin stratum of white at each edge. At the handle a
cross section of the
was much
flatter.
bow was
Iii
107
1918]
some of
his
bows the
This was accomplished by holding the back of the bow, at this point,
on a hot rock while pressure was applied at the ends, bending the
wood over the stone, shifting the bow back and forth, until the requi
site curve had been obtained.
Then, while the wood cooled, Ishi held
it pressed against his knee, which was protected by a pad of buckskin.
[[[[11
cross sections
J
|
a.
ii
/gxlz.-
bacK_
Ishi s
short
"bovv\,
After the bow was shaped and finished smoothly 011 the belly, the
sinew was applied to the back, which had been left rather rough. As
backing for his bow, Ishi used either the dorsal fascia obtained from
a deer, or he teased out the long tendons, bama,
legs.
These strips were from eight to fourteen inches long, and when dry
were about the thickness of parchment.
several hours.
it,
glue, so he said,
hot.
parallel lines
down
This
Having
As
it
ends of the bow into a reversed position. After this had happened, he
applied more glue to the surface. Several days later, when all the
filed
and scraped
it
very
smooth, filing the overlapping margins level with the edges of his bow.
108
Am.
"backing"
[Vol. 13
He now
exposing
it
to the sunlight
During
The tendons used in this were of a finer quality than those used before
and were obtained from the outer, more slender group of tendons in
the deer
shank.
down
length.
The
it
nor did he know any clever knots. Moreover, he never used glue at
this point.
In fact this loop was the weakest part of his string and
not infrequently came apart, when, in disgust, he would tie a single
loop knot and forego the finished effect of the unknotted self loop. Nor
had he any idea of serving his string with any binding at the nocking
point, where the arrow rests.
At this stage, Ishi was ready to string the bow. He designated the
end of the stave which grew uppermost in the tree as the chunna,
and over the nock in this end he slipped the loop of his string.
To fail to shoot with this end uppermost, he said, would cause the
arrow to miss its mark.
"face,"
In stringing the bow for the first time, he seated himself, placing
the upper nock behind his left heel, the belly toward him, the handle
against his right knee, the lower limb upward in his left hand. In
this position
he bent the bow and fastened the string about the other
Pope:
1918]
YaM
Archer
109
if
nock.
he
wound
it
twice aroung the nock, passed under the bowstring, turned backward
and wound
No yew
forty-five inch bow he drew twenty-five inches.
wood could stand such an arc without backing. In fact he broke
two bow-staves, testing them at my request, prior to the application of
point.
sinew
Where the contour showed the bow too strong, he filed or scraped
on the belly side, thus gradually distributing the bend evenly along
the bow. About the middle he bound a ribbon of buckskin, making
it
a hand grip some five or six inches wide. This buckskin thong was
about half an inch wide and ran spirally about the bow, not over
lapping, fastened at each end by an extra wrapping of string or sinew.
Ishi
to
apply any protective coat, though later he learned the value of shellac
in preserving his backing from dampness. The great aversion he had
to shooting while
that his
of painting
and three long snaky lines running down the back. He said
that red also was an appropriate color.
When finished and seasoned, these bows pulled, or "weighed,"
when draw n to twenty-five inches, between thirty-five and fifty pounds.
nocks,
To stand a bow
working;
if left
was to keep it
and become weak. If a
standing
it
would
"sweat"
110
[Vol. 13
while
it
bow must be washed and cleaned with sand. He was most careful not
to keep his bow strung too long but furnished the loop with a bit of
which extended from nock to loop, and served to keep the bow
string from getting out of place while the bow was unbraced. After
cord,
archers.
good bow was one whose string made a high musical note when
tapped with an arrow or snapped with the fingers. It should sing
the note tin, tin, tin.
This was the chief s bow.
One whose note
was dead and unmusical, Ishi treated with contempt.
placing the upper end of his braced bow at the corner of his
mouth
and gently tapping the string midway between the end
open
and center he caused clear musical notes to be produced. This sounded
like our jew s-harp, and by altering the shape of the buccal cavity he
was able to create a series of tones sufficient to form a melody relating
By
to a story of
He sang
of a great archer
who dipped his arrow point in the sea, then in the fire, drew a
mighty bow, and shot at the sun. His arrow flew like the north wind,
and entering the door of the sun, put out its light. Then all the world
became dark, men shivered with cold, and from this time they grew
feathers on their bodies to make them warm.
THE ARROW
The arrow was
called sawa.
sizes.
obsidian pointed, and blunt, For shooting small game, such as birds
and rabbits, the latter were used. For killing deer, bear, and preda-
Here,
County seem to be of
hazel,
if
him.
111
humoha, and
this
Dogwood
and mountain mahogany he also used. Other shaft woods pointed out
by him were bakanyau an (Philadelphus Leivisii), sawa i ("arrow
bush, Paeonia Brownii] and loko and habaigili i, unidentified. Later,
,
to
currant
The
330
the
total
was
and
/!2 inch;
weight
The feathering of the arrow consisted of three plumes from
grains.
inch wide. They were trimmed
a buzzard s wing, 4% inches long,
11
straight to the
terminated
feathers were
The
shafts.
from a
first
To
fire
He
In
less
When
The wood
new
position.
Glancing
112
down
ness.
Am.
[Vol. 13
the axis of his shaft from time to time, Ishi gauged its straightTo burn or discolor the wood was evidence of bad technique.
while he worked
this
it
it
He
means he could
"turn"
were used.
Where
ure.
The excavation averaged an inch in depth and a quarter of an
inch in diameter, and ran to a point. During this drilling process the
lower end of the shaft was tightly bound with sinew or cedar cord
keep
it
a spindle
inch or more.
When
to this stage of
from his hut were of these latter colors, but at least the blue
American pigment, perhaps secured during nocturnal prowlings
is
in
vacant cabins.
Red, he told me, came from the earth and was
made with
fire.
4 Ishi
designated Lathyrus sulphurea, Icununutspi i, as yielding a yellow paint
for arrows. The "onion" from which green was obtained may have been a plant
related to the lily Fritillaria lanceolata, which he called t aka, although he declared
this species to produce a salmon-colored dye. Commandra umbellata, punentsaw i
in his language, was also used for painting arrows.
1918]
113
trees.
He had no
When
with us he
lines
snaky
of the feather.
bunch of
make
and
little stick
through a
of wood, or
quill,
drew
a small
making a brush.
the rings of color he clamped the arrow shaft between his left
was steadied on
with the
left
hand.
To
arm
In making serpentine lines he used a little pattern of wood or deerhide, cut with a zigzag edge, along which he passed his brush. These
figures
Apparently they
When
below
This he
the paint
it,
let
dry.
Many
very hard to
get.
The
first
at the tip
w ing on
r
each arrow.
and
down
its
its
length by pulling
laminae
it
apart.
Only the
strip
reduced
it
By
scraped are very flexible but the laminae tend to stand at an angle of
11-4
thirty degrees
Am.
set
on the arrow.
[Vol. 13
Hav
many
way he collected them in groups of
to
their
three, according
similarity of form and color, and bound each
group with a short bit of thread. When ready to apply them to the
feathers this
ing finished
arrow, these sets of three, each set from the same wing, were soaked
warm water. When soft, the feathers were shaken dry, separated,
in
Very delicate deer tendons, having been split and soaked in water,
were now chewed to a stringy pulp and drawn from the mouth in thin
ribbons about a foot long. One end he held by the teeth, the other
was attached to the arrow by a couple of turns near the nock. He
then placed each feather in succession in its position one perpen
;
As he
bound the
its
opposite edges,
making equidistant
down
rib
to the shaft,
all
to
draw
down into position. Beginning at the last painted ring where the glue
commenced, he stripped off the laminae in preparation for the appli
cation of tendons. Again he spun out a ribbon of tissue, and setting
each feather in place, holding the top one with his left thumb, and the
other two with the first and second fingers respectively, he began bind
ing with the sinew. After proceeding a few turns, he released his
hold and straightened each feather to its final position, which was
about one-sixteenth of an inch off the direct line down the arrow, veer
ing off slightly toward the concave side of the feather. Now, drawing
the feathers tight and snug, he cut the rib about half an inch long
and completed the binding by rotation, plus a final smoothing with his
thumb
llo
to settle them, he
obsidian along this edge. Obsidian flakes are quite as sharp as a good
razor, and cut feathers better.
they were cut in a slightly concave line, and usually no trimming was
done near the nock, but the natural curve of the feather tip was left
here, making a graceful finish to his work.
Instead of standing perpendicularly to the shaft, as has been
recommended by our ancient English archers, Ishi s feathers were set
at
an angle
after
much
to his
the shaft
pinions
full length of a
hawk
almost a foot.
In none of his arrows which were made in the wilds was there any
evidence of glue between the feather and arrow shaft but while with
;
us he occasionally ran a
it
little
on.
In his native
state,
The arrow
to a certain length.
against his
own
sternal notch
his left hand, almost in his shooting position (as described below), he
made, and so cut that when the arrow was drawn on the bow, this
notch was in a perpendicular position. The idea in placing the head,
in a vertical plane was that in this position it entered between the
ribs of
116
flight
[Vol. 13
rapidly and necessarily must shift from its plane immediately upon
With the old English archers, the broad-head was
in
the
same
placed
plane with the nock, for the same mistaken reason.
leaving the bow.
With
bow
ARROW POINTS
For making arrowheads, bone and obsidian and flint were used by
Flint Ishi designated as pana k aina and seemed to like it
because of its varied colors. But hahJca or obsidian was in commoner
Boulders of obsi
use, and among the Yahi it served even as money.
dian were traded from tribe to tribe throughout his country. They
probably came by way of the Hat Creek Indians from Shasta County
and other districts where this volcanic glass was prevalent.
A boulder of obsidian was shattered by throwing another rock on
it.
The chunks thus obtained were broken into smaller size by hold
the Yahi.
its
flaking process.
it.
The
long.
flaker
Holding
reversing the position of the obsidian in his hand and attacking the
opposite edge with the flaking tool, repeating in a painstaking
way
in diameter
long,
5
Compare the article by N. C. Nelson, Flint Working by
Anniversary Volume, Washington, 1916, pp. 397-401.
Ishi, in
the Holmes
Talil
Pope:
1918]
bound about
it
117
Archery
The
tool
must be
a sub
stance that will dent slightly and thus engage the sharp edge of
Tempered
obsidian.
His
awl,
made
of a
wire nail driven into a wooden handle, and fashioned the notches near
the base of the arrowhead by pressing the point of the flaking tool
against the ball of the thumb.
To make a head of this type required about half an hour.
made them
gift
in all sizes
Medium
He
and shapes.
size heads,
% inch wide, and 14 inch thick, were for ordinary deer shooting, while
were for shooting bear.
Yahi custom to do most of the making of bows
was
Apparently
from
the camp, in secluded spots particularly favor
and arrows away
At least this was true of the making of
able to this employment.
arrowheads; partially
so,
it
was
strictly a
man
men congregated
entailed,
s job.
in a circle, in a
warm sunny
place, painted their faces with black mud to keep the flying flakes
out of their eyes, and maintained silence either for ceremonial pur
poses or to avoid getting pieces of flint or glass in the mouth. Among
"magical"
from
his patients,
If
lid.
Then he bent
eye.
much
close
astigmatic.
118
Am.
Arcli.
and Ethn.
[Vol. 13
The arrowheads were first set in the shaft by heating pine resin,
and applying it to the notched end, then moulding it about the base
of the obsidian point. When firm, the point was further secured by
binding it with sinew, back and forth, about the tangs and around
the shaft. Three wraps were made about each notch, and the tendon
\vas wound about the arrow for the distance of half an inch imme
diately below the arrowhead.
ke"pt
in a little
bag of
skin,
and not
till
knives. Still larger blades of the same type, on a long handle, were
used as spears.
After some experience in shooting at targets, Ishi devised a sub
stitute for the regular target arrow pile, or head.
He made blunt
points from thin brass tubing or steel umbrella sticks, cut into one
He
filed these
THE QUIVER
When upon a prolonged hunt, Ishi carried as many as sixty arrows
with him, though his quiver seldom contained more than a score. The
extra arrows he kept covered with a skin and bound with buckskin
thongs,
his shoulder.
His quiver, now in the University Museum, was made from the
skin of an otter, the fur side out, and the hair running upward. It
measures 34 inches in length, 8 inches in width at the upper end, and
4 inches at the lower.
dangling, wiiile the fore legs were tw o sheaths of skin inverted within
the quiver. The mouth was sewn with tendon, and the split tail served
as a carrying strap.
Four punctures
showed
where the toggles of a salmon spear had entered and had had exit,
indicating its method of capture. A strip of buckskin was also stitched
to the outlet of the quiver, and, running inside, was again stitched
two-thirds of the
strap.
way down.
Its use
1918]
quiver quickly, so
it
It
during the act of shooting, Ishi either laid on the ground or held
beneath his right arm. Owing to his peculiar method of shooting, this
did not interfere when he drew his bow.
The other
the handle
the nock.
If,
Now, depressing
of the string over
fchi s
tow hand.
bow and
till it
he again bent and braced his bow. When strung, the distance between
the string and the hand grip was about four and a half inches. He
then would place four or five arrows beneath his right arm, points to
the front, leaving one in the hand. Holding the bow diagonally across
the body, the
upper end
to the left, he
"nocked"
his
arrow by lay-
120
in
EtJtn.
[Vol.
on the right side of the bow. It crossed the middle of the bow
where the first and second fingers of the left hand received it and held
it
ing
from slipping it was also a little distance away from the bow. This
refinement of technique was necessary to avoid rubbing the feathers,
which were longer than the space between the bow and the string.
it
The bow
itself
bow
the
Ishrs release
The arrow
of that
known
as the
Mongolian type.
That
is,
was a modification
he
"drew"
the
bow
with the right thumb flexed beneath the string. On the thumb nail
he laid the end of the middle finger, to strengthen the hold. The
it from
The
from
the
of
extremities
the
slipping
string.
feathers, being near
the nock, were neatly folded along the shaft in the grip of these
fingers, to prevent them from being ruffled.
Ishi knew of several releases, saying that certain other tribes used
them. The primary type, that where the arrow butt is gripped between
the thumb and the flexed forefinger, he said certain Indians used,
and
it
191 8
There are
five
known types
121
Ytihi Archer;/
Pope:
bow
is
drawn.
many
assists in
The Tertiary
release
straightened forefinger.
may
thumb and
in position
effectiveness
when
is
worn
to engage the
string.
The Mediterranean
release
was known
to the ancients
The
first
and
is
that
three fingers,
between the
Tshi s release
first
is
which
in
it is
its
fundamental method of
now
America.
Primary, 25 pounds.
Primary, with an arrow having a grip or notch in the end to assist the draw,
35 pounds.
Secondary, 40 pounds.
Tertiary, 60 pounds.
Mongolian, 45 pounds.
Mongolian, with a Japanese-type shooting glove to protect the thumb, 55
pounds.
Mediterranean, 80 pounds.
Bulletin of the Essex Institute, Salem, xvn, 145-198, 1885.
122
Am.
Arcli.
and Ethn.
[Vol. 13
Greater experience may have somewhat favored the result for the
Mediterranean method, but there is no doubt that it is the most power
known releases.
As Ishi drew with the back of his hand uppermost, he extended his
bowarm horizontally and kept it straight, midway between a lateral
and forward position. His right hand he drew till its back came
ful of all
beneath his chin, the end of his radius touching the top of his sternum.
Thus he looked straight along his arrow with both eyes open. In this
position his eyes were considerably above the nock of the arrow
and
His extreme length of draw was not over twenty-six inches, while for
small game and near shots he shortened this to eighteen or twenty
He
inches.
arm was
arm
mode
his peculiar
into the
his bow.
down
glance
his
it
was
any
slight
bow arm
as
he shot.
is
With him
this
was about
yards, and
that he
With
first
hand.
1918]
123
Shooting with
He
flight of the
and bruise
it,
arrow.
At times the
much
bow
as often
this is considered
soft, this
however
BOW
It is therefore a privilege to
shooting of
So far
as target shooting
is
concerned,
it is
well
known
that the
surpassed since.
York round
four dozen at eighty yards, and two dozen at sixty yards, and adding
consists in shooting
is
a circular straw*
mat four
inches thick, covered with a facing on which are five concentric rings.
is
124
each circle
is
9, 7,
[Vol. 13
5,
3,
points.
Because of the great distance, and his inability to hit the target
often enough to warrant compiling a score, Ishi seldom shot the York
round.
But we have many records of his scores at the American
round.
It
and yet
at
Ishi s best
Total
May
30, 1915.
60 yards, ]3
50 yards, 17
40 yards, 23
hits,
hits,
hits,
51 score
59 score
95 score,
Total
The
hits,
32 score
92 score, 2 golds
99 score, 2 golds
Rendtorff, and
is
gold
gold
American round
thus recorded
is
at present held
by E.
J.
A
hits,
hits,
500 score.
My own
best
round
is
88
In his native
about the
be correspondingly adept.
up
in the air
At
was
Hiawatha, he could not keep ten shafts aloft at once. Catlin reports
that the Mandans could keep eight arrows in the air at one time.
1918J
125
Ishi s greatest flight shot was 185 yards. No doubt had he prepared
himself for distance shooting he could have surpassed this but using
;
40-pound hunting bow and the lightest arrow in his quiver, this was
his extreme length. After Ishi s death, I shot his bow, with an espe
cially light arrow with a closely cropped feather, a distance of 200
his
yards.
La
com
at
flight
arrows.
less than.
Its
weight was
40 pounds.
common with
all
savages, failed to
markmanship was
erratic.
fly
The length of time required for Ishi s hunting shafts to fly 100
yards was 4 seconds. The angle of trajection was 30 degrees. The
weight of these arrows was 1 ounce their power of penetration was
sufficient to pierce our target, which consisted of a piece of oil cloth, 2
gunny sacks, and 4 inches of straw target, entirely traversing these
;
steel
is
much
hundred
Shoot
is
2%
seconds.
The average
velocity of an
arrow
is
126
[Vol. 13
HUNTING
At a very
took various
upon extended
we under
was very
over the ground very quiet and alert, always paying particular atten
and cover. He was indefatigable in the persistence
with which he stalked game, and seldom left a clump of brush in/
which he knew or suspected the presence of game, until all means of
getting it had been tried.
the
overlooked
where we
it.
killing distance
and caught,
Ishi
would break
with
to
its
catching in
shirt, or
breech clout.
Any
1918]
made a
127
While
Ishi
made
and a
sensitive
was proud of
his
and he immediately discarded them when any real work in the field^
was encountered. In climbing cliffs, or crossing streams or trunks o
So in hunting he preferred to
trees, he first removed his shoes.
of
his
and
the
barefoot,
strength
perfectly shaped feet gave him
very definite advantage over his civilized companions.
It
hunting expeditions.
From
Ishi s description,
it
and
known deer
Then a band
trails.
just large
notice
them
attention
was
masonry
called to them.
trail,
an old Indian in
that this Indian
When
was
his relative,
Years ago
maiming him
this
for
many
by an
old
life.
Ishi admitted
would
hide himself behind a bush and give the rabbit call. This consists of a
kissing sound, made by the lips with two fingers pressed against them.
It is a shrill, plaintive
rabbit in distress.
He
128
He
pathos.
come
The
to the call.
came
first
Upon one
had
came
to protect its
afternoon
Vol.
K>
expecting food.
assertions, I
in
From
these dozen
five rabbits,
As
the game drew near, Ishi kept up a sucking sort of kiss with his
while
he adjusted an arrow on the bow. When the game was
lips
within a dozen yards, he shot.
.
He
tree,
folded
vigorously.
He
original
and
twigs.
This he placed
011
his head,
it
was
and raising
several occasions
we
was
at sixty yards,
ness.
That
it
is
we proved upon
We
and
this is well
failed to hit.
its
Upon
fall of
W.
J.
and
killed
191 8
129
and having steel heads one and one-half inches long by one inch wide.
Mr. Compton shot a six-foot yew bow weighing 65 pounds, while mine
was a sinew-backed yew bow 5
In one deer killed with a
feet,
rifle,
thorax back of the scapula, its head piercing the opposite chest wall.
This also would have been fatal. 7
flight, it
often occurred
that an arrow
this less
He
always preferred to walk around a snake, wishing him well and leaving
him unharmed.
Besides using the ambush, Ishi waited at deer licks to secure his
venison.
all
considered them
days of abundance of game, and the Indian killed only for food.
He preserved his deer meat by a process of curing in smoke, just
as all hunters today make jerky. The deer hide he or more likely his
female relatives, prepared by first rubbing in the brains and later by
drying and scraping. Ishi himself did not seem to know how to make
cat
smoked.
common among
Indians, saturates
the hide with creosote compounds, thus preserving the tissue from
bacteria
proof.
They then
dis-
There are interesting facts on the penetrating power of the arrow in Thomas
Wilson s Arrow Wounds,
the American Anthropologist, n. s., in, 513-600, 1901.
"
130
[Vol. 13
to have
fatigue.
Among
cinnamon
Museum
is
and
bear,
later dispatching
it
He
poisoned
fish
trout pools.
with the bow does not seem to have been one of his
fish
Shooting
occupations.
venom into a piece of deer liver, when, after putrefaction, the arrow
heads were smeared with this combined bacterial poison and venom.
Ishi could imitate the call of
name
many
their call.
squirrel, dadichu.
when on
sunny
rock,
sort.
The yellow
snare deer.
The barking
fox or wildcat.
story
squirrel in the
men
Ishi said
1918]
Pope:
Yalii
131
Archery
of his
we could
offer.
When
fire sticks,
and
EXPLANATION OF PLATES
PLATE
Death mask of
Ishi
who
-2
[132]
March
25, 1916.
&.
ETHN. VOL. 13
POPE
PLATE 22
PLATE
23
Hickory bow, backed with glued catgut. Made in 1914. A strongshooting bow, often used by Ishi. University of California Museum of Anthro
pology, specimen number 1-19867.
It is much longer than Ishi
Fig. 2. Unbacked ash bow, broken in use.
Fig.
1.
tendon.
Museum number
1-19451.
A yew
3.
Museum number
1-19452.
This
Fig. 4. Oregon yew bow, backed with thin rawhide.
Ishi s best bows, used most at targets. Museum number 1-19590.
inches. The hand grip, on all the above specimens, is woolen tape.
Fig.
5.
Length, 44
was one of
Ishi at the
[134]
5.
1.1
2.
3.
POPE
PLATE 23
PLATE
Figures
the
1 to 3
24
9,
Museum.
Fig.
There
is
The same type as above, feathers a trifle longer. Both are painted
Fig. 2.
with alternate red and blue rings and intervening wavy lines. Museum number
1-19578.
It
The shaft is like the preceding, but the point is here preserved.
Fig. 3.
a small serrated head of window glass.
There is blood on the arrow.
is
Museum number
1-19579.
Fig.
It
is
5.
made
This
of a
is
<%
feathers and is tipped with a steel head, sinew bound. Number 119863.
This is a dowel turkey tail feathers, blue and red paint rings,
Fig. 6.
obsidian head. An arrow made for show. Number 1-19866.
Fig.
8.
turkey
9.
580 grains.
tail feathers.
Number
1-19454.
San Francisco
[136]
in 1914.
to Secretary
PLATE
25
Fig.
1.
Chewing sinew
Fig.
2.
to affix the
the arrow.
Fig.
3.
to the
[138]
head on
PLATE
27
This is from
Fig.
Aboriginal bone-pointed
tribe in northwestern California and illustrates the type used by the
iron was known.
Length, 17% inches. University of California
arrowflaker.
1.
2.
Iron flaker
the
Yurok
Yahi before
Museum
of
2496.
Number
1-19591.
Fig.
3.
Fig.
4.
Fig. 5.
of obsidian.
Fig.
6.
Fig.
7.-
Fig.
8.
Fig.
9.
Fig. 10.
Fig. 11.
Fig. 12.
Fig. 13.
glass arrowhead,
%6
[140]
Length, 3
13
POPE
PLATE 30
KXKB:i,IX(i
SHOT
POPE
PLATE 31
PLATE
32
Fig.
1.
Fig.
2.
3.
Calling game.
archery.
Fig.
[142]
L>(>\\
MAKIN<;
13
AM) IITXTING
POPE
PLATE 32
PLATE
Fig.
1.
The bow
33
Watching the flight of the arrow. The bow string is still vibrating.
has turned in Ishi s grasp in a manner that was habitual with him. He
bow and
This
arrow.
is
a 54-inch hunting
steel-pointed.
[144]
bow
of
PLATE
34
An
original specimen taken from the camp which the Yahi were inhabit
ing in 1908. It now forms number 1-19564 in the Anthropological Museum
of the University.
146
PLATE
35
Obtained under the same circumstances as the deer head shown in the pre
ceding plate. The number of the specimen in the Museum is 1-19565.
[148]
&.
ETHN. VOL. 13
POPE
PLATE 35
PLATE
36
From a cinematograph
film
Fi g-
1-
Fig.
2.
string.
[150]
RKPARINCi TO SHOOT
POPE
PLATE 36
PLATE
1.
37
From a cinematograph
After release. The bow has turned
Fig.
tion of the string can be seen.
Fig.
2.
Ishi
watching the
152
film
in lahi s
He
UNIV
VOL. 13
POPE
PLATE 37
Fi K
Fig. 2
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