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AN INTRODUCTION
TO

STRING FIGURES
y^H

Amusement for Everybody.

BY

W. W. ROUSE BALL.

Cambridge

W.

HEFFER & SONS

.

1920.

LTD.

AN INTRODUCTION
TO

STRING FIGURES
BY

W. W. ROUSE BALL
Fellow ok Trinity College, Camisridgk.

Cambridge
W.

HEFFER & SONS

1920.

LTD,

Prefatory Note.

The making

of

String Figures

is

study by

game common among

men

of science is a recent
development, their researches have, however, already justified
its description as a hobby, fascinating to most people and
The following pages contain a lecture
readily mastered.
which I gave last spring ,at the Royal Institution, London,

primitive people.

Its

on these figures and their history

to

it I

have appended

full

directions for the construction of several easy typical designs,

arranged roughly in order of difficulty, and, for those who

wish to go further, lists of additional patterns and references.
The only expense necessary to anyone who takes up the
pastime is the acquisition of a piece of good string some seven
with that and this booklet to aid him, he will have
feet long
;

at his

command an amusement

that

may

while

away many a

vacant hour.

W. W. ROUSE BALL.
Trinity College, Cambridge.

July, 1920.

442984
111

Contents.

--------------------

Prefatory Note

String Figures, an Amusement of Primitive

Methods of Construction
Classification

History of Subject before 1902 Precision of description introduced in 1902

History subsequent to 1902
Search for Figures among Aborigines
Historical or Religious Associations
Asiatic Varieties, Cat's Cradle
numerous and widely
Oceanic Varieties
Openings A and B. Movement T.
Addendum of Illustrative Examples
Class A. A Fish Spear
A Frame-work for a Hut :

A Butterfly
A Fishing Net
Class B.

A Man Climbing
A Salmon Net

a Tree

5
5

10

11

12

12

15
16

spread.

18

19

21

22

21

24
24
26
26

27
28
29

30

31

32

34

35

The Caterpillar

References for Seven Other Figures

IV

References for Eight Other Figures

The Fly

A Siberian House
The Elusive Loop
The Yam Thief
Throwing a Spear

iji

-------------------------------------------------

The Batoka Gorge

A Tent Flap
Crow's Feet
Lightning

Man

PAGE

33

35
36

37

-1

Lecture

on

44l>

ft

o^

Figures.

String

as the subject for this Lecture String Figures,

which I present to you as a world-wide amusement of primitive
man, and as being in themselves interesting to most people.
I

HAVE chosen

In the course of the evening you will see how such figures are
actually made, but before coming to that I must tell you
something of their nature and history. I hope you will bear
introduce them to you in my own way.
is usually made by weaving on the fingers a
A
six-and-a-half or seven feet long, so as to
about
string,
of
loop
produce a pleasing design, often supposed to suggest a familiar

with

me

if I

string figure

object, either at rest or in motion.

Having taken up the string in some defined way, the subsequent weaving may be effected either with the aid of another
operator, each player in turn tal<:ing the string from the other,
or by the single player making a series of movements, such as
dropping a loop from one finger, transferring a loop from one
finger to another, picking up a string with one finger and then
returning the finger to its original position carrying the string
with it, and so on unless I state the contrary it is to be assumed
that it is with figures made in the second way that I am con;

cerned to-night. In general, after each step, the hands are

and normally the
separated so as to make the string tight
hands are held upright with the fingers pointing upwards and
the palms approximately facing one another. [These movements were illustrated by the formation of one or two string
;

Nothing more is required in most constructions,

though many other small movements, notably slight rotations
of the wrists, while not necessary, give neatness of manipulation

figures.]

and add

to the effectiveness of the display.

These figures, when shown to a few spectators in a room,

always prove, as far as my experience goes, interesting alike
but their attractiveness, their fascination
to young and old
I might almost say, is not permanent unless people can be
induced to construct them for themselves. I can hardly propose and that is a difficulty inherent in lecturing on the subject
;

STRING FIGURES

cati-

'I-

'

**

<

fiardly propose that for the first time,

now and

here,

without individual help, you should make the designs you will
see later.
To enjoy the occupation, however, you must be able
to make them, and, bold though I may seem, I venture to
assert that if once you acquire this knowledge you will find
pleasure in applying it.
It is a truism, and in fact a truth as well, that all sensible
people have hobbies.
I am not alone in finding that the collection of string figures is an agreeable hobby, and it may be
added a very cheap one, while friends who have learnt the rules
tell me that in convalescence and during tedious journeys the
amusement has helped to while away many a long hour
moreover the figures are easy to weave, they have a history,
and they are capable of many varieties. Thus even in England
the game may prove well worth the time spent in learning to
;

Figure

Lightning.

and admittedly to the very few who travel among

it may sometimes be of real service.
It would be absurd to talk about string figures if you do not
know what they are so before I go any further let me show
you what is meant by the term. These figures may be divided
play

it

aborigines

into three classes,

design, or

(/3)

a, /3, y,

according as

the illustration of

creation of a surprise effect

is

(a)

the production of a

some action or

story, or (y) the

it will be

the object desired

by giving one or two examples of each class.

The designs reproduced in figures i and 2 are well-known

desirable to begin

forms which

The

will serve as illustrations of figures in Class a.

them, a zig-zag pattern, termed Lightning, is due

to the Navaho Indians who live on the Mexican border of
Arizona, where the customs of the Red Man have not yet been
wholly destroyed by civilization and law. [The figure as
shown by the Lecturer was made by successive movements,
as set out in the next paragraph.] The construction is simple.
first of


STRING FIGURES

You see the final result appears

digital skill is involved.
suddenly, almost dramatically, and I regard this as an excellent
Observe also that the production of the figure
feature of it.
and no

I find I take well under ten seconds

think quickness, which comes easily as soon
as one knows the moves, adds finish to the working and is

is

to

rapid.

make

Timing myself,
I

it.

worth cultivating.

The movements by which Lightning is produced are easy

a boy of eight or nine will learn them in three or four minutes
but as

them

is

the case with

concisely.

as shortly as

form

in the

lying

To

all

these figures

illustrate these

can, exactly

what

of a figure of eight,

away from me, and

it is difficult

statements
did.

let

First, I

to describe

me

express,

put the string

one oval (preferably small)

the other towards me, and the strings

crossing in the middle of the figure

then put

my

index-

my

thumbs down into the

fingers down into the far oval, and
and then turned them
the
hands
next I separated
near oval
the
thumbs
with
and fingers well
position
up into their normal
strings
of
the
loops
on the thumbs
the
causing
spread out, thus
another.
Second,
I bent each
one
cross
and index-fingers to
strings,
with
two
and
its back
over
from
me
thumb away
string
(i.e.
in
the
language
the
next
below
from
picked up
expounded later, the ulnar index string), and, as usually follows
and is assumed to be the case unless the contrary is stated,
Third, I bent
returned the thumbs to their former positions.
each mid-finger towards me over one string, and with its back
picked up from below the next string. Fourth, I bent each
ring-finger towards me over one string, and with its back
picked up from below the next string. Fifth, I bent each
little-finger towards me over one string, and with its back
picked up from below the next string. Sixth, I moved my
thumbs away from me, and placed their tips in the spaces by
;

the httle-fingers, their fronts resting on the near little-finger

Lastly, I threw the
this released the thumb loops.
string
loops thus released over the other strings, and at the same time
;

with the thumbs either lifted up the far little-finger string or

pressed down the near httle-finger string, and the figure flashed
The description is lengthy, but in my opinion it is not
out.
desirable to labour at making this extremely concise.
The next diagram is of a design, known as a Tent Flap or
[The figure as shown
Door, due to the Apache Red Indians.

STRING FIGURES

The
as set out below on p. 25.]
Apaches are now almost extinct, but the figure is familiar to
the Mexican Indians, who are said to have learnt it from
Apaches living on the Reservation Lands maintained by the
United States Government. This also is a figure in Class .

by the Lecturer was made

Figure

Tent Flap.

The two designs, represented in figures 3 and 4, will serve as

examples of figures in Class /3. The first of them is supposed to
represent a Man Climbing a Tree, his arms and feet (or perhaps
and feet) clasping the tree trunk. It is derived
since only a drawing of the
from the Blacks in Queensland

his tree-band

Figure

design was brought away,

Max
it is

Climbing a Tree.

impossible to be certain

how

it

was made by the aborigines, but the construction I am about

to employ has been suggested, and is probably correct, since
it is simple and involves no unusual actions.
[The figure as
shown by the Lecturer was made as set out on page 35.]
In the figure thus obtained I pull with my index-fingers, and
then the part which represents the man moves up the part
which represents the tree trunk. Such motion is characteristic


STRING FIGURES
of figures of this kind

hence such results are often used as a

framework for stories two warriors fighting, a hammock

breaking and its occupant faUing out, and so on.
Closely alHed to the production of moving figures, and
almost indistinguishable from them, are String Illustrations of
Stories.
The well-known representation of the Yam Theft
will serve as an example of this type of figure. [The constructtion as shown by the Lecturer was made as set out below on
page T,^, the final form being shown in the accompanying diagram.] You can tell the story much as you hke.
In one
version of it the thumb loop represents the owner of a yam
patch.
He is supposed to be asleep. The loops successively
taken up from the dorsal string and put on the fingers represent

Figure 4

The Yam Thief.

yams dug up by a thief, and tied up in bags ready for

off.
The loop coming off the thumb represents the
owner waking and going to see what is the matter. He looks
down the dorsal side, sees the yams collected for removal,
notices that the dorsal string holds them tight, and looks about
for the thief.
The thief, who may be represented by a loop on
the

carrying

the pendant palmar string, coming back for his booty, sees the
owner, whereupon (pulling the pendant palmar string) he disappears with all the yams. There is at least one British speci-

men of such a string story which deals with the misadventures of

a thief who stole some tallow candles.
I include these string
illustrations of stories among the figures in Class ^.
There

is yet a third class, which I call Class y, of string

which primitive man is ver}^ partial these are string
paradoxes, where the unexpected happens. Take this as an

figures to

STRING FIGURES

10

Here

example.

is

a loop of string, held for convenience by

Obviously if I twist my right hand

up.
round one string of the loop and pull with the left hand, the
If I give the right hand a twist
right hand will be caught.
the
loop, it is generally still more
of
round the other string
is
problem
to give this additional twist
The
firmly caught.

my

left

hand high

when the left hand is pulled. This

by what is known in certain South Pacific
[This was shown and explained.]
Isles as the Lizard Twist.
movements
are simple, yet I predict
the
trickery
is
no
There
seen
the twist, will succeed
if
they
have
even
people,
that few
when they first attempt to make it. String paradoxes or
puzzles of this kind are widely known, and are generally amusTo show them, to be shown them, and above all to show
ing.
so that the string runs free

can easily be effected

pleasure in them, often lead to friendly intercourse with primibut they are different in kind from the figures about

tive folk,

which

wish to

relevant to

my

talk.

put them, then, on one side as not

come back to the forma-

subject to-night, and

tion as practised to-day of string designs in Classes a

The study
one.

may

of string figures

is

new, and

its

and

/3.

history a short

dispose of the story prior to 1902 very briefly.

the middle of the nineteenth century onwards we

find occasional notices by travellers in wild countries of the
fact that the natives made, with a piece of string, forms

From about

from and far more elaborate than the Cat's Cradle

but (with the exception of two examples
described in France in 1888 and two in America in 1900) no
details were given of how they were constructed, and in only a
few cases near the end of the century were drawings kept of
the patterns produced. There are more accounts of the Cat's
Cradle familiar to children in England indeed they stretch back
to the eighteenth century, for there is an allusion to it in Enghsh
literature as long ago as 1768, and Charles Lamb refers to it as
played at Christ's Hospital in his school-days. It is, however,
a dull amusement, producing, as usually presented, merely
different

of our nurseries,

four or five designs of

little

interest

here, too, before the

present century, no description was available which would

enable anyone previously ignorant of the Cradle to make it.

Outside Britain, in the nineteenth century it was known in

Northern Europe, and travellers in Victorian times mention it
as practised in Korea, China, and the Asiatic Isles.


STRING FIGURES

We may

ir

say that before 1902 the whole matter of string

was regarded as a pastime of children and savages,

hardly worth mention and not worth consideration. To-day,
when serious attention is given to folk-lore and the histories of

figures

games, such things are looked at from a different stand-point.

The study of string figures came about in this way. In 1898
Haddon organised an anthropological expedition to the Torres
Straits, and among other things brought back information
about string patterns there current, together with some thirty
examples. Some of these designs were made to the chanting of
sing-songs, some were connected with tribal stories, and some
were constructed as amusements, but everything suggested
that here was a custom worth investigation.
This conclusion showed the need of having an unambiguous
nomenclature which would allow anyone acquainted with it to
describe a string figure in such a way as to permit of its reproduction by an intelligent reader. The terms introduced are
taken from anatomy, and there is nothing recondite about them,
but it is necessary to know them if you want to understand
Here they are
recent writers on the subject.
of
string
The part
a
which lies across the palm of the hand is
palmar,
the
part lying across the back of the hand
described as
:

as dorsal.

Anything on the thumb side of the hand is called radial^

anything on the little-finger side is called ulnar. Since a string
passing round a finger or fingers forms a loop, each such loop
is composed of a radial string, and an ulnar string.
Of two strings or loops on the same finger, the one nearer
the palm of the hand is called proximal, and the one nearer
the finger tip

is

called distal.

These six adjectives, palmar and dorsal, radial and ulnar,

proximal and distal, together with the names of the parts of
the hands, fingers, wrists, etc., enable us to state exactly the
on the hands.

relative place of every string in a figure held

is framed so as to define the position of

on a hand by reference to the hand, and not by terms
like near and far, lower and upper, which may mean quite
At the same
different things according as to how it is held.
time, if the hands are held upright, and with the palms facing
each other, which I regard as their normal position, we may
conveniently use near and far instead of radial and ulnar, and

This nomenclature

strings

STRING FIGURES

12

proximal and distal.

It is, howthat this every-day language is
are in their normal position or
used only
when there can be no doubt as to the meaning when there
is no ambiguity I prefer to employ these ordinary words
rather than the technical terms.
Precision of language, which was necessary if the subject
was to be treated scientifically, was introduced only in 1902.
Subsequent research has strengthened the interest taken in
string figures, and in anthropological expeditions to-day they
In
are among the matters on which information is sought.
particular Haddon has continued to stimulate enquiry, and
It is not too
to him we owe many of the patterns discovered.
much to say that he is the creator of the science, and to his
enthusiasm and knowledge many owe their introduction to it.
The Americans took up the investigation warmly, and in
Philadelphia a valuable collection of drawings of string figures
has been formed which will permanently preserve the

and upper instead

lower

of

make it a rule
when the hands

ever, well to

The results of the earlier work in America

handsome volume* published in New York
in 1906, containing full descriptions of about a hundred string
figures, chiefly collected in North America and New Guinea,
though with some examples from Africa, the Philippines, and
patterns discovered.
are embodied in a

other scattered

In

localities.

more than another hundred

Queensland.

and

it

also are given drawings of

finished patterns from Oceania

and

Unfortunately Mrs. Jayne, to whose liberality

initiative the

book was due, died shortly

after its publica-

tion.

Further examples from places where the amusement was

already known to exist, and collections from Africa and India,
have since been issued, and show that the construction of
string figures is widely practised where primitive man is still
found. Examples also have been reported from South
America, but as yet this immense area is an almost unworked
field, the only well-known South American instance being a
Fly an example of Class /3. [The figure as shown by the

Lecturer was

with

its

made

as set out below on page 30.]

The

body and wings appears between the hands.

in such a position the natural thing

" String Figures,"

by

C. F.

is

to try to squash

Jayne,

New

York, 1906.

insect

Of course
it.

To

STRING FIGURES

13

this you clap your hands sharply together, then drawing

them apart quickly and (if necessary) releasing at the. same
time the little-fingers, you will find that here, as usually happens

do

the fly will have disappeared.

In 191 1 Miss Haddon* published in London an excellent
popular account, with drawings, of some fifty of the results
then known. Later, in 1914, Dr. Hambruch printed at

in

life,

Hamburg

a long memoir on the subject, with special regard

to the patterns found at

some

of the

most

Nauru

skilful native

in Micronesia, the

exponents of the

art,

home

of

and then

a German possession. Authorities for all the figures I am

making to-night, except the Fly, will be found in Jayne or
Haddon. Of course the outbreak of war in 1914 put a stop to
researches of this kind, as of so many others. ] Hence the
namely,
serious study of the subject covers only twelve years

from 1902 to 1914 and as yet few save specialists know much
but materials increase rapidly, and the number of
about it
recorded specimens, which in 1902 was less than fifty, already
;

many hundreds.
may sum up the result

runs to

of the work of these twelve years

does not justify us in asserting
evidence
that
the
by saying
dogmatically that all primitive people play and always have
but we may say that the
played at making string figures
I

game was at one time common among a large number of them.

The formation of these designs is natural, for there are not
sedentary occupations open to uncivilized man during
and to toy with a piece of string is an
What, however, is striking, is the
obvious recreation.
immense variety of well-defined patterns already discovered,

many

his long leisure hours,

and their distribution in different parts of the world.

The search for and collection of designs was begun only
With the advance of civilization, games such as
just in time.
these are apt to be discarded by adults, and survive only
among the children. I suspect that this is why, until recently,
when Cat's Cradle was imported from Asia, there were
*

"Cat's Cradles

From Many Lands," by K. Haddon, London,

1911.

note K. H.
t Post-war work on the subject has begun, and in particular I
Compton's interesting paper in the Journal of the Royal Anthropological
Lecture), giving
Institute, vol. 49 (printed subsequently to the delivery of
an account and the workings of 25 figures, including "The Caterpillar,"
"Sardines," or "The Ebbing Tide,' and "The Porker," collected by him in

my

Lifu

and New Caledonia.

"

STRING FIGURES

14

European literature, covering many 'centuries

life, no allusions to string figures.

in

Among

existing aborigines,

it

is

usually the

of cultured

women who

teach the pastime to the children, and in most cases now-a-days

the lads and men, though familiar with the methods used, do
not of their own accord make designs in the presence of
Hence the amusement may easily escape the atstrangers.
no doubt, also, many of these would
tention of travellers
take no interest in such figures even if they saw them. Moreover, in wild countries the natives are shy, and think that the
white man will laugh at these simple games thus an exhibition
is not made unless encouraged by sympathetic advances, but
;

patterns are shown no secret is made about the method of

To this
is not treated as a tribal secret.
open revelation of methods of weaving there is one reported

if

construction, which

exception mentioned by Boas, and referred to later. Even,

however, when figures are displayed, it does not follow that
it is easy to take down or follow the rapid sequence of moves
made by the operator, so the collection of records may involve

a good deal of gentle diplomacy.

I can give you an illustration of this reluctance to show
A few years ago a traveller,
figures unless they are asked for.
near the Victoria Falls in Africa, met a high official of the
Government, and, enquiring about various customs of the
natives, asked if any string games were known in that part of
he had never heard
the country. The officer said, " No "
;

of them,

he had lived for years among these people, had

constantly seen them at work and at play, and was confident

that nothing of the kind could exist without his knowledge.
After their talk the visitor strolled to where the police escort
waited, and taking out of his pocket a piece of string (without
which to-day no self-respecting anthropologist ought to travel),

made

to their obvious pleasure a couple of string figures.

then tossed the string to a black orderly,

who made

He
other

In fact these natives were acquainted with various

forms, and when their questioner disguising his deeper knowledge, showed interest, they were dehghted and readily exOne of these is
hibited to him such designs as they knew.
is rare in such
(what
represents
for
it
here,
worth reproducing
patterns.

designs) a place,

namely the Batoka Gorge on the Zambesi

[The figure as shown by the
Falls.

River below the Victoria


STRING FIQURES
Lecturer was
suggests,

made

what

15

as set out below on page 24.]

beUeve

Figure

finding out native figures

This incident

way

the truth, that the best

is

of

-The Batoka Gorge.

is

to

make some

oneself,

and then

for this, no
they can
extensive acquaintance with their language is necessary, a
very obvious advantage in opening communications on so

challenge the natives to do better

if

technical a matter.

Apart from collectors, who naturally find pleasure in getting

specimens of what they collect, travellers in uncivilized
countries, even if uninterested in string figures, will find some
knowledge of them a useful equipment. A native is apt to
but a
distrust a missionary, a prospector, and a trader
one
of
be
to
taken
well
be
stranger, who exhibits what may
;

the innocent games of his

own

people, offers credentials to

which a friendly response is, as far as experience goes, invariably

made. Who, indeed, would attribute evil intentions to one
only with a piece of string, and seems
amusements similar to those familiar to
This is not a matter of
the onlookers in their childhood ?
mere conjecture. I know of at least one definite instance

who comes armed

chiefly interested in

where cordial relations were thus immediately established.

Of course from the beginning of the study of these figures
the question arose of their possible relation to historical and
Until now, however, with the exception
rehgious traditions.
of a few isolated facts, no evidence of such connection has been
Indeed the only traces of it so far recorded are that in
Zealand the forms are associated with mythical heroes,
and the invention of the game attributed to Maui, the first

found.

New
man

that various designs

are often

made

to the

common

to

accompaniment

many of

the Polynesians

of ancient chants

that

the Eskimo, too, have songs connected with particular patterns,

STRING FIGURES

i6

have a prejudice against boys playing the game for fear, it

should lead to their getting entangled with harpoon hnes, and
hold that such figures, if made at all should be constructed in
the autumn so as to entangle the sun in the string and delay the
advent of the long winter night. Further, Boas asserts that
the Kwakiutl of Vancouver Island the form known as
" Threading a Closed Loop " is used instead of a password by
members of a certain secret society to recognise fellow-members.

among

do not come to much,

substantial evidence
no
and
than a recreation.
other
is
figures
string
of
construction
the
that
"
time alter our
any
at
may
discoveries
new
for
yet,"
as
say
I

though they
would seem that as yet there

These

facts, interesting

it

be,
is

views on this question.

Now let me put aside these historical questions, and conIn opening
sider the patterns actually made and their making.
the subject I remarked that for constructing string figures two
methods are commonly applied these are known respectively
In the former, two players are
as the Asiatic and the Oceanic.
required, of whom one at each move takes the string from the
;

other

in the latter, normally, only

weaves the pattern with

and teeth to assist him.

one player is required, who

if need be, his feet

his fingers, using,

method lends itself to many varieties, but as

aware these have not been developed, and broadly
speaking this method is known to us almost only in the classical
The

Asiatic

am

far as

form,

common

in the English nursery, of Cat's Cradle.

This

form occurs in Korea, Japan, the Asiatic Islands, China, and

Northern Europe, and the result is a figure of Class o. The
weaving begins by the first player twisting the string round the
four fingers of each hand, so as to make two dorsal strings and
next picking up the string on the palm of
one palmar string
each hand with the back of the mid-finger of the other hand,
and then drawing the hands apart. In England, the four
fudamental figures, which can be made in succession, are termed
the Cradle, Snuffer-Trays, Cat's-eye, and Fish-in-a-Dish.
These are shown in the accompanying diagram the method of
construction is widely known, and I need not display it here.
Another figure, called a Pound of Candles, is usually (though
a few other designs and an arunnecessarily) interpolated
can also be introduced.
movement
rangement for a See-Sawing
figures are designated
fundamental
the
four
That is all. In Korea
;


STRING FIGURES

SnuSer-Trays.

*'

Figure

'

Fish-in-a-Dish.

Cat's Cradle

The Four Standard Figures.

17

STRING FIGURES

i8

as a hearse-cover, a chess-board, a cow's-eye, a rice-pestle, and

In other places other
the interpolated figure as chop-sticks.

names

are given.

do not propose to describe Cat's Cradle further. As usually

played, it leads only to a fixed sequence of four or five forms
I

no skill is required, and there is Httle opportunity for variety.

Probably to-day ethnologists are the only people of mature age
who concern themselves with it. It is beheved to have had
its origin in Eastern Asia, and to have been thence conveyed to
Northern Europe, perhaps by tea traders. A map of the
localities in which it is practised shows a band of marks along
the east and north of Asia and the north of Europe. From
England, with its unceasing output of emigrants, missionaries,
and venturers, it has probably been carried to other localities,
but I do not think it is common outside the places I have
named.
Oceanic examples of Classes a and (3 are more interesting
and far more widely spread. They occur among the Eskimo,
and the natives in America (North and South), Oceania, Australasia, Africa, and India, though the last-named country, as we
might expect from its ancient civiHzation, has not given us
many designs. In this form there is almost invariably only
one player. The figures produced are numerous, and many of
them can be made, and are made, in more than one way. In
country only one Oceanic construction, known as the
Leashing of LochieVs Dogs, has been discovered. [The figure
as shown by the Lecturer was made as set out below on page 26.]

this

Figure

7 Crow's

Feet.

is the most widely

This, in some places termed' Crow's Feet,
It may be
distributed of string designs as yet catalogued.
land like
indigenous in Great Britain, but in a sea-surrounded

STRING FIGURES

19

having ship communication with all parts of the world,

seems more likely that it is an importation.
Recently I came across an instance of how such figures may
be introduced here. A friend of mine, then living at an inland
town, showed me a well-known figure, sometimes called a
Fishing Net, sometimes Quadruple Diamonds, which has been
found in Africa, Oceania, and America, but was said to be unknown in Europe. [The figure as shown by the Lecturer was
made as set out below on page 28.] This figure he had learnt
here in boyhood, and therefore supposed it to be an English
production.
On enquiry we found that his nurse had taught
it to him, and as a result of further talk it seemed that she had
got it from a sailor to whom she had been engaged to be married
this,

it

the conclusion that the latter had learnt

Figure

it

in the course of his

Fishing Net, or Quadruple Diamonds.

voyages seems a safe one.

The figure in question is typical

numerous patterns made of diamond-shaped lozenges
strung between two parallel strings, arranged either in single
rows (of one or two or more, as the case may be) or in the form
of rows side by side as in figure 2.
of the

remarkable feature in the Oceanic examples

is

that a

number of the figures begin in one way. In this the tips of

the thumbs and little-fingers of each hand are put together, and

large

then from below into the loop of string

next the digits are
drawn apart (this is called the First
Position)
and, lastly, the palmar loop on each hand is picked
up by the back of the index-finger of the other hand this is
known as Opening A or B. The fact that such a normal (and
not very obvious) opening exists all over the world suggests
either that the game was played by the ancestors of the existing
races before they were widely dispersed, or that in the long
;

separated, and the hands

;

20

STRING FIGURES

series of past generations there

has been more occasional inter-

course between natives of distant locaUties than was formerly

suspected, and of course a single stray voyager, whether travelling on his own initiative or driven from home by some un-

happy chance, might serve to carry with him the methods of

making such figures traditional among his own folk Either view
.

implies a long history, perhaps extending over thousands of years.

In Opening A the left palmar string is taken up before the
right palmar string.

If

the right palmar string

is

taken up by the

palmar string is taken up by the

In most Oceanic
right-index finger we obtain Opening B.
Opening A or
begin
with
figures it is immaterial whether we
Opening B.
There is also another movement which is made in the conThis is when we have on a finger
struction of many figures.
two loops, one proximal and the other distal, and the proximal
left-index finger before the left

loop

pulled over the distal loop, then over the tip of the finger,

is

and then dropped on the palmar side. This movement is not

uncommon it was first discovered among the Navaho Indians
:

hence
as

it is

called

Navahoing

the

Loop.

describe the process

Movement T.

And now having

talked at large about the subject, I want

you a few of the

to spend the remaining ten minutes in showing

more interesting and less common of these Oceanic figures. I

had originally intended to make some myself, and use lantern
slides of natives displaying others

but

can do better, for

her father. Dr. Haddon, in

one of his adventurous expeditions, and herself is among the
ablest exponents of the art of making these figures, has kindly
Mrs. Rishbeth,

who accompanied

consented to come to London to show us various examples,

most of which have never before been exhibited in public.
[Mrs. Rishbeth then showed fourteen examples of string
figures, six being in Class a and eight in Class /3. Her drawings
and the descriptions, in her own words, of her workings are
given in an Appendix to the Lecture as published in the Proceedings of the Institution.]
In selecting these constructions as the subject of this Lecture
I have been venturesome, but I plead guilty to hking to wander
in the outlying fields of science, and, as I have found pleasure
in String Figures
do the

same.

and

their history, I

hoped that others might

STRING FIGURES

2i

Addendum.
little interest except to those who know
Cats-Cradling however is not a difficult
operation, and to smooth the path of would-be learners I add

String designs have

how

to

make them.

these notes on figures

few other typical ones

made
all

in the Lecture, together with a

here described are easy, and none

them should take more than twenty seconds to construct.

have selected these sixteen examples in equal numbers from
the two standard classes, and placed those in each class roughly
in order of difficulty
I advise the novice to mix his diet, and
of
I

not to learn all those in one class before he begins to make

those in the other.
The works by Jayne and Haddon, both excellent, mentioned
in my Lecture, are more accessible than the articles in which
the discoveries of these figures were first announced, and accordingly I refer, by choice, to these books (in which the sources
of information are quoted) rather than to the original memoirs.
Comparing the two authors, Jayne, like the present writer,
avoids, as far as may be, technical words, while Haddon,
following

modern

ethnologists,

uses

them

freely

Jayne

usually gives a diagram showing the positions of the hands

and

string after each step, while

Haddon

generally gives only

the final arrangement of the string, not showing the hands.

any reader who has mastered the conand wishes to go further I have, at
the end of each class, mentioned a few additional figures in it,
and stated where descriptions of them can be found.
For the benefit

of

structions here presented

Class A. Of figures in Class a, I choose the following as

a Fish Spear, a Framebeing interesting and quite easy
Work for a Hut, the Batoka Gorge, a Tent Flap, Crow's Feet,
^Lightning, a Butterfly, and a Fishing Net.
A Fish Spear. (Class A). This is one of the simplest of
I.
:

String Figures, and

its

construction requires no

skill.

It

is

widely distributed, being found in New Guinea and the adjoining regions, and along the Western side of North America.
The result is said to represent a three-pronged spear, the handle
being held by the right index and the ends of the three prongs
In British Columbia the figure is
resting on the left hand.

STRING FIGURES

22

known

as Pitching a Tent, the six strings from the left-hand

being taken to represent a frame work of six poles tied together
at their tops.
It is

made thus

Take up the

First,

string in the

form

of

the First Position. Second, With the back of the right index
pick up, from below, the string which lies across the palm of

a couple of twists by rotating the right

left index through the loop
on the right index, then with its back pick up, from below, the
string which lies across the palm of the right hand, and return.
Lastly, Release the right thumb and little-finger, and extend,
that is, draw the hands apart as far as practicable into their
the

left

index,

hand, give

and

normal

return.

position.

it

Third, Pass the

(See Jayne, p. 52

Figure 9

Haddon,

p. 7.)

Fish Steak.

The working may be summarised thus

Opening A,
except that the right index, after picking up the left palmar
string, gives it two twists.
Release right thumb and littlefinger, and extend.
Frame-Work for a Hut. (Class A). This figure is
2.
:

supposed to represent eight poles tied together at their tops,

forming a frame-work for a tent or hut. If the design is turned
upside down it might well represent a Parachute.
In the
accompanying drawing the left hand is twisted back to enable
the reader to see the positions of the loops.

In Central Africa, the Frame-Work for a Hut is made thus:

Holding the left hand horizontal, pointing to the right,

First,

and palm downwards place the

giving a long loop hanging

With the
back

right

string

down

on

it

thumb and index take up

of the left

thumb,

pull

it

in the First Position,

in front of the hand.

Second,

the string lying on the

over the back of that hand, and


STRING FIGURES
hang

let it

in a short loop

on the

23

far side of the hand.

Third,

and loop it over the

left index
draw tight, and raise the left hand into its normal
position.
Fourth, With the right thumb and index, pick up
the string which is on the near side of the left little-finger,
Pull the short loop through the long one,
:

taking hold of

it

as close to the little-finger as possible, pull

it

and loop it over the left thumb. Lastly, With the right
thumb and index take hold of that string on the back of the
out,

Figure

ic

Frame

Work For

a Hut.

hand which runs across the knuckles, pull it over the left
fingers on to the front of the hand, and draw it away from the
this movement can be assisted by wording the left
left hand
hand. (See Haddon, p. 29.)
Among the Red Indians a similar figure called a Hogan (for
a drawing of it, see Jayne, p. 245) is made by a different process
thus
First, Put the left index and mid-finger through the loop,
a short piece of string resting across the back of the hand and a
Second, Put the right index,
long loop hanging down in front.
:

from the near

side,

under the near string between the

left


STRING FIGURES

24

index and mid-finger, over the cross string at the back of the
hand, and with its tip pick up the cross string, and return
;

extend, and release the right index.

Third, Put the right

hand

from the near side under the near hanging string into the
pendant loop, and then with the right thumb and index take
hold of the two strings between the left index and mid-finger,
return through the pendant loop, and extend
release the
Fourth, Bend the left thumb from you, and with
right hand.
its back pick up below the knot the near index string
bend
the left little-finger towards you, and with its back pick up
below the knot the far mid-finger string. Lastly, With the
right thumb and index pick up that string on the left palm
which goes across and over the two other strings on that palm
pull with the right hand, and the figure is formed.
(See
;

Jayne,

p.

243,

Haddon,

p. 47.)

(Class A). I have in my Lecture

mentioned and delineated this figure, and I have nothing to
add to what I there said. It is interesting from the way in
which it was discovered, and as being one of the few recorded
attempts to represent geographical features by a string pattern.
3.

The Batoka Gorge.

The construction

is

Falls in Africa.

(See Lecture, p. 14

It is

pointing

'

peculiar to the natives near the Victoria

;

Haddon,

p. 40.)

made thus
First, Hold the right hand horizontal,
away from you and with its palm facing downwards
:

on the right wrist so that two equal loops hang

freely down, one on its radial side, the other on its ulnar side.
Second, Pass the left hand from left to right through both loops,
and bring both hands into their normal positions. Third, Bend
each little-finger towards you, and with its back pick up both
the strings which cross each other in the centre of the figure.
Fourth, Throw the near wrist string away from you over both
hands to their far side. Fifth, Bend each thumb away from
you, and with its back pick up the corresponding oblique near
little-finger string.
Lastly, Take each far wrist string and
rest the string

(keeping the other strings unaltered in position) pass it over

the hand to the near side of the wrist.
Extend the hands,
and the figure, representing a bird's-eye view of the zig-zag
course of the river through the gorge, will appear.

A Tent Flap. (Class A). I have in my Lecture

4.
mentioned and delineated this figure, and I need not here
repeat what is there set out. The design is familiar to most of


STRING FIGURES
the Mexican Indians,

now almost

who

attribute

The

its

25

origin to the Apaches,

shows a pretty piece

but is said to have
been intended to represent the flap covering the opening to a
tent
it has alternative descriptive names, such as a Poncho, a
Sling, a Net, and so on.
(See Lecture, p. 8
Jayne, p. 12.)
There is a touch of romance in the story of its discovery.
In September, 1904, Haddon, on his way to England, stopping
one night at Philadelphia with Dr. Furness, expressed to Mrs.
Jayne, the daughter of his host, his regret that he had no time
to go to the St. Louis Exposition, where he understood he
might meet some Mexican Indians whose tribal customs had
not been investigated, and the talk drifted on to String Figures,
a subject of which his fellow guests then knew nothing.
The
next morning Haddon sailed for Liverpool, and Mrs. Jayne,
with characteristic American energy, went to St. Louis, found
the Red Indians in question, and from them learnt, among
other things, how to make the Tent Flap. That was the
beginning of her interest in the subject, which in its early days
a tribe

of string

extinct.

network which looks

result

like a Hurdle,

owed much to her

It is made thus
Opening A.

enterprise.
:

First,

Take up the

string in the

form

of

Second, Lift the loops off the index-lingers, pass

them over their corresponding hands on to the wrists, thus

making them dorsal strings. Third, Bend each thumb away
from you over one string, and with its back pick up from below
the next string, and return.
Fourth, Bend each little-finger
towards you, and with its back pick up the next string. Fifth,
Grasp with the left hand all the strings in the centre of the
figure where they cross, pass this bunch of strings from the
palmar side between the right thumb and index-finger so that
the bunch lies along the arm, with the left thumb and indexfinger take hold of the two loops on the right thumb, draw
them over the tip of the right thumb, let the bunch of strings
also slip over to the right thumb to the palmar side, and then
replace the two loops on the right thumb
make a similar
movement with the other hand. Lastly, Lift the wrist loops
over the hands, letting them fall on the front or palmar sides of
;

the hands, rub the hands together, separate them, and the
figure will appear.

The working may be summarized thus

Index strings over the hands on to the wrists.

Opening

A.

Each thumb


STRING FIGURES

26

over one and picks up one. Each

loops over groups of strings.

little-finger picks

Thumb

up

one.

Wrist loops over hands.

Extend.
5.

Crow's Feet.

(Class A).

This figure,

also,

is

men-

tioned and delineated in

my

to say about

the most generally spread of string

it.

It is

Lecture, and

have nothing more

patterns at present known, occurring in Africa, Australasia,

It
the Pacific Isles, America, and sporadically elsewhere.

may

be native to Great Britain, where it is called the

Leashing of LochieVs Dogs, but it seems more hkely that it was
It has many alternative names.
introduced here by sailors.
(See Lecture, p. 18; Jayne, p. 116; Haddon, p. 73.)
First, Take up the string in the form of
It is made thus
the four fingers of each hand from
Insert
Opening A. Second,
thumb loops, and throw the near
corresponding
the
above into
:

thumb

string over the closed

thumbs and

fingers

on to the

Third, Transfer each index-finger loop to

Fourth, Transfer each dorsal loop
thumb.
corresponding
the
to one of the free digits of that hand, for choice I prefer the

backs of the hands.

index-finger.

Fifth,

Pass each near

little-finger string

below through the corresponding index-finger loop, place

from
on

it

the far side of the little-finger, and Navaho the far little-finger
In the
strings.
Lastly, Release the thumbs and extend.
working of this figure in different places there are many small
variations.
If the middle strings of the final figure are held by the teeth,
the hands placed horizontally with their palms upmost, and the
strings stretched, the result closely resembles the figure of
Two Hogans, as made in Arizona, representing the poles of

two small tents

side

by

side.

Lightning. (Class A). I have in my Lecture described and delineated this figure, and given its construction
I need not here repeat this. It was obtained from Red Indians
who live on the border of Arizona, where ethnologists have
been fortunate in finding natives able to describe old tribal
it has also been found in New
customs and amusements
Caledonia.
It is an excellent example, but the last movement
may present difficulty to a beginner. Of the two ways of
making this final movement, both of which are given in the
Lecture, I think the second (in which the near little-finger
string is pressed down) is much the easier, but the diagram
6.


STRING FIGURES

27

gave shows the result of Ufting it up. (See Lecture, p. 6

Haddon, p. 51.)
Jayne, p. 216
The Navaho
The working may be summarized thus
Each
one.
picks
up
and
Opening. Each thumb over two
over
ring-finger
Each
one.
up
mid-finger over one and picks
I

httle-finger over one, and picks

them into the spaces by the
put
up one. Release thumbs,
the near little-finger string.
on
them
little-fingers, and rest
to the back of the figure,
strings
Throw the loose hanging
the hands to face away
turn
and
thumbs,
press down the
from you.

one,

and picks up

7.

one.

Butterfly.

Navaho figure
The working is more
a

it

Each

(Class

This,

A).

like

Lightning,

is

represents the insect with its wings up

simple than the description suggests.

Figure ii A Butterfly.

Take up the string in the

as when forming
Second, Twist each index loop by rotating the
Lightning.
index-finger down toward you and up again four or five times.
Third, Bend each thumb away from you over one string, with
loops.
its back pick up the next string, and Navaho the thumb
Fourth, Put the tip of the index of one hand against the tip of
the index of the other hand and similarly put the tips of the
thumbs together then slip the right index loop on to the tip
of the left index and the right thumb loop on to the tip of the
Fifth, Put the tips
left thumb, thus freeing the right hand.
of the right index and thumb against the left thumb between
the two strings on that hand, then slip the right index away
from you under the loop on the tip of the left thumb, and slip
the right thumb towards you under the loop at the base of the

The figure is made thus

Navaho way, that is make the
:

First,

first

movement


STRING FIGURES

28
left

thumb.

Sixth,

With the

right

thumb and index

hft both

then put the left index away from

loops from the left index
you into the loop previously on the left index, and the left
thumb towards you into the loop previously on the left thumb.
;

the hands apart and when the strings have parup in the middle of the figure, use the free fingers
of each hand to pull down the far index string and the near
its wings
thumb string. The butterfly will now appear
being held up by the string extended between the widely
(See Jayne, p. 219.)
separated thumbs and index-fingers.
Navaho Opening.
The working may be summarized thus
Twist index loops. Each thumb over one and picks up one.
Navaho the thumb loops. Take up figure afresh with thumbs
and index-fingers, and extend.
A Fishing Net. (Class A). This figure is also men8.
It has been found in
tioned and dehneated in my Lecture.
In some places it is
Africa, Oregon, and the Hawahan Isles.
called Quadruple Diamonds, in others a Ladder, and in others a
Haddon, p. 36.)
(See Lecture, p. 19, Jayne, p. 24
Fence.
First, Take up the string in the form of
It is made thus
Opening A. Second, Release the thumbs, then bend them
away from you under four strings, and with their backs pick
up the far httle-finger string, and return. Third, Bend each
thumb away from you over one string, and with its back pick
up the next string. Fourth, Release the httle-fingers, then
bend each of them towards you over one string, and with its
back pick up the next string. Fifth, Release the thumbs, then
bend each of them away from you over two strings, and with
Sixth, Pick up from the base
its back pick up the next string.
string, and put it over the
index
near
the
of each index-finger
the
thumb loops. Seventh,
Navaho
and
thumb,
corresponding
into
the adjacent triangle,
above
from
index-finger
each
Put
whose sides are formed by the radial little-finger string twisting
round the two strings of the thumb loop. Lastly, Rotate the
hands so as to face away from you (thus causing the littlefinger loops and the lower index loops to fall off, the thumbs to
point away from you, and the index-fingers to point upwards),
and separate the hands.
The successive movements by which it is constructed may
Opening A. Release thumbs. Each
be summarized thus
thumb under all the strings, and. picks up the far string. Each
Lastly,

Draw

tially rolled

STRING FIGURES

29

thumb over

Release little-fingers.
one, and picks up one.
Each little-finger over one, and picks up one. Release thumbs.
Each thumb over two and picks up one. Each near index
Navaho the loops on
string on tip of corresponding thumb.
the thumbs.

Index-fingers in triangles.

releasing little-fingers,

Rotate the hands,

and extend.

make

slight modification enables us to

instead of four meshes.

To do

this

the net with two

First,

Take up the

form of Opening A. Second, Release the thumbs,

then bend each of them away from you over three strings, and
with its back pick up the next string. Theji follow the sixth
and two subsequent movements used in the construction of the
Fishing Net. This working may be summarized thus
Opening A. Release thumbs. Each thumb over three and
picks up one.
Each near index string on tip of corresponding
thumb.
Navaho the loops on thumbs. Index-fingers in
triangles. Rotate the hands, releasing little-fingers, and extend.
The effect is improved by using the string doubled, and thus
reduced to half its length. (See Jayne, p. 28.)
Other ways of making two meshes of a net are given in
Jayne, pp. 129, 228, 323. One mesh of a net can be made as
string in the

A way

of making three
of Class ^.
example
meshes in line is given below in the seventh
(see
page
In the figure called The Ebbing Tide
37) we
line.
in
meshes
get successively 2, 4, 6, 8,

shown

in Jayne, pp. 64, 65, 391, 392.

Other Figures

Other excellent and easy

from the Murray Islanders
Haddon, p. 12), and Carrying Wood, from
(see Jayne, p. 233
Haddon, p. 46), The
the Navaho Indians (see Jayne, p. 66
well known Cat's Cradle, in which each player in turn takes the
the
string from the other, also leads to figures in Class a
workings for this are fully described in my " Mathematical
Recreations," p. 360 et seq., and Jayne, p. 324 et seq.
Of effective, but rather more difficult, examples I may
mention five, namely, a Rabbit, from the Klamath Indians in
Oregon (see Jayne, p. 79), a Sea-Gull, from the Eskimo (see
(For
Haddon, p. 57), a Crab, Tree-Burial, and a Dtick.
workings of the last three, see the Appendix to my Lecture
as printed in the Proceedings of the Royal Institution.)
in Class A.

figures in Class are Little Fishes,

;


STRING FIGURES

30

Class B. Of figures in Class /3, I select the following eight

as being easy and interesting
the Fly, a Siberian House,
the Elusive Loop, the Yam Thief, Throwing a Spear, a Man
:

Climbing a Tree, a Salmon-Net, and the Caterpillar.

I.
The Fly. (Class B). This is the easiest of
form.

all

the

worked it in my Lecture in its South American

Figures resembling it, and somewhat similarly made,

constructions.

have been found in many places, but the variety here given is
perhaps the simplest and best of them.
It is made thus -.First, Put the thumbs, held upright, into
the loop, and extend.
Second, Move the left hand to a

Figure

horizontal position

12

The Fly.

then turn it counter-clockwise under the

and up towards you into its normal position, thus
giving two dorsal strings.
Third, Pass the right hand between
you and the left hand, then put the right little-finger from
above under the dorsal strings, pick them up, and return.
Fourth, Pass the left hand between you and the right hand,
then put the left httle-finger on the palm, and pass it towards
you under the two strings on the right thumb, pick them up,
and return. Lastly, Lift the left dorsal strings over the digits,
and extend. This is the Fly.
Next its proboscis (or some part of its anatomy) is shown
;

strings

by

releasing the httle-fingers.

your hands together

far as possible,
in

fact

the

it

will

To

try to catch the

fly,

clap

on drawing them apart quickly and as

always be found that the fly has escaped,

display of the

proboscis destroyed

the figure.


STRING FIGURES

31

(F. E. Lutz, " String Figures of the

Patomana Indians on the

Northern BraziHan Frontier," Anthropological Papers, Amer.
Mus. of Nat. Hist., vol xii.. New York, 1912.)
Ethnologists, more conservative than primitive men, deem
it undesirable or worse to vary recorded methods, so with
hesitation I add that the Indians might have made the conmore effective by not displaying the proboscis and thus
in this case, as
not destroying the fly as a definite creation
before, on trying to squash it, you clap your hands sharply
together, then drawing them apart quickly and at the same
clusion

time releasing the little-fingers, the fly will have disappeared.

Of course with a fly or mosquito between one's hands the
most natural thing is to try to squash it, but often, as here
represented, without success.

The knot

in the middle of the figure between the hands has

been taken to represent a coco-nut, and Compton reports
that in Lifu the last movement is used to illustrate efforts to
crush the shell. When clapping the hands the unskilful person,
not releasing his little-fingers, fails, and on extending his hands
But when the skilled native
it remains visible between them.
tries, then on clapping his hands and simultaneously releasing
his little-fingers, he succeeds, and on extending his hands the
nut is broken and gone.
2.
A Siberian House. (Class B). This was obtained
from the Eskimo, who are experts in making string figures.
also

Figure

13

Sii e:

ian Hoi'se.

It is made thus
First, Take up the string in the form of
Opening A. Second, Insert the four fingers of each hand from
above into the corresponding thumb loops, and throw the
near thumb string over the closed thumbs and fingers on to
:


STRING FIGURES

32

the backs of the hands.

Third, Bend each thumb from you
over one string, under all the others, and with its back pick up
the far string which comes round from the back of the hand.
Lastly, Pull the dorsal string, which lies on the back of each
hand, over the fingers on to the front of that hand, and extend.
This is the House.
There are two boys inside the house. If you do not see
them, release the index fingers, and draw the hands apart.
The house will then break up, and the boys will be seen escaping,
one from each side.
The Elusive Loop. (Class B). This consists in
3.
making a loop, representing (say) a yam, to be offered to a
hungry applicant. The operator causes the yam to disappear
unless it is seized sufficiently promptly
hence a contest i-n
rapidity between the operator and the applicant.
Alternatively
you can display the yam, and when the applicant asks for food
make it disappear, remarking that you have none, or if you prefer,
none for him.
There are figures of this type common in all
countries, and any of them will answer the purpose of the game.
One instance, from the Torres Straits, is given by Jayne,
page 352. A simpler construction, common in Great Britain
(and best illustrated with a loop of string some two to two-and;

a-half feet long)

the

left

is

as follows

First,

hand, held vertically with

its

Put the four fingers of

palm facing you, into

the loop, giving a short straight piece of string across the

of the hand and a loose loop at its back, and hook, from
below, into this dorsal loop the right index-finger.
Second,

palm

Bring the right index vertically over the

left hand so as to
that string of the dorsal loop which is next the left
index-finger pass between the left index and middle fingers

make

and that string of the loop which is next the left little-finger
pass between the left little and ring fingers, thus fomiing one loop
on the left index and another on the left little-finger. Third,
Move the right index so as to bring the two strings hooked
on it (keeping the ulnar above the radial string) between the
left index and thumb, and then round the thumb
next
pass the left little-finger, from below, between these strings
{the former radial string being ulnar to it), and then carry
;

the right index-finger to the right as far as the string permits.

Fourth, Turn the right index-finger towards you through two
right angles, thus putting a twist on the loop held by it, and


STRING FIGURES

33

then transfer this loop to the left index-finger, releasing the

Lastly, with the right thumb and indexfinger hft the two loops off the left thumb and put them,
from the front, between the left middle and ring fingers.
The loop thus placed on the back of the left hand is the
Elusive Loop.
On pulling the left palmar string this loop
will disappear, and the string come free off the hand.
The Yam Thief. (Class B). This is a good illustra4.
tion of a string story
one version of it is given in my Lecture,
and a drawing of the final arrangement also appears there.
In some places the figure is known as the Mouse.
In Lifu it is
called Uprooting Alou: Compton says that there the strings
on the hand represent the root and the palmar string a shoot
of the Alou.
Someone, representing a strong stupid man,
takes hold of the shoot, and though he pulls for all he is worth
and is encouraged by the shouts of the onlookers, he cannot
move the root
then someone else, representing the traditional diseased cunning degenerate takes hold of the shoot
and (the thumb loop being released) the root comes up easily
to the ostensible astonishment of the spectators.
This design
is widely distributed, and has been found in Africa, America,
Oceania, Siberia, and Japan.
(See Jayne, p. 340
Haddon,
right index-finger.

p.

80

vol.

Compton, Journal

49,

The

p.

of the

Royal Anthropological

histitute,

233.)

made thus

First, Hold the left hand open

with the palm facing you, the thumb upright and the fingers
pointing to the right and slightly upwards.
With the right
hand, loop the string over the left thumb, crossing the strings
if you like, and let one string hang down over the palm and the
other over the back of the hand we may call these the palmar
and the dorsal strings. Second, Pass the right index-finger
from below under the palmar string, and then between the left
thumb and index-finger, and with its front tip hook up a loop
of the dorsal string
pull this loop between the left thumb
and index-finger back on to the left palm then with the right
index-finger give the loop one twist clockwise, and put it over
the palmar string on to the left index-finger
pull the two
pendant strings so as to tighten the loops on the thumb and

figure

is

index-finger.

Third, In the

same way pass the

right index-

from below under the pendant palmar string, and then

between the left index and middle fingers, and with its front

finger

STRING FIGURES

34

hook up another piece of the pendant dorsal string pulJ

back on to the left palm, and with the right indexfinger give the loop one twist clockwise, and put it over the
palmar string on the left mid-finger. Fourth, In the same
way, working between the middle and ring lingers, hook up
another loop of the pendant dorsal string, and put it on the left
ring-finger.
Fifth, In the same way, working between the ring
and little-fingers, pick up another loop of the pendant dorsal
Sixth, Take off the left
string, and put it on left little-finger.
thumb loop, and hold it between the left thumb and indexand, for the sake of effect, to show that the loops are
finger
Lastly,
still on the fingers, pull the pendant dorsal string.
Pull the pendant palmar string, and the figure will come off
tip

this loop

the hand.

Throwing a Spear.

This is a rather dull

(Class B).
it has been found in Queenseasy to construct
In some places it is
land, Africa, and the Torres Straits.
known as a Canoe.
5.

figure,

but

is

Figure 14
It is

First, Take up the string in the form of

Second, Transfer the right index loop to the tip

made thus

Opening A.

of the left index,

this

Throwing a Spear.

and pass the

on to the right index.

original left index string over

Lastly, Release the right index

and

extend, bringing the right thumb and little-finger close together.

We thus get a spear with a heavy handle on the right hand,
and three prongs resting on the left hand.
To throw the spear from one hand to the other pass the

from below under the string just dropped from the

right index, up to the left index, and with its back pick up this
right index


STRING FIGURES

35

Release the left index, and the spear flies to the other
This can be repeated over and over again. (See

string.

hand.
Jayne,

131

p.

6.

A Man

my

Lecture.

Haddon, p. 8.)
Climbing a Tree.

(Class B).
This is a figure
in
Queensland,
the
Blacks
and is one of the most
derived from
It is described and delineated
effective examples of Class /3.
in

It is

suggested that the two upright strings

represent the trunk of a tree and the loops which move up

these strings represent the arms and feet (or tree band and feet)
of a

man

It is

climbing up

made thus

it.

(See Lecture, p. 8
Haddon, p. 69.)
Take up the string in the form of
;

First,

Opening A. Second, Bend each little-finger towards you over

four strings, with its back pick up the next string, and return.
Fourth, Bend each indexThird, Navaho the little-finger loops.
palmar string between the two strings of the
loop on the corresponding index-fingers, and press the tips of
the fingers on the palms. Fifth, Holding the strings loosely,

finger over the

thumbs

then still keeping the tips of

separate the hands, thus
causing the loops near the bases of those fingers to slip over
Lastly, Put the far littlethe knuckles and so off the fingers.
finger string under one foot, or under a heavy book, release
the little-fingers, and pull steadily with the index-fingers, after
hooking their tips into the string they hold.
slip

the loops off the

the

index-fingers on

7.

A Salmon

Diamonds

Net.

or Caroline

the palms,

Figure

A Salmon Net or Triple

a net-work of three meshes

(Class B).

Diamonds

15

is

Salmon Net.

placed side by side

it may be of negro origin, but comes to
us from the Natiks in the Caroline Isles.
;

STRING FIGURES

36

made

First, Take up the string in the form of

Opening A. Second, Take the right hand out of the string,
and put the tips of the right thumb and httle-finger together
from the right side into the left index loop, extend, and release
the left index.
Third, With the back of the right index pick
the
string
on
the
palm of the left hand. Fourth, Bend each
up
thumb from you over one string, and with its back pick up
the next string. Fifth, Bend each index towards you, and with
the extreme tip of its back pick up the next string. Sixth,
It is

Navaho

the

thus

thumb

loops.

Lastly, Release the little-fingers,

away from you, and extend

movement difficult. (See Jayne,

rotating the hands so as to face

beginners sometimes find this

p. 142.)
If an onlooker puts his hand, representing a salmon, in the
middle mesh, it escapes if the left hand is released and the right
hand pulled, but is caught if the right hand is released and the

hand

left

pulled.

The Caterpillar.

(Class B).
This figure is so popular
with Cat's-Cradlers that I put it in my list of selected examples,
though it is somewhat more difficult than the others. The
8.

design

is

known

Southern Oceania

One

it

Chief.

The

made thus

First, Take up the string

and then put a loop round the
Second, With the back of the right index pick up

Caterpillar

form
thumb.

in the
left

North Australia, and various places in

is described in Jayne under the name

in

is

of the first position,

pass the left index through the right

left thumb loop
index loop and, with its back, pick up the right palmar string
pass the right index through the left index loop, and with its
Third, Release the left
back, pick up the left palmar string.
hand hold the right hand horizontal and palm downwards,
and put the loop which is nearer the tip of the right index over
the loop which is nearer the base of that finger. Fourth, Put
the left little-finger and thumb towards you between the two
loops on the right index and resting on the joint of the finger
and, with the back of the left little-finger, pick up the adjacent
loop now nearer the base of the right index, and with the back
of the left thumb, pick up the adjacent loop now nearer the tip
extend, thus pulling both loops off the
of the right index
each thumb loop to the correindex.
Transfer
right
Fifth,
index-finger,
and
then
transfer them back again by
sponding

the


STRING FIGURES

37

thumbs from outside into these loops. (The

turn the thumb loops over.) Sixth, Bend each
thumb from you over one string, and, with its back, pick up
the next string. Seventh, Put each index-linger over the palmar
string and over the far thumb string, and, with its back, pick
up on the far tip of the finger the latter string, and hold it
Lastly, Keeping
against the index-finger by the mid-finger.
the

putting

effect of this is to

Figure

i6

The

Caterpillar.

the thumbs and index-fingers close together, and the palms

facing one another, bend down the little and ring fingers, and,
with their tips, catch and stretch the far string, thus bringing
extend flat on the knee, and the
it to the bottom of the figure
;

The only difficult movement in this conone, it comes rather more easily if the

caterpillar appears.

is the last
not more than five feet long.
the wrists are now turned so as to

struction
string
If

is

move

the palms of the

hands upwards, the caterpillar will contract. Then turn them

back to their former position, and he elongates. Repeat the
action, and he walks down the leg.
Five other excellent examples
A Sea Snake, from
are the following

Other Figures in Class

of figures in Class

Murray

Isle (see

/3

Jayne,

B.

p.

34

Haddon,

p.

The Snake
and on slowly

16).

appears twisted round two

separating the hands he swims as the string unwinds. A Well,
from Lifu Isle, Murray Isle, and Mabuiag (see Jayne, p. 85
Haddon, p. 17). The hollow in the middle of the figure repreparallel

strings,

by slacking the little-finger strings and pulling

strings we can make the water rise or fall
index
and
the thumb
The
makes a fence round it.
movement
further
a
in it

sents the well

STRING FIGURES

38

Ebbing Tide, from Lifu, Papua, and Queensland

pendix to my Lecture as printed in the Proceedings of
Institution).

The

representing the

movement

first

full

gives

Ap-

Royal

horizontal

lines

movement shows two

the next

tide,

(see
the

rocks which appear as the tide ebbs, on repeating the movement another two rocks appear, and every further repetition

The working can be reversed so that

movements make the rocks disappear, two at a
The Head Hunters,
time, until the tide is again full.
also
from
Murray
Isle
(see Jayne, p. i6
design,
good
a
Haddon, p. 22). The final figure consists of two twisted loops
which hang down and represent two warriors. On extending
shows two more rocks.
successive

the hands the two men meet in the middle, and, on working the
hands carefully, one loop breaks up, leaving only a kink
On continuing
representing the head of the defeated warrior.
the extension, the victorious loop travels forward, pushing in

These movements need

it the head of the victim.
but the result is effective. By making a knot in the
string come into one of the twists we can make sure that that
warrior shall be successful
and this knowledge may be useful,
since usually, before the game begins, the tribes from which
the warriors come are mentioned slimness in such matters is
not confined to white men. Lastly I may mention Tallow
Haddon, p. 74). This
Dips, from Britain (see Jayne, p. 248
story deals with the misadventures of a thief who stole a bunch
of tallow dips, was arrested, and finally hanged.
Of other figures in this class I commend in particular an
Alaskan River and the Porker as effective examples, but both
involve much manipulation
their constructions are described
in the Appendix to my Lecture as printed in the Proceedings
the Porker is a continuation of Little
of the Royal Tnstitution
front of

care,

Fishes.

Printed by

Hekfer & Sons Ltu.

Cambridge, England.

VV.

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University of California
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