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Ks5

A JOURNEY TO THE YOUCAN, RUSSIAN AMERICA.

BY W. W. KIRBT.

I left home on the 2(1 of May in a canoe paddled by a couple of Indians be-
longing to my mission. We followed the ice down the noble McKenzie, staying
awhile with Indians wherever we met them, and remained three or four days at
each of the forts along the route. On the 11th of June I left the zone in which
my life had hitherto been passed, and entered the less genial arctic one. Then,
however, it was pleasant enough. The immense masses of ice piled on each
side of the river sufficiently cooled the atmosphere to make the travelling en-
joyable, T'hile the sun shed upon us the comfort of light nearly the whole
twenty-four hours. And as we advanced further northward he did not leave us
at all. Frequently did I see him describe a complete circle in the heavens.

Betwen Point Separation and Peel's river we met several parties of Esqui-
maux, all of whom, from their thievish propensities^ gave us a great deal of
trouble, and very glad were we to escape out of their hands without loss or in-
jury. They are a fine-looking race of people, and from their general habits and
appearance, I imagine them to be much more intelligent than the Indians. And
if proof were wanting I think we have it in a girl who was brought up from the
coast little more than three years ago, and who now speaks and reads the English
language with considerable accuracy. The men are tall, active, and remarkably
strong, many of them having a profusion of whiskers and beard. The women
are rather short, but comparatively fair, and possess very regular and by no
means badly formed features. The females have a very singular practice of
periodically cutting the hair from the crown of their husband's head, (leaving a
bare place like the tonsure of a Roman Catholic priest,) and fastening the spoil
to their own, wear it in bunches on each side of their face, and a third on the
top of their head, something in the manner of the Japanese who recently visited
the United States. This custom, as you will imagine, by no means improved
either their figure or appearance, and as they advance in life, the bundles must
become to them uncomfortably large. A very benevolent old lady was most
urgent for me to partake of a slice of blubber, but I need hardly say that a
sense of taste caused me firmly but respectfully to decline accepting her hos-
pitality. Both sexes are inveterate smokers. Their pipes they manufacture
themselves, and are made principally of copper; in shape, the bowl is very
like a reel used for cotton, and the hole through the centre of it is as large as
the aperture of the pipe for holding the tobacco. This they fill, and when
lighted will not allow a single whiff to escape, but in the most unsmoker-likc
manner swallow it all, withholding respiration until the pipe is finished. The
effect of this upon their nervous system is extremely great, and often do they
fall on the ground completely exhausted, and for a few minutes tremble like an
aspen leaf. The heavy beards of the men, and the fair complexions of all, as-
tonished ray Indians greatly, and in their surprise called them ''Manooli Conde,"
like white people. They were all exceedingly well dressed in deer-skin clothing,
with the hair outside, which being new and nicely ornamented with white fur,
gave them a clean and very comfortable appearance. Their little Kyachs were
beautifully made, and all the men were well armed with deadly-looking knives,
spears, and arrows, all of their own manufacture. The Indians are much afraid
of them, and so afraid of my safety were two different parties that I saw on my

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ML.^aXi^^^AM^X

JOURNEY TO THE YOUCAN, RUSSIAN AMERICA

417

way (Jown that a man from each of thom, who could ppoak a little Eskimos
voluntocred to accompaay me, without fee or reward, and invaluable did 1 Hud
their services. Poor leliows ! they will never Bee this ; but I cannot refrain from
paying them here r.y tribute of gratitude and thanks.

At Peel's river 1 met with a large number of Loucheux Indians, all of whom
received me most kindly, and listened attentively to the glad tidings of salva-
tion 1 brought unto them. As these are a part of the great fumily who reach
to the Youcan and beyond, I need not dwell upon them here, as their habits
will be included in a general description that I shall give of the whole uy-and-
by. I may, however, remark that from their longer association with 'the whites
many of the darker traits that belong to their brethren on the Youcnn apply,
if at all, in a much milder form to the Indians there and at Lapiene's House.

I left my canoe and Indians, as well as those who accompanied me, at the
fort, and taking two others who knew the way, walked over the Rocky mount-
ains to Lapiene's House. This part of the journey fatigued me exceedingly — not
so much from the distance (which was only from 7o to 100 miles) as from the
badness of the walking, intense heat of the sun, and myriads of the most
voracious mosquitos that I have met with in the country. Tho former, I think,
would justly defy competition. There were several rivers to ford, which from
the melting snows and recent rains were just at their height. Fortunately they
were neither very deep nor wide, or my size and strength would have been
seritms impediments to ray getting over them.

At Lap ene's House I was delighted to meet Mr. Jones, who was my com-
panion on travel from Red river to Fort Simpson. He had come up in charge
of the Youcan boat, and at once kindly granted me a passage down with him.
I had fortunately a bundle of Canadian newspapers in my carpet-bag, some of
them containing some speeches on educational subjects by his venerable grand-
father, the bishop of Toronto. Five days of drifting and rowing down the
rapid current of the Porcupine river brought us to its confluence with the You-
can, on the banks of which, about three miles above the junction, the fort is
placed. My friend Mr. Lockhart was in charge, and all who know the kind-
ness of his heart need not to be told of the cordial reception that I met with
from him. Another hearty grasp was fiom the energetic naturalist Mr. R. Ken-
nicott, who, under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution, came into the
district with me, and passed the greater part of his first winter at Fort Simpson.
lie delighted me with the assurance that he had mot with a vast field, and that
his efforts had been crowned with much success, especially in the collection of
eggs, many rare and some hitherto unknown ones having been obtained by
him; so that the cause of science, in that department, will be greatly benefited
by his labors. Among many oth<'rs I noticed the eggs and parent birds of the
American widgeon, the black duck, canvas-back duck, spirit duck, {Bucfphala
ahcola,) small biack-head duck, {FuUx affiriis,) the waxwing, [Ampchti gar-
rulus,) the Kentucky warbler, the tnunpeter swan, the duck'hawk, (F«/co
anatum,) and two species of juncos. With the exception of the waxwing, how-
ever, there were few that have not been obtained in other parts of the district by
the persevering zi '>! of Mr. Ross, the gentleman in charge, and it, I have eince
learned, nested numerously in the vicinity of my out-station at Bear lake.

On my arrival at the Youcan there were about 500 Indians present, all of whom
were astonished, but appeared glad, to see a missionary among them. They
are naturally a fierce, turbulent, and cruel race, approximating more nearly to the
Plain tribes than to the quiet Chipewyana of the McKenzie valley. They com-
mence somewhere about the 65th degree of north latitude, and stretch westward
from the McKenzie to Behring's straits. They were formerly very numerous, but
wars among themselves and with the Esquimaux have sadly diminishcid them.
They are, however, still a strong and powerful people. They are divided into
many petty tribes, each having its own chief, as the Ta-tlit-Kutchin. (PeeJ'a
27 S

418?9

418

EXPLORATIONS.

River Indians,) Ta-Kiith-KutcLiu, (Lapienc's House Indians,) Kutcli-a-Kutcbin,
(Youcan Indians,) Touchon-ta-Kutchiu, (Wooded Country Indians,) and many
others. But the general appearance, dress, customs, and habits of all are pretty
much the same, and all go under the general names of Kutchin (the people) and
Loucheux, (squinters ) The former is their own appellation, while the latter was
given to them by the whites. There is, however, another division among them
of a more interesting and important character than that of the tribes just men-
tioned. Irrespective of tribe, they are divided into three classes, termed, respect-
ively, Chit-sa, Nate-sa, and Tanges-at-sa — faintly representing the aristocracy,
the middle classes, and the poorer orders of civilized nations, the former being
the most wealthy and the latter the poorest. In one respect, ho vever, they
greatly differ, it being the rule for a man not to marry in his own, but to take a
wife from either of the other classes. A Chit-sa gentleman will marry a Tanges-
at-sa peasant without the least feeling infra dig. The offspring in every case
belong to the class of the mother. This arrangement has had a moat beneficial
effect in allaying the deadly feuds formerly so frequent among them. I wit-
nessed one this summer, but it was far from being of a disastrous nature. The
weapons used were neither the native bow nor imported gun, but the unruly
tongue, and even it was used in the least objectionable way. A chief, whoso
tribe was in disgrace for a murder committed the summer before, met the chief
of the tribe to which the victim belonged, and in the presence of all commenced
a brilliant oration in favor of him and his people, while he feelingly deplored
his own and his people's inferiority. At once, in the most gallant way, the
offended chief, in a spt;ech equally warm, refuted the compliments so freely
offered, and returned them all, with interest, upon his antagonist. This lasted
for an hour or two, when the offender, by a skilful piece of tactics, confessed
himself so thoroughly beaten that he should never be able to open his lips agaia
in the presence of his gengrous conqueror. Harmony, of course, was the in-
evitable result.

The dress of all is pretty much the same. It consists
reaching to the knees, and very much ornamented with
shells from the Columbia. The trousers and shoes are
mentcd with beads and shells similar to the tunics. The dress of the women ia
the same as that of the men, with the exception of the tunic being round in-
stead of pointed in front.

The b(!ad3 above mentioned constitute the Indian's wealth. They are strung
lip in lengths, in yards and fathoms, and form a regular currency among
them, a fathom being the standard, and ecj^uivalent to the "made beaver" of
the company. Some tribes, especially the Kutch-a-Kutchin, are essentially
traders, and, instead of hunting themselves, they purchase their furs from dis-
tant tribes, among whom they regularly make excursions. Often the medicine-
men and chiefs have more beads than they can carry abroad with them, and
when this happens the company's stores are converted into banking establish-
ments, where the deposits are invested for safe keeping. The women arc much
fewer in number and live a much shorter time than the men. The latter arises
from their early marriages, harsh treatment they receive, and laborious work
they have daily to perform, while the former is caused, I fear, by the cruel acts
of infanticide which to female children have been so sadly prevalent among
them. Praiseworthy efforts have been made by the company's oflScera to prevent
it, but the anguished and hardened mothers have replied that they did it to
prevent the child from experiencing the hardships they endured.

The men much reminded me of Plain tribes, with their " birds and feathers,
nose jewels of tin, and necklaces of brass," and plentiful supply of paint, which
was almost the first time I had seen it used in the district. Instead of the nose
jc^wels being of " tin" they were composed of the Hyaqua shells which gave
the expression of the face a singular appearance. The women did not use

of a tunic or shirt
beads, and Hyaqua
attached, and orna-

: -n»'<M*w, ■»*»*»» »- f-mr •

JOURNEY TO THE YOUCAN, RUSSIAN AMERICA.

419

much po" it, its absence was atoned for by tatooing, which appearorl universal
among them. This singular custom seems to be one of the most widei;,' diffused
practices of savage life; and was not unknown among the ancients, as it, or
Bomething like it, seems to be forbidden to the Jews, "ye shall not print any
marks upon you," Lev. xix, 28.

Polygamy, as in almost all other barbarous nation.?, is very prevalent among
them, and is often the source of much domestic unhappiness among them. The
New Zealander multiplies his wives for show, but the object of the Kutchin is
to have a greater number of poor creatures whom h" can use as beas^ts of bur-
den for hauling his wood, carrying his meat, and performing the drudgery
of his camp. They marry young, but no courtship precedes, nor does any
ceremony attend the union. All that is requisite is the sanction of the mother
of the girl, and often is it a matter of negotiation between her and the suitor
when the girl is in her childhood. The father has no voice in the matter what-
ever, nor any other of the girl's relatives.

The tribes frequenting Peel's river bury their dead on stages, the corpse
being securely enclosed in a rude coffin made of hollowed trees. About the
Toucan they were formerly burnt, the ashes collected, placed in a bag, and sus-
pended on the top of a painted pole. Nightly wailinga follow for a time, when
the nearest relative makes a feast, invites his friends, and for a week or so the
dead dance is performed, and a funeral dirge su g, after which all grief for
the deceased is ended. I witnessed their dance at the fort, and have been told
by others that the dead song is full of wild and plainitive strains, far superior
to the music of any other tribes in the country.

Altars, or rites of religion, they had none, and before the traders went
there not even an idea of a God to be worshipped. Medicine men they had,
in whose powers they placed implicit faith ; and whose aid they dearly pur-
chased in seasons of sickness or distress. They were, emphatically, a people
'without God in the world." Knowing their prejudices, I commenced my
labors among them with much fear and trembling; but earnestly looking to
God for help and strength, and cannot doubt that both were granted. For,
b'^fore I left, the medicine men openly renounced their craft, polygamists freely
offered to give up their wives, murderers confessed their crimes, and mothers
told of deeds of infanticide that sickened one to hear. Then all earnestly
sought for pardon and grace. Oh ! it was a goodly sight to see that vast num-
ber, on bended knees, worshipping the God of their salvation, and learning
daily to syllable the name of Jesus. Since my return I have read a glowing
picture of savage life, when left to its native woods and streams, and heartily
as I feel that I could be a friend of him who is, in truth, the friend of the
aborigines, yet sadly do I feel that between theory and fact there i.s often a
gaping discrepancy. To draw a picture of savage life is one thing, to see "the
heathen in his darkness" is another. To speak of the Indian roaming through
his native woods, now skimming over the glassy lake, or floating down the silent
current, may be to show the poetry of his life; but there is the sterner chapter
of reality to place over against it. From that chapter tho above remarks have
been gathered, they present the heathen as they are in themselves. For twenty
years Lave not yet elapsed since the white man planted his foot in the Youcau
valley, and since he has been there his influence has been to improve, and not
to contaminate. And if a te.stimony be valuable, more from the cause to which
it is given than from the source whence it proceeds, most heartily do I bear
mice to the humane and considerate treatment that the Indians of the Macken-
zie river district receive from the officers of the company. In many instances
that I could mention, the officer is more like tho parent of a large family of
adult children than what his position represents. The undoubted fact is, that
the whole tendency of heathenism is to brutalize and debase, while it remains
with civilization and the Gospel to elevate and to bless.

420

EXPLORATIONS.

Should vou desire, I shall he happy next season to give you a few of the
Ind r ..n-ndHas well as some accoVut of the geology and fauna of niy jom-n^y-
The So a, do not, sufficiently understand to say anything about, althoug,
from h^lrcat variety of plant« th.c I saw. there must have been many mtei^
ZTJ to CtanLts. When at Red river. I read a paper by Ml^ Bnruston. on
he e!o\nl 7^^^^^^^^ on the b.nks of the Porcupine river, and I have much

pieasm-rin being able to confirm his statements, that it is not the real onion,
tut the chive that grows in such abundance there.

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