s^. ^f^^-^ 5>.^< IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 1^ 12.0 2.5 2.2 pmc Sdfflices Corporation ^^ I'intoi 10. Tst'tcali niiimted ly the <'liii- 2-1. ;.ll'katr(i :*>. Tliatce 11. 'NjcyOJlnvot \M Koh'tiii) 25. Naknnl'lun 4. Ydkutco 12. Tsei'kaz^iiil l.S. 'leit'ii 2ti. (I lia\efor}.'ottennann i"). 'K.>zltv i::. StOlla I'.i. Nrtsictcali 27. 'l"l(itliOii>iali (i. S'.st'sotliiil 14. Natle L'(t. Ti'oiit.sitlinl'a (.Ciuesiiellc) 2S. TU)8;ioli 7. l.!itliakro/,iii 15. Nuikieli •Jl. Stulla (Carriers) 20. Sti'lla (ChiiKoli'iiii) s. Nas'iioll»k Hi. Sai'ke/. >>•) 'inn'ko/. 30. (i.'/c.rilatlii'it Tliuui.'li very iVw alMiri;.'inal wunls ucciir in tlitirmirse "f lliis paiKHr, 1 >;i\i' helnw the I'iiid" ix'ctiliaritie.s of tiie IV-ne iihoiiy a sonant ii ; [ is a linirnaiiKsihilant of jmcnliar sound ; k and k are very i^uttnral ; 7 aluiiist ('orresi>ond3 to/.v, hotii letters heini.' consonants; c/i and nit as in Ensrlisli. Tiio aiKislrojilie (,') ni'<;om- panyin^' certain letters adils lo their ori^final value tiui peculiar exploding sound couiinon to most Indian lanj^Miaiies. The names of non-Ucni' trilM'S on tlie map and tlirnii);ii the paper arc acconlinjr In Mr. I'.oasV ortliouraphy. INTRODUCTORY. In iht' hrst i>la(i', wlm are the Carriov.s :' UiiK's.s I am greatly iiiLstakou, a rospt>ctable majority of the intelligent reading public, and even not a lew proles-sional Americanists, wonld not be the worse lor some light being thrown on this subject bel'ore an attempt is made to answer the question heading this paper. For, strange as it may seem, whihi all ol' their heterogeneous neighbours have served as the theme ol many a learned dissertation by Canadian and American ethnologists, the Carriers, and in general the whole aboriginal stock to which they belong, had before the publication ol' the pre.seut writer's monographs on their sociology and philology hardly been honoured by aught else than brief passing references whj(.h, I am botind to say, evidenced as a rule more ignorance of, than familiarity with, the subject. The conscientious reports of Dr. Franz Boas published in 188lt i>nd 1890 under the auspices of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, while minutely describing all that is worth knowing concerning every Indian tribe having its habitat in British Columbia, do not contain any more lengthened mention of our Carriers than this brief remark, which implicitly refers to them : " The author's 110 I'ATIIKF} MOUK.'H UN rt'sciirfht's tlo not iuclm'.f ilii^ Tiiiiifli Irilx's. .sonu' of which are compurativfly well known."' This " loinpiimtivcly," thi' Ifiirnotl Dorlor will pardon nic for romarking, is certainly not out oi" place here. " Well known, " I am tempted to vetorl, are " some "' of the trihes whose soc^ial condition and philological peculiarities he h is taken so ••reat pains to faithfully expose, such as are, for instance, the Kwakwiutl. ihrouirh Iht^ eiforts of Dr. (r. M. Dawson ; -' the llaida, Ihrouu^h the same author's "Notes on the llaida," ' and, I might almost say, all of the North-Western Coast ludiaiis, through the writings of such Americanists as G. M. Sproat,' ,1. Deans, J. (J. Swan,' 1'. Poole," II. 11. Bancroft," (). T, Mason," and a host of others, not mentioning the early explorers Geo. Vancouver,'" G. Dixon," Urey Lisiansky,'-' etc. I would especially cite the lately published monograi)h of U. S. N. l"]usign Albert P. Niblack, who, except in so far as pliilology and folk-lori' are concerned, may be said to have almost exhausted the subject. Our Carriers' sociology has lost much in not being presented to the scientilic world by such piiinstaking writers, though I cannot but fancy that, to more easily (j. London, lsl4. "The Coast Indians of Southern \laska and Xorlbcrn British Colunibia, in Annual Re|)orl, etc. — Report of the U. S. National Museum. Washinjiton, isno. " Fruc. Can. Inst., October, issit. Toronto. ''The Western D6n<'',s, etc., p. li»l», note 2. It nii^'ht lio rejoined that otliiiolojiists have merely adopted, iw a common denomination for the whole stock, the verbal sullix noticeable in tlie names of many tribes or tribal subdivisions, jaatas it is practist^d by gome with regard to the Nootka, or (according to them) Aht nation. In which CAUHIKH SOllOLO(;V. Ill I be iidvantagoously rephui-d l»y tln' iiiii.i.' th.y «;iv<' llifms.'lv.'s, '• l).'-iu\" in tlio diiilect of tlu' largest and most .ciitvid ol' the tiil)t's into which this laniily is diviilcd. The Carriers, as a s.'i)ara(t' Irihc, are •••enerally called TacuUy, or Takvilli hy outsiders, on what irrounds I never could liiul out. Among themselves they arc today known as Taklie[ne (singular, Takhei), a word pirlcitly meaningless, at least in their own lancuasre, to which ii is exoti.'. From Ihcir eastern neighbours (the Tse'kenne) they receive the name ol" Arepic (singular, Ar.'i), or '■ Carriers.' though tlu- custom which gave rise 10 this aupcllalioii, that in del'ercn.e to whi.-h vvidows "carried " or packed a lew charred bones of their deceased husbands, has loug been abolished. As will bo seen bv a glance at the map accompanying this paper, except on their western i'rontier, thi' Carriers proper are surrounded by congenious tribes, namclv : the ChiiKoh'tin in the south. theTsekenue in the east, and the Tse'kenne and Nahane in the north. I'.ut, as to all practical purposes, the Chijlvohtin— and, indeed, the western Nah'ane as w*'ll— have the same general characteristics and, in the main, possess similar social institutions ns the Carriers, it may truly be said that the hitter's neighbours are : In the south, the Salish, Secjuapmu'i or Shushwap, and Stlatlunui, or Liilouet ; the Kawichin in the .south-west. In the w.'st from south to lujrth, the Kwakwiutl, the IJihiula (a Salish race), the Kwakwiutl atiain, and the Tsimshian. In the .south-east they also ])order on tlu^ Xehiyawok, or Crees, through a portion of their Irontier. Hut, owinu" to the natural barrier oppo.sed to Ireciuent intercourse in the shape of the Kocky Mountains, they ne'er had much <()ntaet with them.' So that the Carriers may be .said to be environed by no less than lour very distinct races, each of which is subdivided into several diiferenl tribes possessing ethnic and linguisti<- characteristics of Ih.'ir own. This fact should be borni' in mind l)y the reader who wishes to easily understand the b^'aringof the remarks I shall submit to him after I have given some idea of the Carriers' so(!ial institutions. SOCIOLOaiCAL. "With the exception of that custom to which they owe their name, the Carriers' socioloiiy was sul)stantially that obtaininii' amongst the nearest hetcogeneous races with which they had social or commercial intercourse. And, remember, that here 1 associate with the Carriers their kindred in bleiii\ etc."; lor wliidi reason I think the latter should be prel'erreil. Kverybody calls the Tlin^it after the word they use lor " rna:i." Why not do the same with rej-'ard to the Doiu's '.' Yet the Carriers o«e to tluir intercourse with Crec-speaUinir people— more probably lialt'-broeds in the the II. B. C'o.'s employ— the words kik'ii (swine); iiiinlii-^ (cattle); •"""i//" U'"""'.V '"'*' "ilver), luul mutimixil iCree Mintmptm) ribbon. 112 •ATHKH MOHKK ON iiotiil)l('N, who j)Owso.sML'(l tlic laiul iiud t-iijoyod iniiiiy .i'Mlously-jriiurdod piiv'k'gt'n, and thf coimnon people who hud no voiee in the coiineils ol' (he nutioii and aetcd as serfs to tho notables, with whom, and I'or whom, they hunted Thi' title«i ol' these American noblemen de.seen occasions. In case of extended travelling— which, however, was oi rather rare occurrence — the totem served also as an emblem guaranteeing to the hearer a brotherly recejjtiou and constant protection by any member of the same clan he might fall in with. The kinship resultini^ from fellow-clanship was reputed to be so strict that it precluded the possibility of co-clansmen intermarrying, while, on the other hand, marriage between even first cousins, if on the mother's side, was quite common, and, in some t ases, almost obligatory. By an immemorial custom, (he widow of a Carrier was also inevitably transferred as wile to the deceased's surviviug brother. If we now pass from the ueneral organization of the tribe to the constitution of the family, we see the wife working as a slave, without exercising any authority (unh»ss, by exception, she were a nota])le), and the husband domineerin-r as her lord and master and having in bauds the full administration of the family all'airs. Polygamy nourished here as on the coast, and marriage, though somewhat diflicult of attainment for the young man, was never considered as indissolulde. Young girls, when they reached the age of puberty, had to undergo a very trying ordeal of seciuestration accompanied by various bodily mortilications and penitential privations, whi( h were the exact counterpart of those noted by all the authors who have treated of the maritime aborigines. Among other peculiarities, the pubescent girl had to wear a bonnet and veil of a particular patteru, protecting the pas.sers-by from the malign inlluences which were supposed to emai>ate from her while she was menstruating. She could not scratch or even touch her head or hair with her fingers, but wore for that purpose a diminutive bone omb, and would also never drink but through a swan bone tube or " t^halumeau." Once she was married, the same sequestration and many of its concomitant observances were repeated on the occasion of every child-bearing and each recurring menstruation. The death of a member of the tribe, especially of a nobleman, was seized upon as a pretext for interminabh' lamentations on the one side and ostentatious feasting and banquetting on the other. The remains having been cremated in the presence, if possible, of a large concourse of people, the few remaining charred bones were handed to the widow, to be continually carried in a small package for a term of one, two or CAKUIIIK SOi'iOl.uiiV. 113 moro yours, uiMordiui^' lo lln' (liullii ii-iit amount of fulul»lt'.s ami (IrcsM'd skins to itf dislrilmti'd in a iinul potlarli., Llpon ihi.s o.casicni tin' di. cascfrs lioncs wi-n* nltiinatdy deposited in a mortuary post or column close by the villaire. This was the sii^nal of the widow's liberation iiom the very exa. lino bondai>'e she Inid Huflered at the hands of her late husbaml's relatives, lu-r hair havinii- 1 n clipped by them to the skin and her lace disljoured bv uuni or dirt .is a token ol her deeradei(ally and psychologirally sodili'erent I'rom tlio^e neiiihbonrin>i' rac.-s. the '{"-.imshian, Salish, etc., how ('id it come to pass that both maritime and inland aborigines piis>,-, strikingly similar social institutions, such ideiiii. al superstitions and folk-lore ' r.eiuir of such confessedly unrolated stock, one rac miisi, ol ii.ies-ity, ha\e borrowed from tiio other. Who, then, were the borrower.? f Who tlie oiiuinals :" Thinking scientists who examined and ailmired the very elaborate social system and customs ( btaininu' among the Coast Indians have naturally tried to investieate the source from which they must have originated. Some fan v to se,. it iu the primitive Aztec; civilization- others think they have found it in the iniiabitaiits, aiicimt and modern, of the Japanese isles. As far as I know, the only author- who ever ventured a comparison between coast and inland sociologies are ])\s. (I. M. D.iws.m and l''ranz IJoas. It is .somewhat remarkal)le that l)oth should seem to have rea. bed an identii'al conclusion, which ma, be resumed in two words : The coast and south races have tdpied, at least partially, from the inland northern aborigines. Und<-rdate March •). IS'.il, the lirst-named wrote to the author : " In your letter of June last I see that you refer to the probal)ility of the Tinneh hav- ing borrowed mytholouy and customs from the c(ia>t. Is it not i)robable that borrowinii' has been on both sides ^ The similarity of the Tinneh creation myth to that of the Haida — of I's-tas to A7-/i7/-.\7/«,s- — induced me to think that the llaida had it from inland, and this seems to be borne out by the fact that ])r. Moa.s has lately found practically the same story among the Bilhocla, |)robably iiideixMuleiitly obtained by them from adjacent Tinneh peoples." On the other haiul, Dr. l5oas has the lollowingto say in a note appended to his report ou the Shush wap : " The mourning cert>monie,v oi the Sliushwap arc evidently inilueuced by those of their northern neighbours, the Carriers, which hav> been de.scribed l»y the U'ev. A. G. Morite in the 'Proceedings of the Canadian Institute,' is^lt. The strictness of the levirate and the ceremonies celebrated at the grave are almost the same in both ca^es. ' ' More recently, Sir Daniel Wilson, after noting the commercial relations which exiiited from time immemorial l)etween the ( oast and the inland aborigines, adds in his introduction to the Seventh ]^eport on the North- Western Tril)es of Caiuula : ' Sixtli Report on llie N.W. Tril.es of (^iimtla. 1". !•! . Boc. II., 18'X'. l.j. 114 KATIIKR MolMCK ().\ " As a result ol' this iiiti-i-<'umniuiii<':itioii Ix'twci-n ihi* ISihiula and Timu'li it is found that housi'H t'SKt'iitially similur to those ol the Coast Indians in mode of construetion and oriiamentiitidii, thouirli ^nlaHe^ and h'ss skill'ull\ huilt, oerur Tar inhnid on the upper waters ol' the Salmon and Hlackwater K'ivers ; wlule, on the other hand, the prartical identity of sonje points in the niytlioloi.y of tlie Hihjula with that ol' the Tinueh ol' the interior is a clear instaiii e of re< iprocal inllueine." ' Now. I may appear presunijituous, hut my inmost «;onvietion:s hid mo hejr leave to totally dissent iVoni th • ronelusions. expressed and implied, of these learneth co:ist and inland slocks, have heeii horrowed hv the Carriers, and that conpe(|ucntly tin laitcr's .soi iolosry is extraneous.' Had Drs. Daw.son and IJoiis hee'i favoured with my opportunities forstudyinjr the (juestion, I have no doubt whalcvei that there could not have hecu two opinions on the suhjoct. To me, to ask whether our Indians hiil their lU.stoins to the maritime ahoriirines is almost paramount to iiKjuiriiiLT whether Kuropeans have learnt from the Mikado's coixrt to wear close-littinu uniforms or tiirht-Iacino; corsets : yet, as nobody's word ou fashion among the foreigners ; tattooing began to be avoided because it was not noticed among them ; native utensils and implements were soon contemptuously thrown away and replaced by those of imported patterns ; regular log-houst!s, such as they saw in tht^ North-West Conn>any's torts, were substituted for their primitive pole lodges, etc. They could not help perceiving that each of the North-West Company's posts was governed by a single olTicer, who alone was recognizc olli.ei> and, no douht, soin.' ol' tlieir employees as well, Won liim< r-iiiii;s, the Carriers tlioiiirld to raise tlieiiiselves in the soriai scale hy iiiakin^ i'or theniselws and wearintj' sii< h pr'-vicMisly unknown ornaments; and n« I'opper was raMu-r rare anionusl them, tln-y sulistilut'-d therefor hoiled earihon horn, which eirtumsliinee act (»nnts lor the fact that a rinir of such material was lately found here.' If [mllacliintr and old-fashioned tlancint'- did not ai once fall into desuetude, it was heeause both were countenanced liy the North-W'esi ronipany and, later on, the Hudson Bay Company people, who, (he Ictier to keep I lie natives und.'r suhjection, >?ave themselves every year a kind of tohaci o potlach, in connection wherewith the traditional dillerences of rank amonu' the receivers were scrupulously observed, and more than ouct^ found a welcome recreation in altendini.' the dames an h, to imitate ;he whiles, they replaced by interment, and that .so soon and so spontan. ously that I doubt whether there now lives among them an eye-witness of the tiaditioual ceremony. With the arrival of the missionaries, what remained of their (dd customs gradually gave way : ceremonial paraphernalia v.ere burnt : se(|ueslralion of women was stopped ; ill most cases landed estates were parcelled out {» heads of families, and, in lieneral, sU(rh practices as were diNtinctively aboriginal and unconnected with, or resulting from, human frailty, disappeared as if by «'nchantmeiit. To-day it is .'onsidered insultini:' among the Carriers to be called an Indian, and. in their estimatini, a person of Caucasian descent is no more a white man than the retVkin who conlorms to I^iropeaii .stx ial notions Their innate power of imitation and piop<'nsity for .self-bi'tlennent lunc also led them into appreciating the value of literary knowledge. They now read and write their own language, and even support a monthly periodical of their own. As regards their prejsent material condition, this much can be said : that, as a rule, their houses are just as well built, and often (juite as comfortable, as I hose of any white man whoever ventured in their country. They possess horses and cattle, which they keep in .stables and feed at the cost of much personal exertion dtiring their long winters. Close by their habitations some of them have regular carpenter shops, wherein they turn out sut'h difficult work as window-sashes, fancy boxes, el< ., whih- in every village a number boast the possession of sleighs, cutters, pack-saddles (and, among the Chi[Kohtin, riding- saddles) of their own manufacture. They dre,ss wtdl. insist upon getting such garments, household utensils and working tools as are the most in vogue among white men; and, in a few cases, it is even amusing to see some of them attired in their best clothes parading the village street, cane in hand, as a dandy would in some fashionable resort. 'Stuart's Lake, wliere the author in situtiuned. 116 FATIIKIJ MolMcr, (iN ir \v«' now I urn om nili'iilinii in tin- ( 'uriicrs' liflfroiri'iiiMtuM tii'tuflilMMirs in the wi'Nt, \vc III'.' iiitt .sliiu ill (lixnv.iiiiu lliiil, In llii>> vi'iy
  • y, in iiliii(»>t all socioloificiil partiiulurH, tJH'V Itavi' ii iiiaiiH'd what lln-y w«'r<' ollf liUiMliftl y'lU's asjo.' Di-spilf icilfi'ati'd pinliiltiiioiis and cM-n tliii'at> liy thi' civil aulliniitii'.». imtlai liiiii:' is lioiiiir uii i-vcry year with It'll! 'Wi'd \ iL;iiiir hinii dain jiiir is ih' unlri- ol ihc day ••vi-rv sure ■ssivc winter ; thi't'ic, liiii^orruiiinii'iiiuiaiivcor li.-rahlic i'> is <()iilinu'i> i>r >.hiii is, a* ol old. ih^ nniy jfariiifnl wnni liy the itn'ii whi-ii at hiiini'-, UKisI ul thi' tradilinnal myths and li'Lr<'ndH arc iianatfd hy the liicsidc to I icduhms aiidiciiri'H ; the division uT iln^ iiilic into iiolilrand loiimion pnipl.- is iilitrioiisly pi-t'siTVi'd, iiol on.' id' the Ir.idilionai jirivi hires of the rornie, l)eiiiir ovfilooked ; the uiannraeiuri' ami tise (d the < erenioiii; 1 paraphernalia, nia^ks, rattles, head-drcsises, etc , jjroes (III jiist as if no siipeiinr i ivili/alimi had ever pre.>.i nled its ilaiins to their e^n.^ideratioii. and I know evn ol dead liodies which have lieen Iniriit within the last lew years hy aliorieines ol Tfinishian pareiilairc ' ' And n(»te that nnot to \ icioria, New Westminster aiid I'lmci Sound, while diir Carriers, as a rule, never wee niori' ol' it tli.iii wliai is oU'ercd in ill.' IIii.Im.h's l!av Cimpany's I'orts. When, some twcniy years a'.;o, oiir missionaries visited tlic latter with the rcsnlls above recited, they pushed their wa\ into the Kiiikson's (a Thinishian trilte) countiy. liut when these In.'iaiis learnt that to hecume ( 'hristia'is tln'v would have losacrilice all their superstitions h.di.d's and oi)servaiiccs, they turned a (leal' ear to the appeals of the preacher, wli(( returned willmut liaviim- hiiide a sinii'le proselyte. For fully seven years our mis- sionaries likewise resided and anliiou-U lultourcd amoiiLi' the Kwakwiutl, lull ahsolutely to no puri)Ose, so thai they had to leave them to their late. Tu-day all the CurrierN and ('hi[Koiriiii are K'omaii Catholic, while there is not a siiiule adherent to that I'aith among the Kitikson, Tsinishiaii, llaida, l{il(|ula and Kwakwiutl. Now I Would ask : " I'etween such receptive aiul pioe-re.ssivc Indians on thoonuhand, and .Huy Dr. Ueas liiiiiiii.'li lliis rt'MiarU : ''Tlicy liavc yivcn ii|i all llieir elii cusioiiis. < u;/,! llms, rihi-rinij t<, llnir 'fii'il unjiitir.ntiiiii." (."itii IJcport. pap 1 1.) A!i)r<'ry, an- nut the I'lasI, hat tlin iiiiaml Irilics, w Im .•tiatin^' the most imtalilo amnii'^' their own native nliserNances, such as dances, inedieino men, eonjarinv'. ell-., a leal whiih wniild iinw he utterly iinpossihle tnany aiiinher of Carriers. The. name nl'ihat trihe is sjielt (i> iksa'n liy l>r. 1". I'mas. I writ" it as it is prniiniinced hy the whitea and our Imlians, withniit any pretensinn at ini|iruvini; on the I >oclur'« orllio^raiihy, which I have no douht must he the correct one. CAKUIKH SOCIOLOGY. 117 |ni|mloUM, Nurrouixlcd hy roii^fiMiioiis jicoplfs, uml, tlu'rolbrt', iiiKrc likely \i< kf.p \\\oo\' Irom lort'iifii prariiccs 11 we look iiMo the xx'iiil system oIiIkisc liiiiic Irib's iiiiloiiilicd by iilicii iiilliii')iii>M, what do \v<- h(>«> ' I tlo iiol hcsitsiti' ii inaiin'iit to ailiriii thai :ill Mii'li iiiHtilulioiiN as ai'i' and Coast Indian*^, hy coiil ladistiintioii t'roin tho.st> iiphcM ^imoii^ all Indian^ as Ann rii-aii iihoiii^iui's, an* alisoluti'ly unkMovvn in tin main l)»»dy olthc I >('*n(> nation. Throiiirh tin- works ol Kcv. IC. I'l'lilot and tin- Ifttt-rs o| inission.irics stationed aniont; tin- I'aiHtiTU Donrs, as wdl as throuuh personal oltservatioii ainoiiir thf Si'kanais (or Tsi-'k''inn'), who, so,i(doL;i. mHv sp 'akinu', are ICastern Denes, I have •onie to the lonrhiisiiin that their Miial system dili'ers as niiirh I'roni that of our Curriers and ('hi|Koh'tin as Kiiropean '. ii'matie wooing- ieal m!!s> o|' ihe nation to whieh it bidoni,-', while to this d y dial same system is tenacious! v ilunj^ to by alien peoples coterminous with it, aihl with it was Ibrmerly, in a eommereial point of view, in the rolaMoiis (d' vassal to suzerain .' I am very mueh mistaken it there ean be two answers to tluit ciuestion. Yet, as some may not i'el satislied with arguments of such general nature. I shall now enter, as it were, into tho kerne! ol the subjiTt, and endeavour to eonlirm my thesis by more detailed remarks, and by pointing out the originators, or, at least unconscious propagators, ol the most prominent customs and institutions formerly in v(»gue among the Carriers and Chi|Kohiin. CAIMllKb' SOCIOLOGY KX'OTIC— PKOVKD 15Y FACTS. First, as to the tribal division into noble and common people. Iteyond the possibility of a doubt.it owes its existence to the intercourse (d' Ihe Carriers with the Tsirashiaii tribes, especially the Kitikson. Hefore I proceed further, I must be permitted a remark which I deem neces.'sary in this connection. When, speaking of our aborigines, I call their headmen nobles or notables. 1 should not be understood as referring to any social class dillerent from that whose ' I'etitot (Monr)^'ra|iliii> dcs id'iii-Dindjii , p. \xiii) speiitcs dl' ilm inii'ins :is liein^: t'liiniliiir lot Ik? Kiwtcni i'l'in'-s ; Imt lli('8(? arc inr^niiiil, not '/oifd/, tutcin.s, jimi fcverylioily lrt>( tliat tlieio is a very wi'l ■ ilillerciicc lielwc-i'ii llic lAVi). IVisoiiul tdti'iiiH lire rovmileil ia tiroaiiis li> iinliviiliial.s, iiiul us -iicli were txUn liiiown licre iiiilcpuiiilcntiy nl' uentul toteiiiM, wiili wliiiii they liuve iiotliiii'.' — su^i" the name — in eipinnmn. ■ I am well aware tliat anion'.: the I'la.-ilera i-.m. 'titermeiliale iK'in's it i.i not a rare oi'iiirrence to .see siicceasfui liiinters siiaro wilii other- tlie I'ruit of their exiRMlition, wiiieii would otiierwise .soon jrel spoiled, lint here, ajiain, I need not roinurk tliat siieii patriarulial repasts totally ditFer from the ceremonial han<[iieis formerly in vo^iie wtvat of tho Kofkies- ('(. " Tho Western Di'iu's," p. 147 et 80«i. 118 FATIIKR MOIMCK 0^f rci)re.'-ontiitiv<'s wiitfr.s on Coa.sl Iii.liaiis iiMmlly •■;ill "i liid's." To oasti'ii) i-ars thcM' two words ciiiinot lail to cvokf ideas Miiigfstivi' of di.'isiiniliir diiiuitics : and my reason lor avoiding: tlu' lattt-r is Hiat it is ini>lt'adiniif to most pi-opK- una((|Uaintrd witli wt-stcrn al)ori<>inal soiiolosry. I'ri'vious to the Carriers" ionla< t with wliite uitMi, a cliici' as lln- first ollii'cr, thv leader ol' a plaee. n ,"er had an existence here, and those investij^ators who aro conversant with the hin^aa<;es and haliits ol tlie maritime liulinns will hear nie out in my assumption that, there as liere. irenuine chiels were l»ut recently unknown, and, in many places, have remained so to this very ilay.' it sometiiues happens, indeed, that one notable will obtain more inlluence and beiome more prominent than his colleagues ; but, as I have said elsewhere,' he was never l>ut /.;/()/• inter /xiifs. To come now to tlie oriiiin of the notabl s as a s'xial class. I lind my best evidence of the derivation of that institution Irom Tsimshiaii sociology in the very ceremonies vvhiih accompanied the creation oi" such a dignitary. On that occasion, when attendant young men had exteiuled in a line the dressed skins they were going to distribute, one of them would exclaim, addifssintr the ass-mbly : " These he will give away as a fee for his enthronization, " upon which the whole crowd would bieak forth in loud acchtmations : " Snini(ilainly assiTtin<; it, seems, ImwuviT, te be aware of tliia pei'iillarity when lio .s.nys: " 'I'lie last |i.i. tlmrlii -^l fcniii a jrroiip liv tlii'iiisolvos, tlio ini'inliei.s of tlii' class liinniiin tlio liij:liest tiobililii." Iloralio Ilalc i.i more explicit in liis |ir('ratt)ry iiDti-s s tlinven tho Tso'kcnno tried to adopt tho potlaeli and its coiicomilants, but wore obliirod to desist, owinir to the prooarious lite thoy load. havin«? eonstantly to roam over iorosts and mountains in soar'h ol' I'ood, as there is no salmon stream in thoir country. This abortive attempt was witnessed ]>y my informant, an old and intoliitfont Tse'kenno who died last year, ami I <|U()te it as (orroburatinuf by suirirestion the Ihosis I am endeavourinji' to ostahlish. It should not be Ibriiotlen al.-o that siu-h Nah'ano as have no inton-ourse with tho Tliniiit tribes have remained in all soeii>lou hwo-t.ieh->n" that is, "stick, or post, of the village '"— which circumstance would seem to indicate that tho Tsimshian practice of erecting such monuments had already boon noticed by tho islandors. who wore, perhaps, unconsciously drilling towards its adoption, when thoy wore dissuaded from going further in their assimilating process by tho apparition of u now and more perfect civili/ation. As a rule, it should be said that such customs as wore i)orrowod by the Carriers had thoir lomplete expansion anu)ng tho orisiinators. Several details, it wcmld .scorn, had not had time to reach the interior of the country, or, for some other reason, had not as yet beeu accepted. Thus, for instance, on the occasion of potlaches, destruction or burnini>' of LToods was not practised by the Carrit'r.s, noreveiil)y the Hwotso'tin and the Habinos ; but tho women of the two latler sub-tribes had already conformed to the custom of wearing labrots, which is so prevalent all along tho North I'acilic coast, though it never obtained among tho Carriers proiH>r. So far as 1 am aware, the phrairies wore still unknown aiaonir them ; (he traditional origin of the licnles reccivt'd no dolinito explanation, and tho .sC'-et societies common to most maritime tribes had hardly passed beyond their lirst or |.V») tliat tlio wonls of tiioso soiitis wcri' t llu' CiuriiTs' .■riuinal laiiL-iia^io, wliicli cin'nm- stami> shows tlial. rclyiiii: npnn llio wonl.s of liidiiuis, oven wlicii ymi raniiot nli^^ullllt>^8tallll iIumii, will not always oiisiir«> lo yoii cxeiniitioii ffom (^rrors. ' Tlie Hwotso'tin siil)tril)e of tlio Caniors iiiiiiu'iliati-lv ljor well to explain its rais'in d'rire. As has been pointed out elsewhere,' the Carriers of the old stock, though great imitators, were but poor workmen. So they periodically repaired in large numbers to the principal village of the Mwot.so'tin — Tsechuh — where they met important parties of natives who had come up all the way from the sea-coast, Tsimshian, Ilaida, oxasionully Tlingit, desirous of trading with the inland tribes. Stone axes and other impl ments, denlalium and haliotis shells, copper ore and ornaments, wooden boxi^s made of cedar slabs, carvi'd icremonial paraphernalia, ouiachon oil, etc., were generally the objects brought in by the maritime Indians and bartered away for the Carriers' dressed skins, fur blankets and pelts generally. Naturally, fear-ting parading, spei'chifying aud story-telling were inseparable from such large gatherings, and thus our Indians could not help witnessing, and afterwards trying to imitate, the practices of people who boasted of such skill and broxight them such useful and precious goods. The legends narrated to them were, of course, reported with no lack of embellishments when back in their forest homes, and the source of such storiet: was soon forgotten. I never saw any such lairs, but my predecesi^or hert; witnessed one where fully two thousand Indians had congregated. Passing from the general organization of the Carriers, we come to the style of th(,'ir habitations, the constitution of their families and their mortuary i)ractices. I think no better points could be chosen as illustrative of their wonderful power of observation aud propensity for assimillition. The Denes, as a distinct nation, when socially unchanged by foreign inlluences, had, as may still be ob.served among some of their tri))es, for habitations huts of coniferous branches, or, more generally, frame tents, or lodges covered with moose or caribou skins. Let us hear on this subject the Rev. E. Petitot, who for twenty years laboured and extensively travelled among almost all the eastern tribes : " Peuple uoraade de chasseurs, de trappeurs et (.e pficheurs, les Deni'-Dindjie habitent sous des tentes de peaux d'elan ou de renne, garni(>s de poll on sans poll, loniquesoudemi- spheriques. * * ^ Ces loges ou 6(>«f,7/«jVV<',v eirculaires reposent sur des perches reunies en faisceauou sur des cerceaux plantes en terre. Fne ouverture menagee ausommet laisse t'chapper la fumee d'un feu qii'on y entreti'ut sans cesse. Certaines tribus plus apathiques ou plus endurries a la rigueur du climat se contentent de cahuttes en branches de sapin decorees pomi)eusement du litre de maisons proprement diti's." ■' Now, I suppose that every American sociologist is familiar with the large wooden lodges, with pole or log walls, gable and roof, accommodating several families common to the Tsimshian and Tlingit races. These he will lind likewise among the Carriers and such Nah'ane as have come into immediate contact with the Tlingit, while the Chi[Koh"tin adopted the " Kekule houses," niiz/,-haii, or semi-subterranean huts, described by Dr. IJoas and others.' as the distinctive style of dwellings of the Shushwap, the Chi[Koh'tin's ' Tlie Western IVik's, p. lS(i, '■'Monoj:ra|iliie des IVni'-Diiuljie (prelixed lotiuit iuitii(ir's piily;;l()t dii'tionary), p. xxv. 'Sixtli Keport on tlie No^tll-^\'(^'^torn Trilits of Civuiula, [>. sn ut soij. (^\J}RIER S()f"IOLO(JY. 121 eastern neighbours. The (jW«>at-honses (fse-z^l) ol" the latter were also of exaetly Shushwap pattern. As regards snceessiou to rank and property, lh«' heteroffeneons neighbours of the Chi[Koh'tin, the Bilqula, tlie Kwakwiutl and the .Southern Salisli tri))es are governed by father right. Now, it so happens that the present head chief of the ('hi[Koh'tin, AnaKeni, is tlie immediate snceessor in tlie chiiltainship of his father, who was also caHed Anaiiem. This would be utt-rly impossible among the Carriers, who have borrowed from the Tsimshian the matriarchate, which is unknown lo thi' bulk of the ]>ene nation, to whieh they belong. I trust that the most exaetiug sceptic may now roni'ess that the Denes are indeed a borrowing nation. And yet this is not all. Let us now investigate their national mode of disposing of their dead, and compare it with that obtaining among the Carriers and the ChilKoh'tin. Among the eastern and intermediate tribes (su.h as the T^e kcnne aiul the Rocky Mountains Nah'ane) it consisted simply— especially if travelling— in pulling down the l)rU6h hut on the remains and proceeding on their journey, or if stationed at any place, or even while travelling, if impelled by spe.'ial eonsideration for the decea.sed, by erecting for the remains a rough scalloldinii', v.'herein they were incased as in a kind of primitive coiPin constructed of slender poles or the limbs of trees. Then, as a rule, the birch-bark canoe of the dead person was left upside down by way of cover to this aerial grave. Let us hear Petitot on this point : " Dans les tribus Dene.-Dindjie ([ui out eonserve I'usage anti(|ue et general aux Peaux- Rouges, le.s morts sont deposes en ntchc, dans un coHVe tres urossier et a claire-voie, i'ait de petits troncs d'arbre eneoches et eleve de trois a .sept pi''ds au-dessusdn sol. Les vetements, les armes et les ustensiles du defunt sont ensevelis avci' lui on l)ien lanees an srre du couraut. Tons les objets ayant appartenu au (bMunt et qui ne peuvent etre caches aveclui sont sacrifies. On les brule, on les jette a I'eau, on bieii on les suspend dans les arl)res." ' Sometimes — as amonu' the Tsc'keMne, and even some eastern tribes, as appears from the same author's letters — -' the corpse was also hidden, in a standing position, in a tree hollowed out for the purpose. In hd case was it ever cremated. Now, what do we see among the Carriers and ChilKoh'tin ? When the former came in contact with the Tsimshian races they could not fail to notice that cremation was })ractised by them, and at the time of the discovery of their country all the subdivisions of their tribe burnt their dead and erected for the few renuiining bones mortuary columns identical with those in vogue among the Tsimshian. On the other hand, the Chi[Koh'tin, wlio are coterminous with the Shushwap, who bury their dead, at ouce adopted interment as the final disposal of them. To come to the object of Dr. IJoas's note quoted in a previous paragraph : The Tsimshian races may have remotely inlluenoHl, through the Carriers, the mourninn' customs of the Shushwap ; but I think it highly improbable, on account of the little intercourse the main body of these tribes had together, as will be easily explained by a glance at the ' Monojri'iipliie ties I)en<''-I>iii(ljii'', p. xxvi. -In Misnioiisdf III 'Jovijrojdliim ilin Ol.lah il M\irii luimnatli; , l'ari>',j)(ii'.-ii)n. Tliat custom— tliotigli reuiembered oveu here— iieverltieless uppearii to have obtained inoro isspuciuUy iu ancient timesi Sec. II., 189:'. 10. 122 FATHER MOIUCE ON map prefixed to this paper. I would rather be iucliuod to believe that, even in this respect, our Carriers have showu thoir faculty of self-appropriatiou, as may be iuferred from the following little iucidont of recent occurrence : In his report on the Shushwap Dr. Boas says ' that " wherever they find human bones they clean them and bury thom ; " and, a little further on, he speaks of the "report that the bones of the dead were washed regularly " by the Shushwap. Now, four years ago, the writer had the misfortune of losing one of his boatmen, who was of good social standing in his own tribe. He was drowned while attempting to "jump " the Fort George rapid, and his remains could not be found until some months ago, when a Fort George Indian discovered them lying on the beach of the Fraser Kiver. Next to identifying the remains, his first move was to carefully ivmh them.-' Might I not ;isk here : From whom did this young niau learn to treat thus the bones of his fellow-villager ? Certainly not from his ancestors, who practised cremation and left no bones to be washtnl alter tht^ funeriil ceremony was over. Not from his congenious neighbours, the Tsekeiine, who, as Petitot very appropriately remarks, "eprouvent la plus grande repugnance a manipuler les cadavres on les ossements des morts." ' Nor from the few whites with whom he had occasional intercourse, since that custom is equally foreign Ic, them. He — andindeed all the southern Carriers dwelling on the banks of the Fraser — must have borrowed that practice from the Shushwap, who, from time immemorial, interred their dead and — occasionally at least — washed their bones. CARRIEli MYTHOLOGY MOSTLY EXOTIC. But what about Carrier mythology ? I ii iist conless that it cannot be described as wholly imported. Tlie East has i'urnished its quota of legends as well as the "West, though in unequal proportion. Such myths as our aborigines possess as Denes are rather few compared with those which can be traced to western folk-lore. Of course, to present the reader with evidence fully corro])orative of this assertion would lead us too far. We would have to reproduce very long stories such as they are narrated here, together with their Tlingit, Tsimshian, Ilaida or Kwakwiutl versions. This may ue done when time and better opportunities than are at present available will allow. Just now, though, I am acquainted with a number of (carrier legends, I hardly possess the full text of any of their equivalents among the Coast Indians; yet, such general outlines of many and vague allusions to others as havecome lo my notice warrant me to state, as in the case of Carrier sociology, (hat any such myth as is unknown among the eastern Denes, but obtain among both the Carriers and their western neighbours, has been borrowed from the i.'^tter. The reason for this is obvious, and this is a natural corollary to what has been said about the Carrier social institutions. Among imported or extraneous myths, I will mention that concerning the state of ' Sixth Report, \\ ill. ^ SMio thmasM-.K as he said. That this is not iin isolated case is sliown by that Indian's remark in answer to words (expressive of my surprise at liis tal generally formed, split cedar, being wanting all over the Carriers' territory. Lastly, only a few of the subdivisions of the Carrier tribe are acquainted with this story, and these profess to have received it from 'Proceedings Can. Inst., October, 1880, pp. 1.5!t.l«0. -' Fiftli Iteport on the North- Western Tribes of ( 'antula, 188!>, pp. -17-48. ■' Loe. cit. ^ I liave not .-ecn Petitoi's latest collection of Dt'nu legends, Iml am well aciiiiainted with three oilier works or pafiers of identical nature by t.'iat author, which could not but include this iiuixirtnnt myth, if it had course among the Eastern D^ncs. 124 FATTTER MORTCR 0>f Tsechah, the villauc where the laiiiv iiitn-trihul lairs alreuly mi'iitioiicd wore hold. It iniirht also l»c iiotcd tliat 1 did ik.i sc.' Dr. iioas's account ol' it until long alter my own paper had heen |)iil)li.shed. While reviewing a paper pnhlished in l^erlin {/.ri/srhriff (> r JJ/luiohfrie, 18s><), by Dr. Boas, A. iS. Gatseh -i (|uol(S ' a 'Psimsliian myth, id'which 1 reyrel not having seen the text. Its title, •■ The At)andone(l ^lan," i.s suiiiivstix c to nie, because our Indians possess a tale for which no better heading could be devised. or course, in a <]uestion of con»i)arative mythology, perfect identity of narratives ought not tobe souiiht. Native iniagiuittion is bound to hav<' its play, and the peculiar psychological tendencies of the narrator or of the tribe to which he belongs will also generally inllueiu'e the structure aiul wording of a myth, and sonu'tinio.s even completely divert it from its original simplicity, Lo-al colourini;' should also be expected as a matter of course, .sii, e it is wdl known that Indian le^vuds relate happenings which are, as a rule, suppo.sed to have taken place in the narrator '.s country. However, the main drift of them makes generally their identity unmistakable. It .should also be added that several Carrier legends have the sea-coast for the scene of thi'ir heroes' adventures. It happens, also, not infieciu.Mitly, that a Tsimshian or Ilaida myth has been mixed up with, or added to, a purely Dene legend; bur, even in such a case, the resemblance between the original and the main points of the complex story is, as a rule, too great to escape detection. Take, for instance, the creation myth. Whc^ther th«> criMting power bo called ,g-.s7rts by the Carriers, Yrf/ by the Tlingit, A/-/.// .s7/«.s by the Ilaida, or K(uiea/,-ehili by the Kwakwiull, though its role is, in this connection, more restricted in the Carrier mythology, and, in spite of the unavoidable local colouring, it remains pe.'foc*ly clear that the hero of the various narratives is one aiul the same por.sonagv acting in a similar capacity. This national legend, whicli is common to all the Coast tribes, is unknown among thoTse'kenne and all such Denes as have had no tribal inttM'course with (he Tlincrit, Tsimshian or Kwakvviutl. Therefore, it could not hav(> originated among the inland tribes, as Dr. Dawson w^as inclined to suppose. According to Potitot, by some Iv.istorn Dene tribes, the creation of the universe was believed to have resulted from the Thunder Bird touching with its wing the open sea, from which the oartli is .said to have emerged, while, according to others, the creation was due to certain genii, servants of a Superior Being, who created all things by the spreading ol' a .sort of magic veil over the bare earth, - AVhat is said of the marvellous and somewhat burles(iue personage, Jistas, would fill a good-sized volunu\ It is, th(>refore, impracticahle to attempt here oven an abridged relation of his many adventures. Sufhce it to say that what I have road of his doubles among the Coast Indians is the exact counterpart of what is related of him here. Where his role has sulferod the greatest alteration is, I think, in connection with the creation, or rather distribution of light, lire and water. In the Carrier myth, it is only with regard to the last-named element that ^stas comes in for his share of the marvellous. As Dr. Dawson, in his essay on the llaida,' has reproduced from those aborigines that 'TJie Ainerii'iiii Aiitii|iiiiriaii, .Nov., issit, p. ;5',Mi. -' Monograpliie ile.s Di'iio l>iailjio, pji, xxiv, xxvi. 'Report on the tiueen Ciiarlotte Islands. Geol, 8nrv. Can., is:8-7ii. CAHRIER SOCTOLOay. 123 important portion of tht^ international lejrond, it ot-mrs to me that it may not \»o nmiss to jjivo, by way ol' coni-hision to this paper and as an intciitivi' to the comparison ol' the two theogonies. the version of it which obtains among our Carriers. CREATION MYTHS. Creation of Light. — A long time ago darkness reigned all over the earth, except in the lodge of an old man— a Aanezn, or noble, — who alone possessed light, lire and water. Therefore, men were very miserable and kept continually sighing alter light. Repeatedly they entreated the old man to share it with them, but he would not hearken to their prayers. Finally, they agreed to get possession of it by force. With this object in view they went, with all the animals, into the old man's lodge, and started a song to wrest Mght from him by dint of persisting in noise ' und singing. Each one of the crowd had his own particular song, and the young fox [Khaih-pa-lfo, "he cries for daylight,")- kept repeating in time Miuih, Aliaili, khaih, expecting to win thereby ipkhmh, or daylight. But the old man was inflexible. However, the assembly named light so often and so persistently that after awhile it began to slowly steal up the heavens, even as it now does every morning. The old man perceived it, and excitedly shouted: '' Lai/iil '. let there not be " ' Immediately the light receded below the edge of the sky. Yet the young fox would not tire of repeating /i-/u«7/, Munh, klini/i, and both men and animals vied with one another in turbulent singing, hoping thereby to weary the old man into granting them light. Again the horizon began to be illuminated by a growing light. It was already high up the heavens, when the old man, perceiving it, got confused in his mind, and, without taking time to redect, hurriedly exclaimed by mistake : " Ytiikhui ! let there be light !' Immediately there was light, and ever since men have retained pos.session of it. Creation of Eire.— Hitherto they had no lire, and all were benumbed with cold, except the same old man who had fire in his lodge which he jealously guarded. As he would not give them the least part of it, they resolved upon getting it by stealth. Therefore, they engaged the services of a yearling caribou and of a muskrat. Having made for the former a ceremonial head-dress of resinous pine shavings, which was attached to his growing horns, and presented the latter with a ceremonial apron consisting of a marmot skin, they entered the old man's lodge, singing.' The caribou and the muskrat commenced their dance, stationing themselves at opposite extremities of the iireplace, over which the old man was keeping close watch. The song of the muskrat consisted in the repetition of the word O! skVfe!' wherewith some of us still greet him. In the course of the dance, by jerking its head to the right and left as we used to do in dancing, the young caribou managed to ignite the inllammable material of which his ' It should not bo forgotten tliat Indians invariably awoinpany tbeir singing by strildng tlie tiinooii u driini or liettle, or a board. -]iy iilliision to bis matutinal barking. ■'I'or " pyuikhal.'" Ttio omission of the desinei 'o, wliicli contains the root for ligbt, is intended to express the old mans fear of even naming it. * These jjarticulars refer to a special ceremonial dance described in "The Western Dt'-nc's." I'roc. Can. In.st. 1889, pp. 1.^0, 1.51. '•• ITnintelligible to the Carriers — an additional evidence of the extranpousness of the myth. 126 FATHKK MOHIf'K 0\ ("AKUIKK SOCIOLOGY. h»>ad-dress was constrni-ted, hut tho old man immediately extinguished it with his hands. After a little while, amidst the singing of the whole assembly of men who aiiompanied the dauoe, the caribou again managed to ignite its head-dress to such an extent that the old man had much trouble in extinguishing it. Meanwhile, the wily muskrat, who had beforehand made all neeessary preparations by burrowing through the earth, and who was watching his opportunity, furtively took a piece of firi' while the old man's attention was taken up with the fruitless attempts of the caribou, and disappeared in the ground. A short time after somebody discerned a huge column of smoke rising from a mountain towering at the horizon. Soon smoke was followed by immense tongues of llames, and thus men knew that the muskrat had succeeded in getting for them the long-coveted lire. Creation of Water. — However, men had as yet no water, and they were thirsty. As they could not obtain any from the only old man who enjoy»'d its pos-.session, 5[stas, who was very cunning, resolved upon a trick to get it for them. This same old notable had a daughter, a virgin. Oae day, as she was bending to drink from the water barrel,' whidi was always kept in a corner of the lodge, she perceived a spruce frond floating therein. lu order to avoid swallowing which, she moved it aside ; but as often as she did so it returned to the same place on the water (xetting wearied of her unavailing attempts to avoid it, she swallowi^d it, .soon alter which she became pregnant. In the course of time she gave birth to a son, who was no other than the wily gstas, who had for the purpose trausfornied himself into a spruce frond. He had no sooner been born than he began to grow up at a prodigious rate. Hie great pastime was to amuse himself with the barrel containing the water, which he was constantly rolling in the di vction of the doorway. His mother would then carefully take il back to its original place in the lodge. When the boy commenced to walk he would even roll it out some little distance from the door ; but his mother as often put it back in its place. At last, having grown up to be a young man, he one day dashed away with it to diistribute its contents to his fellow-men. With his index linger ^stas sprinkled water where we now see rivers ; lakes and the sea resulted from his spilling out with his luind larger quantities of the litjuid ; and when he had v\'ell-nigh done with his distribution, he threw away, by a rapid movement of his arm, what remained in the barrel, thereby producing what we now call Neto p.»Nren,- which circumstance accounts for the great length of that lake. Thus it is that ^^stas gave us water. Should it be necessary to point out the extraneousness especially of this latter part of the myth and thereby of its hero, ^stas, I would just add that: 1. The mention therein of a wooden water box or jug (modernized into a barrel) can have originated only where such vessels were manufactured, and that was among the Coast Indians ; and, 2. The very reference to Neto poNron, or French Lake, is to me unmistakable evidence that the story came to the Carriers proper through the Hwotso'lin, theKitikson's immediate neighbours. That lake is one of the Hwotso'tin's favourite hunting resorts, and, among the other subdivisions of the tribe, there is not, I dare say, one out of Hfty Indians who ever as much as saw it, let alone obtained an exact idea of its dimensions. ' This word will, no doubt, sound as somewhat inmlern, but I (^an find nn fit substitute for it since the Indians insist that 5£8ta.s was in tlie luibit of rolling tiie vessel thereliy desitrnatod. It is called (hn-rh,'>iign} (etyniolo^ry : water-wood fo/' woo