"Floyd L. Davidson" wrote:

Seppo Renfors wrote:
Inger E Johansson wrote:
of musk ox and a carpenter's special tool - a wood carpenter's
plane(McCullough 1989, pl 73).....
typical trade items don't you agree? :-)

I certainly would agree.

A knife, machete or axe would be "trade goods" - but not a carpenters
plane. What would Inuit do with one of them?

What would they do with one???? Plane wood. What else?

Ahhh.... now a ships rivet and chain-mail, I can understand..... they
are JEWELLERY :-)

Maybe to *you*. They would have been "raw material" to an
Eskimo during that time period. Useful for making tools...

First of all you are not able to recognise levity even when a smiley
is used. Further to that YOU have NO IDEA what they used them for.
None what ever, and therefor cannot scoff and sneer at ANY suggested
use. Therefor YOU cannot be taken seriously. Further to that I haven't
heard anything so absurd as suggesting "chain mail" being used "for
making tools"!!

I thought someone here at an early stage spoke of the lack of wood in the
Arctic area, Greenland included.....

Sure but then deer antlers and the like can be shaped with steel
knives, axe etc - not so good with a plane.

What is this "lack of wood" business?

You are quoting... who exactly and from where? Are you saying there
were forests on Greenland - Ellesmere Island in particular?

They've been building skin boats in the Arctic for at least a
few thousand years... with wood frames.

The "arctic" wasn't referred to - but GREENLAND was. There were no
trees on Greenland at the relevant time.

Each and every one of them with a wood frame.

Bull****! First of all provide some proof that boat building (using
WOOD) occurred on Greenland AND that is has been done "for at least
a few thousand years". You can't, can you.

And while ships nails and chain mail
might have been seen as simply raw material that could be used
to manufacture useful tools, a carpenter's plane would have been
seen for exactly what it was, a tool of considerable value.

So, where is your evidence of your claims? Please tell us all what
"tool" one can make out of a small piece of chain mail.

A carpenters plane isn't a TRADE GOODS for the several simple reasons.

- It was an essential tool for any ship's carpenter on a ship.
- The steel blade may have been of use as a knife or axe, but then why
not trade those - or any piece of scrap steel?

You all ever heard of drift wood?

Yes..... have you heard of ship worms? "Fire wood"? Supply problems?
Water logged?

--
SIR - Philosopher unauthorised
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The one who is educated from the wrong books is not educated, he is
misled.
-----------------------------------------------------------------