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HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII.

MARCH, 1863.

No. 3.

6f«ei'al gfinti'tittfut.

NOTES ON THE INDIAN TRIBES OF BRITISH
NORTH A.MERICA, AN' THE NORTHWEST
CO.VST.

COMMLMCiTEI) Tfl CKO. GIBBS, ESQ.
UY AI.KX. C. .VNDKnsO.V. KSQ.. I.aTE OF THE HON. II. II. i().

Aad read before the New York HiKtoro-al
Society, Noi-ember, IhO'i.

The jj^reator portion of that vast tract,
over \vhich the c tininerce of the llud.son'.s
Ha^' Compiiny extend.^, is occupied liy three
distinct families of tribes, diHeriii};' from
each otiier widely in liabits, and totally in
lan^-uage ; Ist the Crek or Knistixkat, in-
cluding- the ."^ALTF.ix or Ojidway, the Ai,(;on-
QUiN, and other subdivisions ; 2d, the
CiiiPEWVAN, embracing the T;i-enlly*, or
Carrier.'j of Now Caled^jiiia ; and 3d, the

SaEUSS, or SlIEWHAI'MUCII.

The limits occupied by the first of these
families may bo tiius aj)proxiiiiately de-
fined. From Labrador, up the St. Law-
rence as far as Montreal, tlirough the Ot-
tawa country and along Lake Supr -ior,
northwest-ward, to Lake Winipic and As-
sineboia. Hence west towards the head nf
the Saskatchewan, as far as Fort PaIihou-
ton. Then north to the Athabasca river,
bonding afterwards Xo the east, and coii-
tiimiiig along the line of the Missiiiipi
or English river to Churchill on the shores
of Hudson's Bay.

Northward of the Crcc lino, almost to
the P'rozcn Ocean, and from Churchill wcst-

X. n — :h, .-icccntol, Iim^iloy to i-xpr ss the giiltcrtl sn: nrt,
* aR la '• Nicuto luuoli ;" aj,o rcp.-CBLiit. tho bnud Buunvl i f ilut

4| ,«t/ •riihciilly,peo;,(ti uAo f:oi'ij;a(c (/>>■;) waiert,t:uai tJd^cWJy
-» — <hiP' Clili'iiwyau IB thi< iruo gcuer iciiaiui'.

>isi. uxa. VOL. VII.

S-3iH9

f /.'- yrc^id^

ward nearly to the Pacific, lies the broad
band roamed over by the Chipewyan.

Crossing the Rocky Mountains to the
heads of the northern branches of the Col-
umbia, and the southern tributaries of Fra-
zer^s river, we find theSaeliss, orShewhap- /
much race, whose limits may be defined by /\
the Rocky Mountains eastward ; on the
west the line of Frazer's river from below
Alexandria to Kequeloose, near the Falls,
in about Lat. 49" 50'; northward by the
Carrier offset of the Chipewyans, and south
by the Sahaptins or Nez Perccs of Oregon, y

Having tiius indicated the races >♦£.
which this porticm of the continent is chief-
ly intiabiled, I shall passover the Chinooks
and other tribes living south of the British
boundary, and confiuv' my remarks to those
who inhabit the coast northward of that
line. /

The Saeliss or *Shewha,pmuch connex-
ion, as I I', ve already shown, ceases ab-
ruptly upon Fra. or's river at a point about
eighty-five miles above Fort Langley.
From thcJoJLs downward nearly to the
sea coast, the banks of the river are in-
habited by several branches of the Haitlin
or Teet f tribe.

Taking these as forming the southern
verge, it will be found that a frii.g of
tril)es borders the continent, hence round
by Behring's Straits to the banks of the
St. Lawrence. The breadth of this fringe,

*" AIumIi," llio iiamo given to tliR tliewliaiumicli by fir Al-
oxaiidoi- McKciizi ', and tln'iice i^U)pii'(t iritd tlio itiafs, is sim-
ply till' trm liy wliich tlieir lU'iglibois. llic Ta-c»ily disiiii-
gii sli tlicm, and U cqiiiv.ili nt to '• ttranKii tribe," i. c. not of
till' C'aipiwyau cf): !i! xiin. To distirguifli tbc tribes livirg
west of thc';n,!ho Ta-cully use auctbcr mcdillicatiou of ihu
term, i aiiuiy. "Atri.b yno."

tCiillo 1 ill turn by tiioir uppor ncigbborg^," i'a-chincn," r
term ftipan lit y (quivalont tn that first oxplaiiifd. Ilic Toots
i:piia, call t,l:u(itbois, out by tlicir true uamu of >'icut«mucli,
but" Siiw-mcoBUk." So tUrougUout. -^

HISTOUl C AL* MAGAZINE

[March.

accessible with liic ciiinKs, in wiiii'j; t'lnm
habit or necc^ssity, all their <'xciiisiuiis,
whether of |n'ace or war, are perf'urmcil.
Tlie Esijiiiiiiaiix aro the solitary oxc<']itioii
to this j^'eiicral rule. Frc(|iit'rttin,<i' liic
islands and

if I may so term it, varies with the nature X. and extendiiij;' thro»<>;h the raniificatioiis
of the country wliich it Imrdcrs ; l)otnid('d |of Fitzhiii.;li and Miili.udv Sounds. The
g-eiierally on the larg'cr streams by the ex- j Hailtsa tribes coniinunieate with the soutli-
t(.iit of unobstructed canoe navig'ation ; em branches of Hie Ta-cuily sept of New
elsewhere proliably by the limit of tlif Oaledoiifa, the 'I'a-otiu, I'iiiicotin, ai.d Nas-
coast ranji,"e of mountain.s, whence the cotin, Haniely. of Alexandria,
smaller stre'.inis orijiinate. For examiile, j The (■mimskv.vn' connexion ensues; ex-
upon the Columbia IJiver, the vicinity of i tciidiui,^ from Milbank Sound to Obscrva-
thc Cascades, about 120 mik's from the .sea; j t(Hy Inlet, and includiufv' tiie Sebas.sas,
upon Frazor's Kiver, Vie falls or lirst rap- Ncecelowes, Nass, and otlier offsets. Lan-
ids, aliout 110. Nature it would litiice ap- 1 >?uaj:^o bold, sonorous and remarkably cm-
pcar, herself places a Ijarrier which alike phatic ; contrastiuf? broadly with that of
checks the future extension of the interior the Ilailtsa, which is softer, and compara-
nations seaward, and |irevents invasion of ,tively of (ame expression. The custom of
the coast tribes beyond the limits easily llattenin.ii' the head, practio^'d by the tribes /^

between this and the Columbia RiA-er, does
not exist here ; ceasin}"' with the Hailtsa,
amoiiji" whom it is conlinerl to the females.
To compensate for the absence of this one
ilistiiLcnratioii. in itsell' to our ideas sufli-
ctiiist from tlie virinity of ciently revoltiiif^-, another, immeasuraldy
Cook's inlet to the southern jioint of liab- more so, is adopted — the lip-appendage,
rador, they do not jiciK-tiate Hudson's liavTIiis is simply a piece of either hard wood*
beyond a very limited dislnuce from eitiierlor ivory, inserted into an apertiu'e |)ierct'd
p.tint of the Straits. Tlie Tliipewyans in the lower lip. Tiie females alone ])rac- ^
succeed them for a siiort sjiace on the ti^; it. The first incision commences at c/*
Cliurciiill s'liore ; the Swamp Crees occupy an early ag'c, tin- substance inserted not
the rest of the circuit. oxceeding a straw in diameter. With ad-

Tiie H.viTi.i.vs, to whom I have incidental- j vani-ini;- years, pieces of larg-er si/,e aiid
ly alluded as iniiiibitiii<>' the lower parts of; more ciimi)licated shape tire sniistituted,
Frazer's iiiver, rarely venture to its nioulh; and a harridan of the seventh lustre will
where, as on the opposite shore of Viin- disjtlay a labial deformity whose dimcn-
coTivers Island, the Ca-witchaiis, a bolder j »ions it might seem fabulous to describe,
tribe, hold sway. Death, or slavery (.ven ■ The Ciiimseyans communicate with the
worse tlari death, are the alternatives prc-1 northern branches of the la-cully, the Xa"^
sentcd to the weaker amimg these tribes, ta-otin of Babinc Lake, namely, and other
when tliey arc so hapless as to. fall into the ncig-hboring" septs.

(iucen Charlotte's Island and Prince of
Wales Archipelago are the country of the
Haidahs ; a nnmerous connexion including
the Kygany, .Massett, Skittgetts, Hanega,
Cuiiishewas and other septs. Upon the
ftiundation of their language, as upon that
of theChiheelisand Cliinooks further south,
a jargon has been constructed, serving as
a lingua franca lor tra<lc, for some distance
north of Milbatik Sound. Tho Queen Char-
lotte's Island branches of this tribe were
formerly less wealthy than those farther
north ; owing partly, it was said, to the
ooraparativo scarcity upon tiieir law"

-4

power of a more puissant neighltor. Pal-
isaded villages and other precautions
against surprise, show that even at home
a ceaseless dread ])revails. This state of
inse(Mirity,I may here mention^ pervades
the north west coast, more or less, accord-
ing to the strength of each tribe relatively
witli that of the neighbors around.

The (J.\-\viTJHANs, UcALTAsand Cuqliltus,
who are, I believe of the same family, oc-
cupy the shores of the Gulf of Georgia
and Johnston's Straits.

Tiicsc arc succeeded by tho IIailtoA con-
nexion, commoucing in about latitude 61"

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8fi3.1

HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

fur bearing fiiiiinalrf, whose skins then bore
a considerable barter value ; but probably
more to their remote insular rosilion, which
debarred them, in a j^-reat measure, fmni
that trallic witli the interior tribes wliieii
was, and is still, a sunrce of profit to the
inhabitants of the main. rrobal)ly thcne-
Ces.sity lienee arising has contributed to
render them as n body, more industrious
than their neighbors. Such at least is
their reputation in the inanui'acture of
grass hats, ornamented stone calumets,
and other highly wrought articles of the
like simple material ; to say nothing of
the enormous canoes, in the modeling of
which they are unsur|»assed*. The'^culti-
vation of the potato, too, introduced among
them by traders, was a branch of industry
in which they used form rly to excel their
nciglibors inuneasurably ; raising enough,
not only for their own suppl}^ but with a
considerable surplus for bartering abroad
for luxuries not otherwise obtainable. It
is not however in the useful arts only that
they excel their neighbors ; as rogues,
where all are rogues, the same pre-emi-
nence is awarded them.

Occupying the main land from Observa-
tory Inlet and Chatham Sound, nortjiward
along Clarenc^j's Straits, Uevilla jKigedo,
kc, as far as the latitude of Sitka, is the
TiiuxKiTF connexion, comr>risinir the Tum-
guss, Stikiue, Cheelcat, Talico, and other
branches. A language comparativ(?ly har-
monious, especially as contrasted with
the rugged energy of the (,'liimseyan,
whicli albeit is to me far more agreeable,
is sjjoken by these people. 'J'lic southern
jiortion of the tribe, inhabiting the harbor
of Tumgass, Clemeneeti and other points
bordering on Ciiatham Suuiul, merited the
character which they borL>*that, namely, of
being well disposed towards tiie Avhites ;
and probably from more frecpient or inti-
mate conununiealion with the shipping
formerly fre(|uenting the coast for trade,
with more suavity in their deportment than

"'IIK'B;' c.iiK CJ, si: iiip 'i! li'ir ih-y,. oT I'l" ( liiiiiHikR iiU'! Dtljrr
N'. W.nn<tl ihi'P, (lilt 111' i.liutriiiik 111' t i-'l'iiij' OiM-iilcululi.s
.Tir iHiti' 1 Inr Uu'ir Pl7. • ;is \v il as llic I'lcpii c •' iif llicir ruriii
N'l) I'licmiiiiim cil inliii' liciHi'vi'i' cmilil mlil ii> ilii' I'siiiiiiiliini in
wliicli tlii'lie lir.-iiilil'iil vrfssols urc liv'l.l liy ull wlm liave lisnl
tlio oiiixirtuiiily of vxaminiiig tUtm.

^yC^d^<^ fryit„.,J^^ "^/^ / i, <^;

usual around. IJii^ the northern branohes
of this tribe were less favorably charac-
terized. .Some of the olT'sels are in com-
munication for the jiurposes of barter with
the Chipewyans frerpienting the posts of
Mclvenzie's Kiver.

Several tribe,; are named by travek'rs as
occupying th(> coast between Sitka and
Ik'hring's Straits ; but with the exception
of the Kamlcuks, or Kauscians, extending
from the former point to the neigliborho(.d
of Prince William's sound, these septs,
whatever the variety of dialect that i)ossi-
bly exists among them, m: y all, I have rea-
son to believe, be referred to the Esqui-
maux connexion — that widely extended
race, occupying (the inner shores of Hud-
son's Bay excepted,) the whole continental
border, from (Jook's Inlet to the extreme
point of Labrador, with the interjacent
lal)3'rinths of islands and iidets. The
character of the Kaliuchcs seems to bo
even more warlike and ferocious than that
of their neighbors farther south. Indeed
it is worthy of notice that up to the point
where the N. W. coast tribes may be as-
sumed to terminate, and the Esquimaux to
begin, the degree of characteristic hardi-
hood ajipears to increase with the increase
of latitude. The Kaliuchcs have on more
than one occasion given proof of this in a,
their intercourse with the ftiiV^iXjis ; who y
at times have had their own trouble to
maintain their ground. Beyond the Kodi-
ak this energy seems to decline, and prob-
ably continues to do so as far as the race
extends along the eastern coast, where cer-
tainly it is by iKj means noted for any de-
gree of boldness.

Wilhotit attem])ling to give any regular
or delaikv.! account of their haljits and
customs, I shall r.ow proceed to note brief-
ly some of the more obvious points where-
in these western tribes difler from those of
the east aid from each other.

The Ta-cully or Carrier branch of the
Ciiipewyans hunt the tract, lying, ap])roxi-
ni.'itely, between .52" and oT^ north latitude
and 121" and 127" west longitude. This
country was first visited by Sir Alexandci*
McKenzie, who in 1793 traversed it on his

HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

[March,

way from Athabasca to the Pacilic. It
was not, however, till 1805 that the first
port was established by the tlien existiiiji,-
North-west Company. >' In 1H35 I estimat-
ed the population at about five thousand.
A census taken in 1839 fell considerably
short of that estimate ; but the diflercnce
can be accounted for, lo a j^reat extent, by
the unavoidable omission of many families,
and the difficulty inseparable from the at-
tempt to number simultaneously a sparse
population, occupying so larj^c a count r}-.
Believing still my estimate to have been
near the truth I subjoin the official return,
which, correct as far as it goes, will ex-
hibit the relative proportions of the sexes,
and also, by comparison of the rising gen-
eration, show that, notwithstanding the
humane care extended towards tiie natives !
by the agents of the Hudson's Bay Com- 1
pany, and the absence of liquor and other
deleterious merchandise as a depopulating
cause, a rapid decrease is in progress.

Men 897

Women .... G88

Sons 578

Daughters .... 4'62

Total

. 2G25 1^

For much of the character of the Carri-
ers, I may refer to the excellent account by
Sir Alex. McKenzie of the Chipewyans,
prefixed to the narrative of his travels ;
premising merely that the former have per-
haps degenerated in many points from
what I assume to be the parent stock*.
Altogether the Carriers may bo set down
as a peaceful race, well disposed towards
their white traders ; yet, while peaceful,
subject to violent though transitory out-
bursts of passion. They have so far as-
similated with the neighboring coast tribes,
as to have adopted their practice of burn-
ing the dead : and one branch, the Nata-
otins of Nata-punkat or Babinc Lake, who
are in frequent communication with the
Chiraseyans imitate them in the insertion

* I may here remark llml Iiliir.tr Irom Sir Alixandt-r's as-
samptlon Uiut the emigration of the rlii|)(>wyans lias born
from west to cast, lor reasoos to wbicb I shall probabiy rclor
luvldeaUiiix as I proceed.

of the wooden lip. The former practice,
one;- general among the la-cully, has dur-
ing the last twenty years, gradually been
falling into disuse. It was cmr object to
discounteniuice it, not from any objecticm
to the custom itself, but because great
cruelties were frequently exercised at
these suttees, where the survivor of a mar-
ried pair was expected to submit to a good
scorchin;- voluntarily, and usually did lO,
if not voluntarily, by compulsion as the al-
ternative. Thus some tortures were in-
flicted, especially in the case of females,
who being the weaker, always fared the
worse. The ashes were afterwards borne
by the survivor I'or some times several
years ; until a grand feast to the manes
liAviiig been publicly celebrated, the last
relics were tinally inurned, placed on a
high post in a cfmspicuous jiart of the vil-
lage, and the term of mourning was con-
sidered over. Under the reformed system,
the t( rlures are omitted ; the cares before
bestowed in ornamenting the urn (or rath-
er wooden box,) are now appropriated to
the decoration of the grave : the other por-
tions ofthe ceremony remain unchanged. *^

The Ta-cully, like their Chipewyan rela-
tions, are expert in the preparation of the
snare, and other devices for capturing
game and fish. Their weir for catching
salmon exhibits much ingenuity, and mer-
its a description which I shall probably
subjoin in an appendix. Many other of
their devices, indeed, might be considered
equally worthy of notic -, but the dread of
e.vtendiug these notes over too great a
space, warns me to abstain.

The Shewhapniuch (Atnahs of McKen-
zie, as before explained,") who compose a
large branch of tiie Saeliss family, occupy
the banks of Thompson's River ; and
along Frazer's River from the Rapid vil-
lage, twenty miles below Alexandria to the
confluence of these two streams. Thence
to near the^alls, as before nojed, the tribe P^ y
bears the name of Nicutc-much*. On the
other hand, approaching the Columbia, it

*Coiruptod by tlu" Canailiin voyagers iuto " Coiitiaux," or
v.ives ; by which ilesiguatiuii they are now geucrally known

\J^-

Ki . .

aiLong them.

■>.v

-^V'^^

1863.]

HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

\., ^

/..

^ y.

merges into tlie Okinaganbrmicli. TlicRO,
with the Siiiajjoihich, the SpokariB, tlie
Skoiolpoi of Colville, and their oflyliiHjtH,
continue the connexion to the SaelisH, who
compose the eastern branch. My not ice of
this tribe will be conlincd chiefly to tlic
western and k'ss known portion, occupying
the vicinity of Frazer's River.
^ On leaving the verge of the Carrier
country, near Alexandria, a tnarkcd change
is at once porccptibh'. A dialect of the
Saeliss, guttural and dissonant to a degree,
succeeded the dialects of Chipewyan root,
in themselves, by the way, nowise remark-
able for eui)hony. In customs, the change,
though less abrupt, is very striking. We
may note, for example, the different struc-
ture of their dwellings, and the ojjpositc
views of comfort whieii their neighbors
appear to maintain. The Carrier, duiing
summer, while livimg at his iishing village,
resides in a house the four walls of which
are framed with posts iilled up with neatly
peeled pine saplings, and surmounted by
a substantial roof of bark. Beneath the
slope of this, his split salmon arc hung to
dry in the smoke, while the inmates recline
luxuriously amid the unctuous drippings
beneath. When cold weather approaches,
these fishing stations are abandoned, and
the inhabitants, first having stored their
dried fish and berries, disperse to winter
in spots favorable for snaring, and where
dry fuel is abundant. There, congregated
in little hamlets of several families, each
household eonstruets a roomy hut of pine
boughs 8o thickly jiiled and interthalched
as to af!ord pcifect shelter, and with the
aid of a substantial fire^to become a dwel-
ling, airy indeed, but suflicieiitly warm and
agreeable.

The Atnah, on the other hand, erects dur-
ing the summer a hasty pent-roof, with a
few mats or some boughs, in such wise as
to afford shade, at least, if not shelter.
Winter calls for a warmer retreat. To se-
cure it, a large hole is dug in the ground ;
the cavity is roofed over, and then closely
covered with the earth taken from the in-
terior, A notched post, projecting through
a bole in the roof, at once door and chim-

ney, aflbrd the means of ingress and egress
A very small lire serves to keep such a habi-
tation warm; Imt the den is necessaiily un
wholsome, and redolent, as may be sjipposed,
of any thing but roses. 1 have ment'u'ed al-
ready that at the opposite verge of thcTa-
cully nation, the lip disfiguration has been
borrowed from the C'himscyans of the coast;
in turn the Ta-oiins* of Alexjindria have
assimilated with their Shewhaj) neighbors
in so far as to have adopted the filthy huts
in question^ but the practice does not ex-
tend further into New Caledonia.*

The Shewhapunich are greatly destitute
of that pride of personal adornment Mhich
characterises the Carriers in common with
most savage nations, not to mention those
civilized ones among whom it is no wise
eschewed. Among the lower Nicnte-
nniehs, indeed, setting ornamejit aside as \
far as regards the male inhabitants, even
Ihe ordinary observances of decency in
dross are neglected. I am thus precise be-
cause the contrast is great in this respect
between tl:.? modesty of the interior na-
tions, and the absence of it, so manifest
on the part of the male population of the
N. W. coast and its immediate vicinity. I
may here further mention that of all (he
numerous Indian septs Avith which^I have
become aciinaintcd, the Nieutcmr.chs are
perhaps nearest the savag'e state. Congre-
gating for mutual protection in villages,
frequently palisaded, they had, until lately,
a very limited intercourKe with the whites.
Their country, poor in fur-bearing animals,
or to say the least, negligrntly hunted, held
out no inducement for the establishment
among them of trading posts; the source
of com|)arative affluence tet their neighbors.
Poor, naked and numerons, the habitual
treachery and vindictivcness of their charac-
ter are fosterc d by the ceaseless feuds which
they entertain with all around. Nor is this
inimical spirit confined to external enemies;
n(>arlv evt'ry family has a minor vrvdetlaoi
its own to prosecute. Yet while exphjring
with a small party toward Fort Langley in

*Ti<)tiii, 111' Fiita-otiii, i. ctlii" " lower pcoiili'" r.s ik piiry-
iiiK Ihc liiwif t |mi t on Fiuz 'i 's River ot llif Can icr ir.ln'. Tlio ^
goiioruliitIl.\, "uliu " is simply II iivi(Una;tioii cf^ ilic word /
(iinnet, Higniryiug " n man,'" iu Chipowyau uud Ta cully., /

A A

/>-<4,

niSTORICAL xMAGAZTNE.

[Miirch.

tlio HiiiiiiiU'rH of 184(5 and 1847, I was rc-
coivi'd aiiioiij;' tlicsc |M'oi)Ic with the kiiitlcst
dt'iiiDiistiatitiiis, (.'(•riiiiiilv »1 lln' lime slii-
coiv, and wlu'ri'iif llic notinii is still possi-
bly undintiuiicd. Man, woinmi. and riiild
at t'vory villan'c, ltron;;'lit a (rillin;^' present
of wek'nnic, wlicllier of lisli, \vil<l iViiilM, or
other loeal pn diielion. It was of confse
inipoHsible to convey away the enorinons
piles thus iicciiniulated ; so alter a present
of trifles in return, the olferinj;- remained lor
a p^oneral scramble on our depaiture. Every
thiiifjf was cDuh'ur di' roxe on these ocea-
sions ; liut then i \\". felt eonstantly as if
seated < n a powder magazine vvhieh a spark
might at any moment ignite.

Leaving Kefpieloose, the lowest village
on Frazer's IJiver of the Sliewhai)nineli con-
nexion, a few mills of "debateabh; land"
occur until we reach the lirst villiige on the
Sachinco, or Teets, a palisaded fort imme-
diately below Uie Falls. I>uriiig the !^al-
mon season, trusting in the strength of num-
bers, the inhabitants of the (ip])er villages
of the Teets, congregate and occupy the
whole extent of the adjacent falls and rap-
ids, in length about three miles ; retreating
to their palisudcd dwellings below as soon
as the fishing is over. Cowardly and treacli-
c.'ous to a degree, these Indians possess all
the vices of the coast tribes, while exhibit-
ing none of the redeeming (pnilities of the
interior nations. Slavery, which is not'prac-
-i ti^'d among the Carriers and Snewhap-
much, here commences. Tluuigh as men,
inferior even to the N'icutenmcli, savage as
I have stated them to be, these lower Indi-
ans are ingenious and more industrious :
hence comparatively rich. Their canoes
are formed, like those of the Chinooks and
others, of the TVnfy'a cedar ; and as all their
travelling is done by water, every one has
a canoe for daily use and convenience.
From point to point as we descend the riv-
er, the palisaded villages which I have
mentioned appear. Around gand)ol whole
hosts of wliite quadrupeds, some shorn like
sheep, others sweltering under a crop ol
flowing lleece. A stranger sentimentally
disposed, might possibly on getting a dist-
ant view, imagine a scene of Arcadian fe-

licity, people it to his heart's content, and
sing as did one of yore, -. ■ ■ ■

'■ n 'iii'.iix i|iil w iiiiiin It ilii liilt. ill' w* lii'i'lilfi
1,1 i| I il • Iriir l..>. II, \(Ml (1!''|- *>■* Imlills.''

Ib't alas ! worthy stranger, these are only
dogs : their owners (alas again!) the veri-
est knaves and pill'erers under the Min.
The dogs in (|uestion are of a breed jiccu-
liar to the lower parts of Frazer's K'iver,
and lh(^ southern portitm of Vaiu'onver's
Island and the (inlf of (leorgia. White,
with a long woolly hair and bushy tail,
they dilVer materially in aspect from the
common Indian cur ; possessing, however,
the same vidpine cast of countenance.
Shorn regularly as the crop of hair matures,
these creatures are of real value to thilr
owiuMs, yielding them the material whence
blankets, coarse it is true, but of excellent
fabric, are manufactured. My hai)its of life
since early manhood, have |)ossibly tended
in some degree to 'olunt the power of ap-
preciatitui in these matters, but 1 confess I
could not witness without satisfaction, the
primitive approach to textile manufactures
which h(>re fiist recurred to my view after
the la])se of many years. An additional
interest w.is afterwards created in my inii.d,
wlien^o!i examination,! found the imp^
inent i;se(l for weaving, difi'ored in no ap-
p;iient respect from the rude loom of the
days of the Pharaohs, as figured by mod-
ern archaists.

The aptness in the useful arts which I
have noticed as existing anmng the inhabi-
tants of tJie lower Frazer, is not coniincd
to them,Mt extends along the north west
coast, where, among (riferent tribes, it
manifests itself in various sha])<'S. To the
ingenuity of the Queen Charlotte's Islands
I have already alhuhd ; but it is not my
intention to dwell longer on this point.

Passing over the intervening s( pts, with
whom I am very jiartially acquainted, I
K.hall proceed to the Ilailtsa, of Milbaidt and
r^Mtzhugh Sounds. The custom of flattening
'he scull exists, as 1 hav(.' already mention-
ed, among these people : unlike tlie Chi-
nooks however, they do not pracli/fe it on /
both sexes, but on the f{ maleiM only. The''
national dress of the Southern females, the

X <^'-U 4 At, ^x. ^tVrv

- 4<^

e-t**

■^-ni

-S,

Jr^

'/-

^ y'
•A;

«l

<-,

^^/

1803.1

IITSTORTCAL MAOAZTNE.

fa'ajiifilhu' (if ill • CliiiKjdkH, ecasc-t with tlii' tiiiipt, lidwcvcr, In enter into Ciirtlu'rdcliiilH

iv;;-:ii'ilini;- spciiiil |Miiiits, I nIiuII hazard a
few rcinarks as tu the raees nl' whicli I
liave treated.

Ah liefore iiieiitiniied, I lielieve the Chip-
eu'vaii til liave eiiii^irated IVom the SVI'MI-
wanl. I believe them to lie of A.siatic oii-

lilli'ts i>l' iftl- tv''"', Mv'.io lien' tliiM in l\\'i
poiiils at h'a.st, lie waid to assimilate to the
HoMlherii races ; thou^^'h their laii,iiMiaj;-e and
f>'eiieral eiHtoms are ddlereiit.

The ehiel" distinctive pccaliaiilv oT (he
liailtza is the practice of liilinu" the arm,

iU^^

I'ullowiii;^- a custom of superstitions oriji,'in. \'/\u, and to have entered America liy th(!
and certainly most, barbarous ellect. .\11 way of lU'hiin;:,'s Straits ; afterwards to
tlio aduU m:il(!s Cslaves of ours ; excepteil) have been int<'rcepted from the coast by the-
have their arms scarred with the imirid Cxteiisioii southward of the Esfpiimanx,
mutilations thus voluntarily endured : th'; while themselves gradually extending?
older the individual, the mire numerous tl e downwards within the line of the Coast
cicatrices which he bears. While resident l{:in;i"e of Mnunlains. There are several
at Milbank .'-^onnd in IS.'J.J, 1 did not succeed points circnmstantially corroborative of
in learning all the particulars <if the ciis- ; (his o])inion which it is needless to enter
torn; but 1 have since received s.ime de- ' np m, vet 1 cannot but mention that two re-
tails which 1 shall bri/lly epitonii/.e. -N ' umte tribes are apparently of this connex-
cliiel" assuming one of th ise moii<ly lits ion, and have been intercepted by the grad-
coiumon among divers of the North Ameri- 1 ual extension and interlocking of otlior
<'an nations, and especially those of the (ribes during the progress of the emigra-
North west t.'iiast, retires secretly to the j lion southward whicii 1 have sujipo.sed.
moiintains ; and remains tliere, fasting and j These are the Sar.-!EEs and the Ki.at.sk axai.
in set.'Iusion, for a pi-riod of several days. Tiie former, iidiabitiug the plains of ujiper
Hnring this period, every care is taken not ,><askatci)ewan, and now ipiite isolated,
lo appioach tiu^ suspecteil neighlmriiood of | are conuminly ret'eived as di'scendants of
his retreat : in the event of intrnsion even : the Cliipewyans, a dialect, of whose language
death is the r(.'|ii)rted penally, if the uiii'or- ' they are known to sjieak. The atHnity
tiinate inlrndi-r^ a female or aslave. .\f- which I have claimctl for the Klatskiinai,
ter the term of Hcdusion is passed, sudden- 1 (who inhabit south of the Columbia, east of
ly and without previous warning, the phreii- 1 the Killemooks of the Coast,) rests upon
zied enthusiast, howling demoniacally, rush- 1 till! identity of several words in ilaily use,
es into the village. The women secret*; j too plrtinly marked to arise l'ro;n accidental
their chi' hen, the slaves withdraw in ter- ' coincidence ; nor can it lie doubted that a
ror, and tne dogs are hastily called aside rnor.' extended comparison of words would
by their anxious mistrcs.ses ; for dog, or . tend to increase ^ lie number of instances of
slave regarded little better than dog, if en- identity.

countered during this assunnMl phrenzy, Ajiother example of a small tribe thus
falls speedily a sacrilice ; nor do children, \ probaldy isolattd from its parent rnco, are
if not destroyed es';ape scathless. It is the Kohtanais, who inhabit the angle be-
then that the free adults submit to the re- tween the Saeliss lands and the eastern
volting mutilation; the horrors oi' which i heads of the Cohnnbia. Unaware of the
can scarcely be exaggeialed. Feisting and origin nf this tribe, who, attacked year af-
presiMits succeed, wuh all the mysteries of ter year as (hey visit the bnfl'alo grounds by
the Shaau'iir*. V

o''

their mortal foes the Blackfeet, maintain
Thus far advanced in theae notes, the" still a noble independence, I mention them
call of important business at a distance us illustrating the isolation of small septa
warus me to conclude more abruptly than I just treated of. They are probably of
had intended. While abandoning the at- j southuti. rigiu, as their language bears no

•.•h.vif.Mr. 3 t-jim o.- n.iii ih orgm, jbo I widoy oc tuc x. 'V. j aflSuitv to that of anv of the tribes to which

,a*t^ M04.C.U0," or lUo Airicau "FoU^,- might bo oorroe- j j ^^^ ^, j^^^ Decimated ptTiodically by

ona«t
pousivc,

HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

[March,

tlic Uhickrccl, llifir imiiilicrs sire dwiiHlliiiu
fust ; iiiid I I't'iir tliiit ere luiu' tlic rniiiiiiiits
of a iiiililc niiM', will in ilicir «'a>" have
j»ass('(l away. 1 am im imniKitfr, lie it iiu-
(Icrstdod, (if that iiiawkisli nMiiaiicc with
vliich lictioiiists liavc Itcfii pli'iiscd to in-
vest till' Indian trilics ; Imt, while in sn far
jl^Vi'swvlw^ aj^ainst niisapiirehensidn (Hi
this point, I wimld tain dw justice tti the
many ;^'oi)d ((indities hy which the inteiinr
races are fharaeteriJ!"d : the virliu-i which,
spite of all imperrcction.';, shine thron^di,
cvor and anon,

(iujil' laK^iiidi ynlu Ira mivi'li fulii.

Siidi til" my reailers as in the ah-'cnoe i f
other opi>ortMnity, may have Inrmed their
impressions n|' Indian lii'e and character
fVnin the allnrin,!.!' lictinns nf Mr. ('miper ;
or thiise who, im the tippdsite hand, have
imhil'ed well Iniinded prejiidiees from eoin-
mnnicatiiin with the wretched lish eaters of
the ('(ilninl)ia and its nei.uhliiirin.n' coast,
will do wt'll to pause as reg'ards tin- major-
ity, helween both extremes. I'rncuriiifi'
an abnndant livelihood with little exertion ;
gross, aensnal, and for the most part eow-
nrdly — the races who depend entirely, or
chietly, on lishin^', are immeasuraiily inferi-
or to those trilies, who, with nerves antl
Kinows hraced by e.Kcrcise, and minds com-
paratively ennijlded liy freijnent excitement,
live conatantly annd war and the chase.
This premised, I i>nl)join. as lianded in to me,
a mcinorandiim taken in 1848, by my inter-
preter, Ldouard lii-rlund, then in churge of
the Kootanais ontpost. It may be reL,^ard-
cd as authentic, and I believe correct.

Population of the Ivcjotanais tribe, as ta-
ken December, i^tO. /?/;/- 8

Men. l.iiil!'. Wn kCii. Ti I il
t'lipor KtMit.iniils . .35 18 113 ICO

K'"'Uiiia;.s wild IViqui'iit tlir rial-

li.':il iMiiiMliy ... 44 33 18:i ifitl

•l.owiTK'i.'tai.iiis W ArcSiplutlOS "S 4ti •113 31)7

li7 lOJ h67 121*

TI'.o EsQuiMAfx niust indisputably be re-
garded fis of cominun origin with the
Greenlanders and otl>or Sanioiedic races oc-
cupying the «u,mc belt of North latitude.

•it Will r.ot csoapo i:iiticj ili.t liio Arcs I'l.'.lt.^f, vIki.tii
mcfvi rcniolu fioru coi.Uct wiia \: ■-> Bluci.r.cr., a.o liy iIm:
utiovti aicinor.iQilimi ia u far i^iro lluufiEU.iijj' bUU) Utau tiio
otlior brnucbOB of llxia tribu. •

Migrating iicross Davis' Straits as I have
suppnsed the Chipewyans tn have done
across those nf Dehring, they have gradu-
ally advanced coastwise in Imth directionn
lo the extiMit already nolic( d.

1 shall nut hazard any opininn in regai'l
to the probalde conr.se of migratinn of the
Saeliss, and other interior connexions, fur-
ther than that 1 conceive it to have been
from the southward and eastward, p,radu-
ally advancing until interlocking with the
coast (ri'ies, who on the other hand for the
causes liefore adverted to, have had no in-
ducement to W!'" ler far into the interior.
•I All the tribes of this portion of the i'a-
ciiic Coast, I look upon as originating from
the islands of the West — from .lapan, the
Kuriles and elsewhere. Nor is it unsup-
(lorted hypothesis almie that leads me to
this conclusinn : within the limited period
of niy tiwn experience on this coast, I have
learnt the possibility of a fortuitous iunni-
gration, such as we may be justitied in as-
suming to have led to the gradmil jieopl/-
ing of this [lortion "f the continent in tlie
earlier ages.

For instance : in ISIU, at Cape Disap-
pointment, on our wav to the northwest
coast, Indians boarded our vessel and pro-
duced a nia|» with some writing in tlapan-
ese characters ; a string of the perforated
copper coins of that country ; and other
Convincing proofs of a shipwreck. Ru-
mors of this hud been heard before, and af-
ter this corroboration, the conipany dis-
patched a vessel to the point indicated. It
was south of Cap(! Flattery (at Queen-ha-
ilth I believe.) Three survivors of the crew
were ransomed from the natives, afterwards
sent to England, and thence t(j Japan. In
as far as could be understood by iis, they
were bound from some port in the Japanese
Island of Yesi, to another jtort in tli(^
bsland of Niplion. Losing their reckoning
iu a typhoon, they drifted for many months,
at the mercy of wind and wave, until at
length stranded at the point of shipwreck.
The crew had originally consisted of forty,
of whom the greater portion had peris'cc'
at sea during the transit ; three only fti""-
viving to roach tho shore. Were tbifa ihr

>s.

<- -r ^. ^'■^

rtL^

^e /t^rr

/Vtr M^ «-

1868.]

HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

only (!as • on rooorfl, of junks liavinj^ tims tliat larpo quantities of booswnx Iiavc been
(iritliMl abroail, I ini^iit possildy 1)(« (axi'il constantly KJitlicrcd in tlio samis lli<»ro
. / with arj^ninj^ from latluT slcndor pn'iniscs; Ninci- ilio lirst scllK'nicnt ; am] il is still o(s
\^<J\jj |)ut tlu'io are nioic Tiinrw arc two from casionallv picki'il u|i.*

the Honolulu '" I'olynosian," in the year This fact, taken in <'onnection with tho
1817. quantiiv of beeswax found in the cargo of

On the 21st of April last, (1847,) the iht j -iIc picked up by the "Otaheite," is
Hremen ship "Otnheite," in Lat. .'{5" north,! v.-xlid idence that the vessel cast on the
Lon. 150" east, fell in with a Japanese junk, 1 Cl'^st p shore must have likewise bi'cn IVoni
which had lo.st her rudder and l)een driven .Tapan. Some of tlie iicw, it is asserted,
to sea in a gale in November, IHlfi.'* W escaped alive; and possibly at this day their
'- rescind her crew of nine men, and took out 1 desceii'ants maybe aniong the remnants
ot iicr 12,000 lbs. of beeswax and other ar-j of 'he native race.

tides of her cargo. She was about eighty i in how tiir the reL-xtioii of these facts may
tons burthen, belonging to Osako, and be i onsidered to bear upon the question, it
bound to the North. ** ' remains with my readers to jii ' iv ; .as also

The whaler " Frances Henrietta," Poole, in how far the ]>revious 8uppo>uions ar(*
of New Bedford, in 3Iay, 1847, fell in with reconcilable with facts drawn from other
a Japanese jimk, of about 200 tons, dis- 1 sources, i-i

mantled, rudder gone, ami otherwise injur-' At the reque:'-t of my friend Mr. George
ed in a typhoon, seven months previtiu.-.: Gibbs, I have given such brief notes as I
bound to Jeddo ; crew (rriginally consisted thought might prove serviceable; rcgret-
of seventeen ; but four only were surviving, ting that tne cause already stated prevents
two in a most pitiable condition from fam- { my extending them farther. It is not how-
ino: all scarred with dirk and knife wounds ;| ever without diffidence that I have hazard
for fearful scenes seemed to have been en-jed aomc! opinions in which I may possibly
acted on board during the struggle for ex- have judged erroneously, but the expression
istence, and amid the paroxysms of hunger of winch I conceived to fjill within the in-
and despair. There are other ])arlicuiars tention of !Mr. Gibbs' reepiest.
given which it is needless here to dweHi

Alex'k C. Anderson.
Cathlamet, Washington Ter., Aug., 1865. /*"

• I last iniintli rocelvod a qnnntlty of the rccenlly caUiered NKN
wax. ilml hnd been |nitcliiisiii from the iiiitlvi's fur me Hiis-

npon.

There is another case of a sliip wreck
mentioned by the Indians as having occur-
red on the Clatsop shore, previous to the
settlement of the whites among them. This , . _ , „

^•11 1 » 1 I il J- .' «ux H Is almost supeifluoiis to riiuurk, U noted tor 118 Quality

19 Circumstantially coiioborated by the tact to n-siat d«cuy.

Mfc,

^*^^ t/SSc^ e^jdiS^

Tt7

^AJM.