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1
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6
Third Report of the Committee, comdsting of Dr. E. B. Tylor,
Dr. Gr. M. Dawson, General Sir J. H. Lefhoy, Dr. Daniel
Wilson, Mr. E. G. Haliijurton, and Mr. Geoiu.e W. Bloxam
(Secretary), appointed for the purpose of investij/atinfj and
publishing reports on the physical characters, laiif/uaf/es, and
industrial and social condition of the North-western Tribes of
the Dominion of Canada.
The following ' Circular of Inquiry ' has been drawn up by the Com-
mittee for distribution amongst those most likely to be able to supply
information : —
At the meeting of the British Association at Montreal in 1884 the
subject of Canadian anthropology came frequently under public and
private discussion. The opinion was strongly expressed that an effort
should be made to record as perfectly as possii)le the characteristics and
condition of the native tribes of the Dominion befor their racial pecu-
liarities become less distinguishable through intermarriage and dispersion,
and before contact with civilised men has further obliterated the remains
of their original arts, customs, and beliefs.
Two considerations especially forced themselves on the attention of
anthropologists at Montreal : first, that the construction of the Canadian
Pacitic Railroad, traversing an enormous stretch of little known country
on both sides of the Rocky Mountains, has given ready access to a number
of native tribes whose languages and mode of life ofi'er a field of inquiry
as yet but imperfectly worked ; secondly, that in the United States, where
the anthropology of the indigenous tribes has for years past been treated
as a subject of national importance, not only have the scientific societies
been actively engaged in research into the past and present condition of
the native populations, but the Bureau of Ethnology, presided over by
the Hon. J. W. Powell (present at the Montreal meeting), is constituted
as a Government department, sending out qualified agents to reside among
the western tribes for purposes of philologrcal and anthropological study.
Through these public and private explorations a complete body of infor-
mation is being collected and published, while most extensive series of
specimens illustrative of native arts and habits arc preserved in the
n.useums of the United States, especially in the National Museum at
Washington. If these large undertakings be compared with what has
hitherto been done in Canada, it has to be admitted that the Dominion
174
REPORT— 1887.
Government, while thoy have taken some encouraging steps, as by the in-
stallation of an anthropological collection in the muHcum at Ottawa, have
shown no disposition to make the study of the native populations a branch
of the public service. Anthropologists have thus two courses before them
in Canada — namely, to press this task upon the Government and to carry
it forward themselves. Now it is obvious that agitation for public endow,
ment will not of itself sallico, as involving delay during which the material
to be collected would bo disiippearing more rapidly than ever. If, how-
ever, a determined attempt were at once made by aiithropologists, result-
ing in some measure of success, public opinion might probably move in
the same direction, and a larger scheme might, before long, receive not
only the support of Canadians interested in the science of man, but the
material help of the Dominion Government.
On these and other considerations the General Committee of the
British Association appointed Dr. E. B. Tylor, Dr. G. M. Dawson, General
Sir J. H. Lofroy, Dr. Daniel Wilson, Mr. Horatio Hale, Mr. R. G. Hali-
hurton, and Mr. George VV. Bloxam (Secretary) to bo a committee for
the purpose of investigating and publishing reports on the physical
characters, languages, industrial and social condition of the north-western
tribes of the Dominion of Canada, with a grant of 'oOl. This committee
the next year sent in a ' Preliminary Report on the Blackfoot Tribes,'
drawn up by Mr. Hale. Their action in other districts was, however,
much delayed by the difficulty of making plans by correspondence, and
the committee were reappointed at Birmingham in 188G, in the hope that
during the ensuing year Mr. Hale might be able personally to visit some
of the tribes.
It has now been arranged to collect information, as far as possible, over
the vast region between Lake Huron and the Pacific, the materials thus
obtained being edited and pi'esented in successive reports, as they shall
be from time to time received, by Mr. Hale, whose experience and skill
in such research are certified to by his volume embodying the ethno-
graphy of the Exploring Expedition under Captain Wilkes and by his
subsequent publications relating to Canada. As a means of obtaining
data, the present memorandum has been drawn up for circulation among
Government officers in contact with the native tribes, medical practi-
tioners, missionaries, colonists, and travellers-: likely to possess or obtain
trustworthy information. The I'esults gained from the answers will be
incorporated with those of a personal survey to be made in some of the
most promising districts by the Rev. E. F. Wilson, who has been named
on the recommendation of Mr. Hale, and will act under his directions.
Suggestions for Investigation.
Physical Characters. — Tables of anthropological measurements &c.
from Canada being extremely deficient, schedules drawn up by medical
men and other qualified anatomists and naturalists will be highly accept-
able. The following headings comprise the chief points on which infor-
mation is needed in this department : stature, girth, proportions of trunk
and limbs, cranial indices, facial angle, &c., brain capacity, peculiar bodily
forms and features, special attitudes and movements, muscular force, &c.,
colour of skin, eyes, and hair according to Broca's colour-tables, form and
growth of hair, skin odour. Statistics are required as to ago of maturity and
decline, periods of reproduction and lactation, longevity. Especial import
ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA.
\75
)y the in-
\va, have
a branch
ore thcni
to carry
c cndow-
I material
If, hovv-
s, result.
move in
ceive not
, but the
e of the
, General
G. Hali-
littee tor
physical
i-wostern
cm mi t tee
t Tribes,'
however,
ence, and
hope that
i^isit some
sible, over
rials thus
:hey shall
and skill
le ethno-
by his
obtaining
)n among
al practi-
or obtain
s will be
le of tlie
n named
ctions.
ance attaches to the examination of mixed races, especially crosses of North
American Indian with European and African, the resemblances and <liffer.
ences between the olTspring and the parent stocks, the number of generations
during which inherited race-charactcristics are distinguishable, and the
tendency to revert to one or other of the ancestral typos. Both as to
native tribes and cross-breeds pathological observations are of value, as
to |io\ver of bearing climate, liability to or freedom from j)articular
diseases, tendency to abnormalities, such as albinoism &c., and the here-
ditary nature of abnornud peculinrilics. Medical men have also better
opportunities than others of observing artificial deformations practised by
native tribes, especially by compression of the skull in infancy. Pacific
North America has been one of the regions of the world most remarkable
for this practice among the Flatheads (thence so named) and various other
peoples ; so that it may still be possible to gain further information on two
points not yet cleared up, viz. first, whether brain-power in .vfter-life is
really unaflV'cted by such monstrous ilattenii\g or tapering of the infant
skull ; and second, whether the motive of such distortion has been to
exiiggerate the natural forms of pai*tic"..lar admired tribes, or, if not,
what other causes have led to such ideas of beauty.
To those concerned in these inquiries it may bo mentioned that the
' Notes and Queries on Anthropology ' issued by the British Association
contains a series of Broca's colour-tables, together with descriptions of
the approved modes of bodily measurement itc'
Sennas (irnl Mental Characlers. — With the bodily characters of the
Canadian tribes may advantageously be combined observations as to their
powers of perception and ratiocination. The acutcness of sight, hearing,
and smell, for whicl; the wildei- races of man are justly famed, may be
easily tested, these being capabilities which rude hunters display readily
and with pride, so that they may even serve as an easy introduction to
other measni-ements and inqnii-ies which savages cannot see the reason of,
and reluctantly submit to. The observer's attention may be esp'^'iially
directed to settling the still open question, how far these sense-differences
are racial at all, and how ftir due to the training of a banter's life from
infancy. As to mental capacity, among the means of convenient trial are
to ascertain facility in counting, in drawing and recognising pictures and
maps, and in acquiring foreign languages. Evidence is much needed to
confirm or disprove the view commonly held that children of coloured
races (Indian, negro, &c.), while intelligent and apt to learn up to
adolescence, are then arrested in mental development, and fall behind the
whites. Few points in a'lthropology are more practically important than
this, which bears on the whole question of education and government of
the indigenes of America, living as they do side by side witli a larger
and more powerful population of European origin. No amount of pains
would be wasted in ascertaining how far mental differences between races
may be due to physical differences in brain-structure, how far the less
advanced races are lower in mind-power by reason of lower education and
circumstances, and how far the falling-ofi' at maturity in their offspring
brought up with whites (if it actually takes place) may be due to social
causes, especially the disheartening sense of inferiority.
Lcmgudge. — Introductory to the investigation of language proper are
' This work is now out of print, and a new edition is being prepared by a Com-
mittee of the British Association, appointed in 1886.
176
RRPORT — 1887.
certain inqnirios into natural direct means of expressing emotions and
thouijIitH. Preliminary to these are conditions of face and body wliicli
are symptoms of emotion, snch as blusliing, tremblinpf, sneering, pouting,
frowning, lauglitcr, and smiles ; there beingstill doubtful points as to how
far al races agree .n these symjjtoms, it is desirable to notice them care-
fully. They lead on to intentional gestures made to express ideas, as
when an Indian will smile or tremble in ordjr to convey the idea of
pleasure or fear either in himself or some one else, and such imitations
again lead on to the pretences of all kinds of actions, as fighting, eating,
&c., to indicate such i-eal actions, or the objects connected with them, as
when the imitation of the movement of riding signifies a horse, or the
pretence of smoking signifies a pipe. The best collections of gesture-
language have been made among the wild hunters of the American
prairies (see accounts in Tylor's ' Early History of Mankind,' and the
special treatise of Mallery, ' Sign-languagc among the North American
Inilians*). There is still a considerable use of gesture-language within
the Dominion of Canada as a means of intercourse between native tribes
ignorant of one another's language, and any observer who will learn
to master this interesting mode of communication, as used in the wild
districts of the Rocky Mountains, and will record the precise signs
and their order, may contribute important evidence to the study of
thought and language. Tiie observer must take care that he fully under-
stands the signs he sees, which through familiar use are often reduced to
the slightest indication ; for instance, a Sioux will indicate old age by
holding out his closed right hand, knuckles upward — a gesture which a
European would not understand till it was more fully shown to him that
the sign refers to the attitude of an old man leaning on a staff. The
sequence of the gesture-signs is as impoi'tant as the signs themselves, and
there is no better way of contributing to this subject than to get a skilled
sign-interpreter to tell in gestures one of his stories of travelling, hunt-
ing, or fighting, and carefully to write down the description of these
signs in order with their interpretations.
Coming now to the philological record -of native languages, it must be
noticed that small vocabularies &c., drawn up by travellers, are useful as
materials in more thorough work, but that the treatment of a language is
not complete till it has been reduced to a regular grammar and 'dictionary.
As to several Canadian languages this has been done, cspecii-Uy by the
learned missionaries Fathers Barraga, Lacombe, Cuoq, and Peiitot, who
have published excellent works on the Ojibway, Cree, Iroquois, and Atha-
pascan (Denedinjie) languages respectively; while Howse's Grammar is
a standard Algonkin authority, and it is hoped that the knowleoge of
Mr. McLean and others of the Blackfoot language may be embodied in
a special work. On the other hand, the study of languages west of
the Rocky Mountains is in a most imperfect state. Nothing proves
this better than the volume of ' Compamtive Vocabularies of the Indian
Tribes of British Columbia,' by VV Fraser Tolmie and George M.
Dawstm, published by the Geological and Natural History Survey of
Canada. These vocabularies of the Thlinkit, Tsliimsian, Haida, Kwakiool,
Kawitshin, Aht, Tshinook, and other languages are important contributions
to philoU gy, well worth the pains and cost of collectftig and printing ; but
the mere fact that it was desirable to publish these vocabularies of a few
pages shows the absence of the full gi'ammars and dictionaries which ought
to be found. This want is felt even in districts where there are white
ON THE NORTII-WESTKRN TRIBES OF CANADA.
177
missionai'ies asiiifif flu; native liiiii^iiiit^cs, ami native teaciliers aiHinaiiited
willi lOnglisli, so that the necessary pliilolotjfieul ni;iteriul actually exists,
and only the laljonr of \V)Mtiii<^ it down is required to |)i"eserv(> it IVom
dosti'uetion. A <:jeneral ett'ort, it" now made, would save the record of
several dialt>cts on the pnint of disappeaiMiuM!. It is siiLri^csted hy tho
Committee that inijniry should he inaih; for lists of words &c. hitherto
unpublished; that the terms and phrases possessed by intev|M'etors should
he taken down ; that sentences and nariMtivi-s should be copied with tho
utmost cai'o as to pi-onunciation and accent, and translated word by
word.
Particular attention is asked to two points in tho examination of these
liintijuages. Care is reipiired to separate from the f^eneral mass of words
such as bave a direct natui-al origin, such as intorjeetioTis expi'essing
emotion, and words imitating natural sounds, as, for instance, the names
of birds and beasts, derived from their notes or cries. It is desirable in
such words to notice how close the spoken word comes to the sound
imitated, for resemblances which are obvious from the lips of the native
speaker are apt to be less recognisable when reduced to writing. It is
also of interest to notice tho signiticance of names of places and persons,
which often contain interesting traces of tlie past history of families and
tribes.
An ethnographic map, based on language, and showing as nearly as
possible the precise areas occupied by the various tribes speaking distinct
idioms, is a desideratum, and, if ])roi)erly completed, Avill be an acquisi-
tion of the greatest value. Several part ial maps have heen published,
mostly of tho region west of the liocky Mountains. Among these may
be specially mentioned two maps by Mr. W. H. Dall, given in the first
volume of the ' Contributions to North American Ethnology,' published
by the United States Government — one of which i-elates to the tribes of
Alaska and tlie adjoining region, and the other to the tribes of Washing-
ton Territory and the country immediately north of it. These are con-
nected through British Columbia by the excellent map which accom-
panies the Comparat: e Vocabulai'ies of Drs. Tolmie and Dawson. A
small map, by Dr. Franz Boas, in ' Science ' for March 25, 1887, with
the accompanying report, adds some useful particulars concerning the
coast tribes of that province. "With the additions which different ob-
servers can supply for tlic various portions of the country, a complete
tribal and language map of the whole Dominion might soon be con.
structed. In forming such a map, it is desirable that the various lin-
guistic 'stocks,' or families of languag(\s, completely distinct in grammar
and vocabulary, should be distinguished by different colours. East of
the mountains the number of these stocks is small, but west of them it is
remarkably large. Besides showing the distinct stocks, the map should
also show the several allied languages which compo.se each stock. Thus,
of the widespread Algonkin family, there are in the territories west of
Lake Superior at least three languages, the Ojibway, the Cree, and tho
Blackfoot, all materially differing from one another. If, in the proposed
map, the Algonkin poi'tion should be coloured yellow, the subdivisions in
which these separate languages are spoken might bo marked off by
boundary lines (perhaps dotted lines) of another colour, say blue or red.
It would be proper to give the areas occupied by the different tribes
as they stood before the displacements caused by the whites Following
tho example set by Gallatin in his Synopsis, it will bo well to select
1887. N
178
iiiiroirr — 1887,
dint'i-cnl (liitos for (lin'oreiit jioriioiis of tlic map. Tho tnifldlc of tlio last
ei'iitui'y iiii^'lit 1)1! tiikcMi lor Ontario, (Quebec, and tlic Kiistcni .Pi-ovinct'S,
an(l the middle! of tho [)r('Sont century for tlio rest of tlic Dominion. If
each observer is careful to jfive the tribal aiul lin^juistic bimndaries in
his own district, as he can learn them fromtlu! best informed natives and
from other sources, the separate cunti'ibutions can bo combined into a
general map by the editor of the report.
Arls and Kiininlfiliji'. — The published information as to tlie weapons
and implements, clothin<f, houses, and boats, and tho rest of the numerous
appliances of native lift; on both sides of the Rocky A[ountain8 is not so
delicient as th(! knowled^'o rcs])ectin<^ other matters already mentioned ;
and their intelk'ctual state, as shown in such arts as the reckoning; of
time, the treatment of wounds, itc, is also to some extent known from
books of travel. Still every observant tiaveller finds something in savage
arts which has escaped formei- visitors, and there are a number of points
on which furl her impiiry is particularly invited. Though the practical use
of stone implements has almost or altogether ceased, there are still old
people who can show their ways of making them, and inquiry may prob-
ably show that stone arrow-heads, hatchets, itc, are still treasnred as
sacred objects, as is the case among tribes in California, wlio carry in
their ceremonial dances knives chipped out of flint and mounted in liandles
— relics of the Stone Age among their fathers. Notwithstanding the
general introduction of iron and steel tools l)y the whites, it is possible that
something may still be learnt as to the former use of native copper and of
meteoric ii'on (or iron supposed to be meteorio). With I'egard to native
wea[)ons, the spliced Tatar bow being usual in this part of America (having
probably come over from Asia), it is desirable to examine further the
modes of making and using it, the forms of arrows, &c. Any game-traps
on tho bow principle, if apparently of native origin, are worth describing,
as possibly bearing on the early history of the bow. The art of cooking
by water heated by dropping in red-hot stones having been characteristic
of the western region, any traces of this should bo noticed, while the
native vessels carved out of wood or clo.sely woven of fir root &c. are
still interesting. The native mode of twisting or sinnning thread or yai-n,
and tho manufacture of a kind of cloth, not woven but tied across like
that of New Zealand, require fuller description. Especial attention is
required to the ornamental patterns of the region, which are of notable
peculiarity and cleverness. To a considerable extent a study of them on
hats and blankets, coats and pipes, Ac, shows, in the first place, actual
representation of such uatui al objects as men or birds, or parts of them,
which have gradually lost their strictness and passed into mere ornamental
designs; but the whole of tl'is subject, so interesting to students of art,
requires far closer examination than it lias yet received, and especially
needs tho comparison of lai'ge series of native ornamented work.
Music and Aniitsemvnls. — The ceremonial dances, especially those in
which the performers wear masks and represent particular animals or
characters, deserve careful description, from the information to be gained
from them as to the mythology and religion embodied in them. The
chants accompanying the dances should be written down with musical
accuracy — a task requiring considerable skill, though the accompaniments
of rattle and hollowed wooden drum are of the simplest. Several of the
games played among the Indians before the coming of the Europeans are
of interest from their apparent connection with those of the Old World.
ON THE NOnTir-WESTERN TIIIBK.S OF CANADA.
170
tlic last
Dvincos,
ion. li"
iiricH ill
ives aiul
I into ii
weapons
uinoroUH
^ not; so
ritionod ;
Dninff of
wn from
n savai^o
jf points
•tical use
still old
lay prob-
isured as
carry in
II handles
iding the
sible that
er and of
to native
a (having
rtlior the
anie-traps
escribing,
f cooking
•acteristic
Iwhile the
&c. are
or yarn,
ross like
cntion is
notable
them on
^ce, actual
of them,
■namental
ts of art,
especially
those in
limals or
gained
3m. The
musical
laniments
bral of tlie
Ipeans arc
Id World.
This is the case with the ball-play, now known by the French name ' la
crosse,' which belonged to the Knropean game familiar to the French
colonists. It is wortli while to ascertain in any district where it is played
what I'oi'm ol bat was used, what wei'e the rules, and whether villages or
clans were usually matched against each other. The bowl-game, in which
lots such as buttons or ])C!icli-'<t(tncs blackened on o;ie side are thrown
U]), has its analogues in Asia ; tla; ridi'S of counting and scoring belont;-
iiig to any district should be carelully set down. It is in fact more dilli-
cult than at first sight appears to tlcscribu the rules of a gajne so as to
enable a novice to play it. Among other noticeable games are that of
guessing in which hand or lii'ap a small object is hidden, and the spear-
:uul-ring game of throwing at a rolling object.
Ciiiislltailnii of HiH-.'n'tij. — Highly valiuiblo information as to systems of
marriage and descent, with the aceompanj'ing sc^'cmes of kinship, and
rules for succession of olllces and property, has in time past been obtained
in Canada. Thus in 1724' Latitan ('^lojui'S di!S Sauvages Aracri(piains,'
vol. i. ]). 5r)'2) described among the Iroquois the remarkable system of
relationsliij) in which mothers' sisters are considered as mothers, and
fathers' brothei's as fathers, while the children of all these consider them-
selves as brothers anil sisters. This is the plan of kinship since shown by
Mr. Ii. H. Morgan to exist over fi large part of the globe, and named by
him the ' classiticatory system.' J. Long also in 17l>l gave from Canada
the first European mention of the Algonkin lotciu (more [iroperly ntviu),
which has become the accepted term for the animal or plant name of a
clan of real or assumed kindred who may not internuirry; for exam|)le,
the Wolf, Bear, and Turtle clans of the ^loliawks. These historical
details are mentioned in order to point out that the lines of inquiry thus
opened in Canada are far from being worked out. The great Algonkin
family ailbrds a remaikable example of a group of tribes related together
in language and race and divided by totems, but with this dilferencc,
that among the Delawares the totem passed on the mother's side, while
among the Ojibways it is inherited on the father's side. Some Jllaekfeet,
again, though by language allied to the same family, are not known to have
totems at all. To ascertain whether this state of things has come about
by some tribes having retained till now an ancient system of maternal
totems, which among other tribes pas.sed into paternal and among others
disappeared, or whether there is some other explanation, is an inquiry
which might throw much light on the early histo'-y of society, as bearing
on the ancient periods when female descent prevailed among the nations
of the Old World. It is likely that nmch more careful investigation of the
laws and customs, past and present, of these tribes would add to the scanty
information now available. On the Pacific side of the Rocky Mountains,
where the totem system and female descent are strongly represented, such
information is even scantier ; yet careful inquiry made before the passing
away of the present generation, who are the last depositories of such
traditional knowledge, would be sure to disclose valuable evidence. How
large a field for anthropological work here lies open may be shown by a
single fact. Among the characteristics of tribes, such as the Haidas of
Queen Chai^lotte's Island, has been the habit of setting up the so-called
' totem posts,' which in fact show conspicuously among their carved and
l)ainted figures the totems of families concerned, such as the bear, whale,
frog, &c. Such posts, which are remarkable as works of barbaric art,
arc often photographed, and Judge James G. Swan, of Port Townsend,
180
KEPOllT — 1887.
lias published, in vol. xxi. of tlui ' Smithsonian Contributions,' an Intorost-
ing study of them, as relating to episodes of niitivo mythology, in which
the aninuil-ancestors represented are principal figures. More investiga-
tion is required to work out this instructive subject, and with the ht-lp of
the older natives will doubtless well repay the not inconsiderable trouble;
it will C(ist.
Among the special points to bo h-oked to in the condition of tlio
Canadian tribes both at present and previously to civilised influ(>nco may
bo noticed the modes of marriage recognised — whether the husband enters
the wife's family or clan or vice verm ; what prohibited degrees and other
restrictions on marriage exist ; what is the division into families, clans,
and tribes ; and how far do totems or animal names answer this purpose ;
what are the regulations as to position of tirst or chief wife, household
life, separation or divorce ; how relationship is traced in the female and
male lin .'S ; rules of succession to chiefship and inheritance of property.
It is desirable to draw up tables of terms of relationship and airmity
in the native language according to the usual schedules, or by setting
dowii the relationships which a man and a woman may have for
three generations, upward and downward. In doing this it is desir-
able to avoid the and)iguous use of English terms, such as cousin,
uncle, and aunt, under which a number of dillerent kinds of relation,
ship arc confused, even brother and sister being used inexactly to express
whole brother anil jiaternal or matenial half-ln"other, &c. In fact,
tho published schedules of kinship are impci'fect in this respect. It
is desirable to interpret each term into its strict mciining, ex])res.sed by
father and mother, son and daughter, husband and wife ; for instance,
father's father's daughter, mother's son's wife, &c. This scheme of
relati(mship will often be found to constitute a classificatory system, as
mentii)ned above, and in respect of wliich it ^\ill be necessary to observe
the use of tho term of relatie -ship rathor than tho personal name as a
form of address, and tho distil -tion between elder and younger brothers,
sisters, and other kinsfolk. Customs of avoiding certain I'elatives, as
where the husband aflects not to recognise his wife's parents, are of
interest as social regulations,
Guveriunent and Law. — When it is noticed how the system of chief-
ship, councils, &c., among the Iroquois, on being carefully examined by
visitors who understood their language, proved to be most systematic and
elaborate, it becomes likely that the scanty details available as to groups
of West Canadian tribes might be vastly increased. Such old accounts
as Hearne has left us of the Tinneh or Athapascans (whom he calls
Northern Indians), and Carver of the Sioux, are admirable so far as they
go ; but in reading them it is disappointing to think how much more the
writers might have learnt had they thought it worth the trouble or that any
readers would care to know it. Even now, though old custom has so
much broken down, present and past details of savage political life may
be gained among the western tribes on both sides of the Rocky
Mountains.
The prominent points are the distinction between the temporary war-
chief and the more permanent peace-chief; the mode of succession or
election to these and lower offices ; the nature of the councils of old men
and warriors ; personal rights of men and women of different classes ;
the rules of war and peace ; the treatment of captives and slaves ; the
family jurisdiction, with especial reference to tho power possessed by tho
jiarts of
with tli(
Kueh as
belief b(
by the 1
train of
tain anc
made to
abode of
theory o
valence i
world, o
iiitrusior
wildly bj
of travel
disease-d
!is to the
more det
tives are
worship,
favour is
sacrifices
to their
ON THE NORTn-WnSTrnN TniTlK.S OF CANADA.
181
1,-itlior or head of tlie liousoliold and otliorH ; the law of vonpeanco and its
rest riot ions ; tho tribal jurisdiction in iiiutters, especially cnininal, eoncern-
iug the eomtuuiiity ; tlio hohlinj^ of hind and otlicr property by the tribe
or lamily ; personal property, and tho rnh's of its distribution and
inheritance; tho hiw of lios])itality. The observer will in such iiupiiries
liv(liiently come into contact with forms of primitive communism, not
only as to food, but as to articles of nse or wealth, such as guns and
blankets, which are of j^'reat int{>rest, as is tho custom of obtaining social
iMiik by a man's disli'ibutinLf his accumnlateil jiropcrty in ])r('sonts. All
tlicso matters, and far more, are, as a matter of ctmi'se, known with legal
accuracy to every grown-np Indian in any tribi? which is living by native
rale and custom. In tho rapid bi-eaking-up of native society it remains
for tho anthropologist at least to iiote the details down bi-Coro tliey are
forgotten.
lu'li(ji()n and MiKjir. — The difl'icnlty of getting at native ideas on these
matters is far greater than in the rules of publicr life just spoken ol. On
the one hand tho Indians are ashamed to avo,v l>"lief in notions despised
by tho white man, while on the othei- this beliet ; still so real that they
fear the vengeance of the spirits and the arts of their sorcerers. It is
I'diuuI a successful manner of reaching the tlieological stnUnm in the
savage mind not to ask uncalled-for quest! •' ;, but to sees religious rites
actually performed, and {\\vn to ascertain what tli( y uioan. Tho funeral
ceier • s afford such oppcjrtunities ; for inst;ui v , the burning of the
dead man with his property among Uoc-ky 2»IoniiLaiii tribes, and the practice
of cutting off a Bnger-joint as a, mou/ning rit", as eompaird with tho actual
sacrifice of slaves for the deceased, as well as the destruction of his goods
among the Pacific tribes. Here a whole series of questions is opened up —
whether the dead man is considered as still existing as a ghost and coming
to the living in dreams, of what use it can be to him to kill slaves or to cut
oil' (iiiger-joints, why his goods should bo burnt, and so on. In various
])arts of America it has long been known that funeral rites were connected
with the belief that not only men but animals and inanimate objects,
such as axes and kettles, had surviving shadows or spirits, the latter
belief being worked out most logically, and applied to funeral sacrifices,
by the Algonkins of the Great Lakes. It is probable that some similar
train of reasoning underlies the funeral ceremonies of the Rocky Moun-
tain and Columbian tribes, but the necessary inquiries have not been
made to ascertain this. More is known of the native ideas as to the
abode of the spirits of the departed, which is closely connected with the
theory of souls. There is also fairly good information as to the pre-
valence in this region of tho doctrine, only just dying out in tho civilised
world, of diseases being caused by possession by devils, that is, by the
intrusion of spirits into the patient's body, who convulse his limbs, speak
wildly by his voice, and otherwise pi'oduce his morbid symptoms. Books
of travel often describe the proceedings of tho sorcerer in exorcising these
disease-demons ; and what is wantco here is only more explicit information
as to the nature of sr.ch spirits as conceived in the Indian mind. Even
more deficient is information as to how far tl." ghosts of deceased rela-
tives are regarded as powerful spirits and propitiated in a kind of ancestor-
worship, and the world at large is regarded as pervaded by spirits whose
favour is to be secured by ceremonies, such as sacred dances, and by
sacrifices. The images so common on the Pacific side are well known as
to their material forms, but anthropologists Lave not the information
%
mmmmtmmmmi^m:^
182
REPORT — 1887.
required as to whether they are receptacles for spirits or deities, or merely
symbolical representations. The veneration for certain animals, and
prohibition to kill and eat tlieni, partly lias to do with direct animal-
worship, hut is mixed : ;) in a most [)('V[)li!xin^ way witli respect fur tlio
totem or tribe-animal. In fact, many travellers, as, for instance. Long tlio
interpreter, already mentioned, have confused the totem-animal with the
medicine-animal, which latter is revealed to the hunter in a dream, and
the skin or other part of which is afterwards carried about by him as a
means of gaining luck and escaping misfortune. Above these les.ser
spiritual beings greater deities are recognised by most tribes, whether
they are visible nature-deities, such as Hun and ^loon, Heaven and Earth,
or moT^e ideal beings, such as the First Ancestor, or Great Spirit. There
is still groat scope for improving and adding to . the information
already on record as to tlie reh'gious syst(!iiis of tin; tribes of tlio
Dominion, and hardly any better mode is available than the collection
of legends.
MijtiKiliiijy. — As is well known, most Indian tribes have a set of
ti'aditional stories in which are related the creation of the world, the
origin of mankind, the discovery of fire, some great catastrophe, especially
a great flood, and an infinity of other episodes. Such, for instance, are
the legends of Quawteaht, taken down l)v Sproat among the Aht.s, and
the Haida stories of the Raven published by Dawson. These stories,
written down in the native languages and translated by a skilled interpretei",
form valuable antbro])ological matei'ial. It is true that tiiey are tiresome
and, to the civilised mind, silly ; but they are specimens of native language
and thought, containing incidentally the best of information as to native
rehgion, law, and custom, and the very collecting of them gives
opportunities of asking questions which drav^ from the Indian story-
tellei', in the most natural way, ideas and beliefs which no inquisitorial
cross-questioning would induce him to disclose.
In studying the religion and mythology of the various ti'ibes, and
also their social constitution, their arts, theii* amusements, and their
mental and moral traits, it is important to observe not only how far
these characteristics differ in different tribes, but whether they vaiy
decidedly from one linguistic stock to another. Some observers have
been led to form the opinion that the people of each linguistic family
had originally their own mythology, diflering from all others. Thus the
deities of the Algonkins are said to be in general strikingly different
from tho.se of the Dakotas. Yet this oi'iginal unlikeness, it is found, has
been in part disguised by the habit of borrowing tenets, legends, and
ceremonies fi'oni one another. This is a question of much interest. It
is desirable to ascertain any facts which will show whether this original
diiTerence did or did not exist, and how far the custom of borrowing
religious rites, civil institutions, u.suful arts, fashions of dress, ornaments,
and pastimes extends. Thus the noted religious ceremony called the
' sun-dance ' prevails among the western Ojibways, Crees, and Dakotas,
but is unknown among the eastern tribes of the Algonkin and Dakota
stocks. It would seem, therefore, to be probably a rite borrowed by
them from some other tribe in the vicinity of those western tribes. The
Kootanies of British Columbia, immediately \vest of these tribes, are
said, on good authority, to have practised this rite before their recent
conversion by the Roman Catholic missionaries. If it is found, on
inquiry, to have prevailed universally among the Kootanies from time
ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA.
183
immemorial, the presumption would seem to be that this tribe was the
source from which the others borrowed it. Careful inquiry among tlio
nativ^es will frequently elicit informatioji on such points. Thus the
Iroquois have many dances which th(!y atVirm to bo peculiar to their own
pcoplp. 'I'hey have also a war-diincc which diiFers in its movements
entirely from the former. Tliis danc^e tliry declare that they borrowed
from the Dakotas, and the statement is confirmed by the name which
tliey <;'ive it — the Wasase, or Osayo dance.
Apart from the mytliological ley-ends, the efenuine historical traditions
of the different tribes should bo gathered witli care. In obtaining these
it must be borne in mind tliat, commonly, only a few Indians in each
tribe are well informed on this subject. Thes(3 Indians are usually chiefs
or councillors or I medicine men,' who are known for their intelligence,
and who are regarded by their tribesmen as the ree,()rd.ke(>{)ers of tho
community. They are well known in this capacity, and shoukl always
be consulted. Ordinary Indians are frequently found to know as little
al)out their tribid history as an untauglit English farm labourer or French
peasant commonly knows of the history of his own euiuitry. Tiiis fact
will account for the mistake made by some travellers who have reported
that the Indians have no historicjal traditions of any value. iMore careful
in([uiry has shown that the Iroquois, the Delawares, the Creeks, and
other tribes had distinct traditions, going back for several centuries.
These are often preserved in chants, of which the successive portions or
staves are sometimes recalled to mind by mnemonic aids, as among tho
Delawares (or Lenape) by jiainted sticks, and among tlie Iroquois by
strings of wampum. The Creeks and the Dakotas kept their recox'ds by
means of rude pictographs painted on buffalo skins. Such records
should be sought with care, and the chants should be taken down, if
possible, in the original, with literal translations and all tho explanations
which the natives can give. Colonel jMallery's memoir on ' Pictograplia
of the North American Indians,' in the Fourth Annual Report of tho
United States Bureau of Ethnology, and Dr. Brinton's volume on '• The
Lenape and their Legends,' might be referred to as aids in this inquiry.
It would be very desu-able that the music of these chants should bo taken
down by a competent musician.
Conclusion. — In this brief series of suggestions some published works
relating to the Canadian Indians have happened to be mentioned, but
many more have been left unnamed. These, however, are not left un-
noticed, but every available publication is now consulted fen" anthropological
purposes, and those who collect information in reply to tho ])resent
circular may feel assured that all evidence contributed by them will be
duly recognised in the study of savage and barbaric culture, which
furnishes data so important for the understanding of the higher civilised
life.
The Rev. E. F. Wilson has furnished tho Committee with the follow-
ing report of his proceedings : —
Report on the BUxchfoot Tribes. Bravn np by the Rev. Edwanl F. Wiisot,
and supplementary to that furnished in 1885 by Mr. Horatio llalc.
Before proceeding with my report I would like just to say, by way of
explanation, that 1 have been working nineteen years among the Ojibway
Indians of Ontario as a missionary, have two institutions for Indian
/
184
REPORT — 1887.
children at Sault Ste. Marie, and during tlie last three summers (since
the C. P. Railway was opened) have been visiting the Cree, Saulteaux,
Sioux, and other tribes in Manitoba and tlie North-West, in the hope of
inducing those Indiana to send some of their children to our institution.
Last summer six Sioux boys and six Ojibway ])oys from the north-west
came to us, and this suniniei- I have succeeded in bringing down two
young Blackfeet from their prairie home at the foot of the Rockies. Wc
have in our homes at present 52 Indian boys and 27 Indian girls. Mr.
Hale, hearing of my projected visit to the Blackfoet Indians, asked me to
act in his place in furnishing the following report ; and, as I am quite
unused to this sort of undertaking, I hope that any blunders I may make
in my style of writing or in the putting together of the material which
came into my hands will kindly be overlooked. I think I may vouch
for it that whatever I have offered in the following pages is the result
either of what I have seen with my own eyes or have gained from the lips
of reliable Indians r-r from missionaries living on the spot.
The Blackfoot Indians, as Mr. Hale mentioned in his report of 1885,
consist of three tribes, united in one confederacy, speaking the same
language, and numbering in all about 0,000 souls. The common name by
■which they call themselves is Sokitapi, the prairie people. Siksikaw,
Blackfeet, is a title given to the northern tribe by those living in the
south (i.e. the Bloods and Peigans) on account of the black earth, which
soils their feet ; where the Bloods and Pi'igaus live (50 miles or so to the
south) the land is gravelly or sandy, so that their feet are not made black.
The Bloods call themselves Kainaw (meaning unknown). The Peigans
call themselves Pekaniu (meaning unknown). By the white people they
ai'c ail called, in a careless way, Blackfeet.
bv
of
alku
the
clilf
near
ho f
Will
worn
niiui
olibv
apiw
the
Natu
rub
"Whence they Came.
Chief Crowfoot (Sapomakseka), the head chief of the whole confederacy,
with whom I had a long and interesting interview, was very positive in
assei'ting that his people lor generations past had always lived in the same
part of the country that they now inhabit. He entirely scouted the idea
that thej- had come from the East, even though I cautiously omitted any
reference to the theory that the Crees had driven them. ' I know,' he
said, ' the character of the soil in all parts of this country. The soil of
Manitoba I know is black, but that proves nothing, for this soil where we
are iiow living is black also, and hence our friends to the south call us
Blackfeet : our true name is " Sokitapi," the prairie people.' In answer
to further inquiries. Chief Crowfoot said that there were no people west
of the Rockies in any way related to them. His people crossed the
mountains sometimes to trade with the British Columbia Indians, but
their Iniguage was quite different, and they were entire strangers to them.
He informed me, however, that there were a people a long way to the
south in the United States who were related to them, and spoke the same
language as they did. One of his wives, he said, came from that tribe.
The woman was present in the teepee, and he pointed her out and ordered
her to tell me what she knew. I questioned and cross-questioned the
woman closely, the Rev. J. W. Sims, who has been four years among the
Blackfeet, and is well acquainted with their language, interpreting for
me. The information I drew from the old woman appeared to me most
iuteresting. She said it was a journey of about thirty days' distance, and,
ON THE NOnill-WESTET^N TRIBES OF CANADA.
18.5
;he idea
[ted any
low,' he
soil of
here we
call us
answer
)le west
ied the
ms, but
lo them,
to the
he same
it tribe.
)vdered
led the
ing the
ling for
e most
!e, and,
by putting together certain names wliich she mentioned and the character
of the country as she described i(, we found that tlie tribe to wliich slie
alluded lived in New Mexico or Arizona, and were in close contiguity to
the domains of the curious Moqui Indians, who build their houses on the
cliii tops. The name of the ti-ibe she said was ' Nitsipoie,' and they were
near to a people called Moqui-itapi (the Moqui people). It may possibly
be from this quarter that the Blackfcet derive their worship of the sun.
While travelling among them I saw very few ])eople, whether men or
women, who had not sufl'ered the loss of one or more fingers (some as
nuxiiy as four) cut off at the first joint, the severed member having been
(iff'oved to the sun. The second chief under Crowf(;ot is named Natusi-
apiw (old sun), and these people during my short visit (six days) did mo
the honour of adopting me into their nation and giving me the name
Natiisi-asamiu, which means 'the sun looks upon him.'
I thought it might further help to decide wlience these Blackfcet
originally came if I asked what other hostile tribes they had fought with.
Those are the names of the tribes: — The Kostenai, or River Indians ; the
Flatheads ; the Kouminctapi, or Blue Indians ; the ]\Iatuyokawai, or
griisshouse Indians; the Aksemini Awaksetcikin, or gum getters Csaid to
rub gum on the bottom of their feet instead of wearing moccasins) ; the
Apilksinamai, or flat bows; the Pitseksinaitai)i, or Snake Indians; the;
Pietapi, or strangers ; the Atokipiskaw, or long eai'ring Indians; the
Lstsitokitapi, or people in the centre ; the Awaksaawiyo, or gum eaten;.
All these they say either live or used to live in and about the Rocky
^Mountains. Their enemies have also been the Sioux, Crows, Ci'ces, and
Ncz Forces.
The fact that these people neither build boats nor canoes, nor eat fish,
seems to me another proof that they have not come from the Lake region
to the east.
Some op Tnv.\\: Traditions.
Chief ' Big Plume,' another minor chief in the Blackfoot camp, gave
me the following infoi'mation. I have put it down word for word as it
was interpreted to me : —
Ihnv Horses originated. — A long time ago there were no horses. There
were only dogs. They used only stone for their arrows. They were
fighting with people in the Rocky Mountains. Those people were Snake
Indians. They took a Blackfoot woman away south. Thei'e were a great
number of people down there, and they tied the woman's feet, and tied
her hands behind her, and a cord round her waist, and picketed her to a
stake near the big salt water. And they cried across the lake, ' See,
here is your wife ! ' Then they all retreated and left her. These big lake
people did not see her at all ; but the waters rose and covered her ; and
when the waters abated, there was no woman there, but there wei'C lots
of horses. The Snake Indians caught these horses, and that is how horses
began.
The Creation. — It had been long time night. Napi the Ancient said,
'Let it be day,' and it became day. Napi made the sun, and told it to
I travel from east to west. Every night it sinks into the earth, and it
comes out of the earth again the next morning. Napi is very old every
winter, but ho becomes young every spring. He has travelled all along
the Rocky Mountains, and there arc various marks on the mountains
[which remain as relics of his presence. Napi said, ' Wo will be two
186
REPORT — 1887.
people.' He took out the lower rib irom hia right side, anrl lie said, * It
shall be a woman,' and he let it go, and he looked on it, and he saw a
woman. He then took a rib from the left .side, and Raid, ' Let it be a hoy,'
and it was a boy. !Napi also made a number of men with earth. Napi
and the men went one way, the woman went another way. And the
woman made women of eai-tli in the same way as Napi had made men.
At !Morloy, oi)posite the Rev. John Macdougall's house, and down the
river, said Big Plume, there is a little stream ; they call it the men's
kraiil or enclosnre; on one side of the stream is a cut bank and big stones;
this was the men's boundary, beyond wliich they were not to pass. They
u.sed to hunt buffalo, and drive them over the cut bank ; they had plenty
of meat ; they had no need to follow the buffaloes ; they hid thom.selves
behind the big stones and uttered a low cry; this guided the buffalo to the
cut bank, and wlien they were over the bank they shot them with theit'
stone arrows and ate the meat.
One day Napi went out on a long journey. He got as far as High
River. There he saw lots of women together, with the woman made from
his rib, who acted as their chief. There were no men and no boys there.
Therf were a great number of teepees. Napi was alone. ' He told the
women, ' I have come from the men.' Tlie woman chief said to him, ' Go
home ; bring all your men ; stand them all on tlie top of this stone ridge ;
our women shall then go up one by one, and each take a man for a
husband.' When they were all up there, the chief woman went up first
and laid hold on Napi to take him, but Napi drew back ; the chief woman
had put on an old and torn blanket, and had rubbed all the paint off her
face, and had no oi-naments on her. Napi did not like her appearance,
and so he rejected her addresses. He did not know that she was the
chief woman. She then went back to the women, and, pointing to Napi,
said, ' Don't any of you take him.' She then dressed herself in her best,
and painted her face, and put on her ornaments, and went and chose
another man. All the women did the same. Thus all the men had wives,
and Napi was left standing ahme. The chief woman then cried aloud,
' Let him stand there alone like a pine tree.' Napi then began breaking
away the stony ridge with his heel, till there was only very little of it
left. The woman then shouted, ' Be a pine tree.' And the pine tree
stands there now alongside the big stones, and they still call it the
women's kraiil. Napi's flesh is in the pine tree, but his spirit still
wanders through the earth.
The boy made from Napi's left rib fell sick. The woman took a stone
and threw it in the water, and she said, ' If the stone swims tlie boy will
live,' but the stone sank and the boy died ; and so all people die now. If
the stone had floated, all people would have lived.
First Appearance of the White Mati. — The Sai-u (Sioux?) were the first
to see the white men. The Crees first brought the news to the Blackfeet.
That was the first time thev saw axes and knives and tobacco. The Crees
said they heard guns firing. The white men weie shooting buffaloes with
guns. The white men took them to their teef)ees, and showed them their
guns and knives. The white men came from the far east. They call
white men ' Napi-akun,' but cannot tell whether this has any reference to
Napi the Ancient.
Eclipae of the Sun. — T' ey say that the sun dies, .and that it indicates
that some great chief has either jiist died or is just going to die.
How their Arts originated. — Napi gave them the first specimens of
ON THE NORTir-WnSTERN TTIIBES OF CANADA.
187
said, ' Tt
he saw a
)e a boy,'
1. Napi
And tlu)
3 men.
3osvn tho
\\G men's
g stones ;
us. They
id plenty
lemsclves
alo to the
vith their
■ as High
lade from
oys there.
3 told the
him, ' Go
me indge ;
nan for a
ut up first
ief woman
nt off her
)pearance,
e was the
g to Napi,
1 her best,
and chose
lad wives,
•ied aloud,
1 breaking
ittle of it
line tree
all it the
3irit still
ok a stone
e boy will
now. If
['e the first
Blackfeet.
The Crees
aloes with
ihem their
They call
jference to
3 indicates
cimens of
,i
every article thoy use, and they make tho copies. They never try to
mnko MOW things, unless instructed to do so in a dream. Nevertheless,
fhcy make no dillicnlty aliout using things made by white people.
Ri'Liorox.
These people, notwithstanding that missionaries of the Roman
Catholic Churcli, the Church of England, and the Metliodist Com-
munions have been working among them for several years past, are .still,
nearly all of them, with scarcely an exception, hccathen. They seem to bo
more than any other north-western tribe opposed to adopting either the
customs or religion of the white man. Their own system of religion has
lioen already well ex[)lained by .Mr. Hale, but I may perhaps add a few
iidditional items of interest which I have gathered. The folK)wing is from
tilt' lips of 'Big Plume ' : —
'Young men go up on to a hill, and cry and pray for some animal or
bird to como to them. Before starting out they wash themselves all
over and put off all their clothing and ornaments except a blanket. For
live or six days they neither eat nor drink, and they become thin. They
take a pipe with them and tinder and Hint, and a native weed or bark for
smoking (not matches oi* tobacco). When the pipe is filled they point
the stem to the sun and say, " Pity me, that some animal or bird may
come to me ! " Then they address the tr-ees, the grass, the water, and tho
stones in the same manner. If anyone ci'osses their path while so
engaged, they call aloud to them to warn them off, saying, " I am living
alone. Do not come near ! " While in this state they dream, and what-
ever animal or bird they see in their dream becomes their medicine or
guardian through life. They are told also in a dream what description
of herbs or roots to gather as their medicine, and this they collect and
put carefully into a small bag to keep as a charm. They also kill the
animal that they dreamed of, and keep its skin as a charm. No one
knows what is the medicine they have gathered ; it is ke[)t a profound
secret. The little bag is kept in the tent, and no one may touch it but
the owner. Other Indians would be afraid to meddle with it. There is
no particular age for young men to engage in the above rites. They start
away in the evening — only in summer. Some go of their own accord,
others are bid to do so by their fathers or elder brothers. If they do not
go, any sickness that comes upon them will certainly be fatal, or if shot
by an enemy they will certanily die.'
1 a.,h.v_^i ' Big Flume ' what did ho think became of the soul after death ?
He replied that the souls of all Blackfeet Indians go to tlie sandhills north
of the cypress hills (this would be to the east of the Blackfeet country).
What proof had he of that ? I asked. ' At a distance,' said the chief, ' we
can see them hunting buffalo, and wo can hear them talking and praying
and inviting one another to their feasts. In the summer we often go
there, and we see tho trails of the spirits and the places where they have
been camping. I have been there my.self, and have seen them and heard
itiiera beating their drums. We Ccan see them in the distance, but when
,we get near to them they vanish. I cannot say whether or not they see
the Great Spirit. I believe they will live for ever. All the Blackfeet
believe this ; also the Sarcees, Stonies, Atsinas, and Crees. The Crees
jafter death will go to the sandhills farther north. There will still be
ifighting between the Crees and the Blackfeet in the spiritual world. Doga
If
188
REPORT — 1887.
and horses go to the sandhills too; also the spirits of the dead buffaloes.
Wo hand those traditions down to onr chiklrfn. We point out to our
children vai'ious places where .Napi slept, or walked, or hunted, and thus
our children's minds become impressed.'
From inquiries I have made I am able to corroborate all that Mr.
Hale has said in rejijard to the sun-dance and the amput.ition of their
fingers and offeriiio- them as a sacrifice to the sun. Both these customs,
on account of the cruelties accompanying them, are now discountenanced
by the Catiadian Government, and arc likely before long to fall into disuse.
J
I I
GoVEliNMKNT &C.
The head chief of the Blackfect is Sapomakscka (Crowfoot). Under
him are ' Old Sun,' chief of the Northern B lack feet ; ' Red Crow,' chief
of the Bloods ; ' North Axe,' chief of the Peigans. Over the southern
Blackfeet, Crowfoot is himself the chief. There are also three or four sub-
chiefs belonging to each trilx'. The position is not hereditary, but, it
would seem, is assumed by tlie man who possesses the most talent, tact,
and power in the tribe. At present the chiefs are paid a small annual
pittance by Govfrnraeiit, 5/. to each principal chief, and 3/. each to the
minor cliiefs. The ')ower of a chief is not defined ; he is in fact a czar,
possessing an absolute control over his camp. He has a number of young
men employed as soldiers to execute his commands. If the order is given
to move camp or to come to a sun-dance and any disobey, the soldiers go
round and violently strip the covering from the teepee, tear it to pieces,
scatter the contents to the winds, and sometimes kill the dogs.
Tomahawks are not nmch used by the Blackfeet Indians. Their
weapons are a bow and arrows, a war club, a scalping-knife, and, for
defence, a circular .skin shield ornamented with feathei'S. Many of them
have also guns or rifles. They will not fight openly, and are regarded by
other tribes as cowardly. Their tactics are to avoid the enemies' missiles
by jumping from side to side, and they have a hole in the shield through
which they look and try to deceive the enemy by putting the shield to one
side of their persons, as a mai'k to aim at, instead of in front. They
always scalp their foes when fallen.
I cannot discover that there are any clans or gentes existing among
the.se people, but they have various orders connected with their dances, and
those who belong to the order have to imitate the bird or animal whose
name they have adopted as their totem. Young unmarried men wear a
badge of beadwork and hair on each shoulder to show that they are
available for marriage.
Food.
The principal and almost only food of these people was formerly
buffalo meat. A man would eat on an average about eight lbs. a day.
White people who have lived on it say that there is something very appe-
tising about buffalo meat, and that it is no hardship to eat it alone without
bread or vegetables. It is very ditlei'ent, they say, to eating beef. The
Blackfeet Indians have never grown any corn, and never knew what bread
was until the white man came among them. When in camp it was
usually their practice to boil the meat, but when out on a hunting expedi-
tion, without any cooking utensils, they would put the flesh on spits
before a largo fire and roast it. It used to be a common practice to make
It
about
to rev
names
(Cree)
flavoui
(2) R
flag ro
hot tei
sharp i
i bind tl;
and sti
a flint
i surface
resortci
effectin
ON THE XOllTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA.
189
nffaloes.
t to our
md thus
;hat ^Ir.
of their
customs,
tenanced
o disuse.
Under
w,' chief
southern
^our snb-
V, but, it
ent, tact,
,11 annual
3h to the
ct a czar,
of young
f is given
)ldier8 go
to pieces,
ig among
|nces, and
lal whose
tn wear a
they are
youths who had not yet been on the warpath hold the meat while roast-
in", so as to harden them to endure suffering. The Indians never used
salt before the white man came, but are now veiy fond of it. They seem
to like strong-tasting food, iiiid sometimes make a mixture of strong black
toa, tobacco, and ' pain-killer,' which they drink with great relish. The
I^lackfeet seldom, if ovei', eat fish; I am told that they regard it as
unclean. They preserve berries by dryinp: tlieni in the sun. Principal
among these are the Saskatoon berry and the choke cheiTy. The latter
thoy pound up when newly picked, and spread it on sheets of parchment
to dry; then theiy powder it u[) and put it in skin bags. It is called by
white people ' choke cherry pemmican,' and is said to ho very {)alatable.
These people, in common with other nomad Indians, usually eat two meals
a day — breakfast and supper. The latter, however, is often prolonged to
an indetinite period ai'tei- a successful day's hunt. When they get up in
the morning the first thing they do is to wash. The lilaekfeet Indians
are very particular about this, oven in the ilepth of winter. For soap
they use ashes from the tire, and they usually rinse out their moutlis
tlioroughly with water. It is a common pinictico to take a deep draught
of cold water on first awakening in the morning. Directly after break-
fast the usual thing is either to move camp or to start on a hunting
expedition. The little fetish, or charm, shaped out of stone like some
animal or bird, and wrapped round with roots, herbs, clay, and beads, is
placed on end the night before, and in whichever direction it has fallen
that is the direction in which to look for the buffalo. The hunt occupies
the day, and in the evening, when work is over, they will eat a heavy
and long-continued meal. For the above information I am indebted
principally to the Rev. John Macdougall, of the Methodist Missionary
Society, who has for many years past been laboui'ing among these and
neigliboaring tribes of Indians. Now that the buffaloes are all gone, these
people would be forced to starve were it not for the Government i-ations
which they receive. Each individual receives one pound of good beef and
half a pound of flour per diem. The buffalo disappeared in lb?9-80. Before
that time they might be counted by thousands. Their sudden disap-
pearance has never yet been satisfactorily accounted for. None now
remain in Canada, and only very few are to be found in the United
States.
Medicine.
I had no opportunity of talking to the Blackfeet Indians themselves
about this, and had i done so they would probably have been unwilling
to reveal their secrets. I however gathered from ^Ir. j\Iacdougall the
names of some of their most frequently used medicines. (1) Minweij
(Cree), a vegetable; little short sticks; a strong, pleasant aromatic
flavour, like celery ; used for headache, catarrh ; also for smoking.
(2) Bear root ; tastes like liquorice ; used for colic. (3) Hat food ; a
flag root, with a sharp, pungent taste ; they grind it up and drink it like
hot tea ; used for various diseases. Bleediuij is done with a piece of
sharp flint fastened into a stick like a veterinary surgeon's fleam. They
bind the arm till the vein is swollen, put the edge of the flint on the vein,
and strike it with a stick. Capping is done by scarifying the part with
a flint or prickinr* it with needles and then drawing the blood to the
surface by sucking through a horn. Amputation of a limb is never
resorted to, but they will patch up a bad wound, and often succeed in
effecting a euro where an Euglibh surgeon would have amputated. These
190
UEPOUT — 1887.
tliinj^s arc not done by flic professional 'medicine mm,' Imt by any man ?
The ' medicine mei
1 I'esort
or woman in the camp who is chncr cnoui^di.
only to witchcraft in attempting their cures.
Dwi:f,T,iN(;s, Occltatioxs, At.
While sitting in 'Old Snn'.s ' teepee I mentally took its dimensions
and noted down its contents. It was iihout sixteen feet in diameter on
the iloor and about ei^'htcen feet \\'\<sh in the centi'e, foi-iiied by fifteen
poles, their feet on the line of the circle and their npper ends meeting in
a bunch at the top, the framework covered over with white tent canvas,
yellowed and browned with the smoke. In the centre was a circlet of
smooth stones, two and a half feet in diametei-, forming the fireplace, and
over the lire was a tin pot, suspended by three sticks— gipsy fashion.
Overhead hung some pieces of dried beef on a string. The interior of
the teepee, unlike those of the Crees and Sioux, was divided into four
partitions by sloping back-resters, called ' stopistiikiska,' and made i»l'
wickerwork ; their basis, about twenty inches wide, rested on the ground,
and their tops, which tapered to three or four inches in breadth, were
secured to the sloping poles which supported the tent about four feet from
the ground. The t jpee also had its sides lined with quilts and bhuiket.s
to a height of four f<>et from the ground, which gave it a warm, comfoit-
able appearance. Back in the angle made by the sloping sides of the
tent were packed away all the valuables which the family possessed —
blankets, packsaddles, guns, &c. — and on the front of these partitions,
towards the tire, a neat finish Avas made to each couch by a clean-shaved
pole lying on the ground. The teepee had no floor, only the grass of the
prairie, but the couches between the partitions were carpeted with skins
and blankets. All the feather ornaments, headdresses, shields, buckskin
dresses, &c., Avere neatly folded up and packed away in skin cases made
to contain them. There was an air of neatness and cleanliness about the
-whole arrangement. ' Old Sun ' exhibited to us some of his valuables.
There was a circular shield, twenty inches in diameter, made of skin
stretched over a Avooden frame and ornamented with red cloth and crim-
son-dyed feathei's. On the face of the shield was a rude picture of a
butFalo and some marks like this
which we were told represented
the buffalo trail. Wo were also shown a skin helmet, mounted at the top
with a buttalo horn studded with brass nails. The helmet Avas one massj
of Aveasel tails, hanging in every direction, and the point of the horaj
which pointed backwards and downAvards, had a tuft of crimson feathers]
There was also a very elaborate headgear for a horse to Avear Avhen gQiiii'i
to battle. One part of it covered the head like a mask, holes being left
for the eyes, and was fitted A\'ith a pair of horns ; the other part was a
sort of banner, to be suspended to the lower jaAV ; both parts were profusely"
decorated Avith red, yelloAV, and blue feathers. "VVe Avere told that such ?
headdress as this Avas, in Indian estimation, worth a couple of ponies.
These Blackfeet seem to live in teepees such as I have described in the
summer, but in the Avinter it is noAv their custom to dAvell in little lor
huts plastered over with mnd, Avhich they have learnt to construct, ii
imitation, it is thought, of the lumberer's shanty. It seems to me, how-
ever, after seeing models of the Moqui and Pueblo Indians' houses at tlii
Smithsonian lusLitute, that it is quite as likely that they had this stjL
ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA.
191
any man
u ' resort
imciisioiis
> meter on
by liftecii
Tieelin<^ in
nt c•allva^,
, circlet of
jplaee, and
^y lasliion.
interior of
[ into fonv
i made of
he ground,
;adth, were
ir feet from
1(1 blankets
a, comfort-
iides of the
possessed —
! partitions,
lean-shaved
grass of the •
. with skins
IS, buckskin
cases made
s about the
s valuables,
ade of skill
h and crini-
icturc of a
repi'escnted I
Id at the top
lis one niassp
)f the hornM
son feathers.||
when gQiiii^l
}s being left '
r part was a
ire profusely
that such :i
jponies.
u'ibed in tlie
I in little loc
Construct, ii
me, how— ^
louses at tin
Ld this st}l
of dwellinf^ previous to tlie coming of tlie wliito man. I enclose a sketch
(if both the exterior and interior of one of these mud lints. Tlio sides are
made of logs, plastered over with mud; the roof is ahnost flat, made of
poles, covered first with pi'airie grass and tlum eai-tli. There is always a
Hreplace, not built into the wall, but standing a little way from it. It is
just a long, mud, rudely constructed chimney, reacdiing from a foot above
the i-oof (lowu to the ground inside the hut, a. little widened at the base,
and an arched opening in front for the tire. Sometimes tin; hut has a
little square hole for a window, but more oft(.'n the oidy a[)erture is the
doorway. The floor is pai'tly covered with poles, tluifened on the upper
surface. A few sticks stuck into or between the logs serve ibr pegs. The
occupants of two or three teepees usually unite lor the winter, and occupy
one mud hut between them. The hut would not be moiu; than twelve by
eighteen leet in size.
Ci.OTiiiNt; AMI ()i:na.mi:.\t.-
A man's dress consists of a breech cloth ; a pair ol' leggings made of
coloured blanket or cloth, with a fringe of long loose strips down the outer
side of each leg ; a pair of buckskin moccasins ornanu;iited with beads ;
and over his shoulders a white, scarlet, or i)arti-coloured blanket. This
is liiH whole dress. He wears no hat. His blanket is wrapped round his
shoulders, or up around his head, or slippeu down to liis waist — according
to the temperature of the weather or the whim of the moment. His neck
is encircled by several necklaces, made of twisted brass wire, large bright-
coloured beads, bones of a deer's tail, the small bones of a deer's foot, or
the claws of a bear. He has earrings, made of brass, wire, beads, or
shell (brought from the I'aeific coast). Generally he wears a coil or so of
brazen rings on his fingers. Sometimes his wrists or arms are tattooed,
but not often. Usually his face is painted either with crimson or ochre.
He does not wear fi^athers in the head as a general thing. These are kept
rather for special occasions. His hair is allowed to grow long and is
l)laited ; usually a plait on eacdi side of the face, lianging vertically, and
one or two more plaits at the back; the hair is sometimes twisted into a
knot at the point known as tlie scalp-lock. A man has the greatest ob-
jection to his hair being cut short ; he wears it, it would seem, in defiance
of his enemies, and boasts that none shall cut it off while he is alive.
The dress of the woman resembles that (d' her Phiropean sister, but is very
roughly constructed and shorter in the skirt. She iuis no undergarments,
but wears leggings like the men and a blanket over her dress. Her neck,
arms, fingers, and eais are profusely ornamented with brass, bead, and
bone rings. Little children under four years of age sometimes have
nothing on but a little apology for a shirt, reaching barely to the waist,
but their little arms and necks ave loaded with ornaments and charms.
There is never any indecent exposure on the part of either sex. They are
always particularly careful about this. The women, however, make no
attempt to hide their breasts when suckling their infants.
The Blackfeet women do not use bo.ard cradles for their babes like the
Ojibways. Board cradles are seldom seen west of Lake Superior. The
Blackfeet babes are wrapped up warmly and laced into a bag, wdiich the
mother carries on her back.
A chief's dress sometimes has marked on it a record of his exploits.
I Chief Crowfoot bade us count the black lines on his buckskin rope — they
[amounted to 143 — and he said that he had been in 14;} litrhts.
i
192
nEi'ouT — 1887.
Mam'factdres.
Till! niacklci'l liuvo the name of l)('iii<^ a lazy peoph", and, boyoiul
niakin<f tlio oniamonls \vhi(rli adora thoir persons and tlio saddles for
their ponies, they (.'ertainiy do not seem to do nmeh in the way of raanu-
faeturi!. They make no hoats or canoos, no baskets, no articles of metal.
The most that tlmy atteiT\|»t to do in this lino is to fashion a few rado
wooden bowls and platters, and horn spoons, and plaited ropes.
HI
^Iarriagk.
The Ijlackfeet arc polyjrfvnious, some of the men having as many as
ten wives. Girls mature early, and becomt; wives as early as at twelve
years of age, and ai'o sometimes mothers at fourteen. The families average
five or six children. The women are strong, and undergo but little incon-
venience in biinging their children into the world. Mr. Macdougall has
, known a woman when travelling to go aside from the trail, and in little
.»morc than an hour to be on her pony again with an infant in her arras.
There is no marriage ceremony ; so many ponies or other presents are
given by the intending husband to the parents of the bride, and then he
takes her away.
Games and Amusements.
The Blaekfeot have no regular ball game. They sometimes engage in
feats of sti-ength, wrestling, and foot-racing, but their chief amusements
are horse-racing and gambling. Fo-; the latter of these they employ dice
of tlieir own construction — little cubes of wood, with signs instead of
numbers marked upon them — these they shake together in a wooden dish.
Holding some small article in the hand under a blanket, and rapidly
passing it from one hand to another, leaving the second party to guess in
which hand it is left, is another method. They have also a little wheel
made of metal, covered over with cloth, three or four inches in diameter,
which they roll towards two arrows stuck in the ground, and see towards
which it will fall the nearest. There is always heavy betting on a horse
race ; each chooses his favourite, and then they begin throwing down in
a heap the articles they wish to stake — blankets, guns, lines (representing
ponies), tents, &c. Those who win take the whole heap, and divide it
among themselves ; even their wives are sometimes gambled away in this
manner.
Burial of the Dead.
The Blackfeet never bury their dead below the surface of the soil ;
they think it a horrible practice to expose the body to the worms and
vermin that live in the ground. They either deposit the bodies on a hill-
top or place them in a tree. Perhaps, being sun- worshippers, their idea is
that the sun should still shine upon them after they are dead. When the
body is placed in a tree it is wrapped in blankets and put up on a rudely
constructed platform. "When deposited on a hill-top or cliff a rough
kind of box is made, three times the size of a coffin, and into it are put,
besides the body, all that belonged to the dead person — blankets, saddle,
gun, kettles, ajid everything ; it is then nailed down, dragged by a pony
on a travoio to the appointed spot, and there deposited. Sometimes a few
logs are piled round it to keep oflf the dogs and wild animals, but often
ON THE NOUTU-WESTERN TllIBES OF CANADA.
193
il, beyond
iddlos for
of rnanu-
of raetal.
few rado
es average
ttlo incon-
lougall lias
nd in little
I her arms,
resents are
nd then he
s engage in
.musements
imploy dice
) instead of
oodendish.
ind rapidly
to guess in
ittle wheel
Q diameter,
ee towards
on a horse
ng down in
presenting
I divide it
way in this
nothing is to bo seen but the rudely niiidc box and some kiiui oF a ling
flying above it. When a chief dies his favourite pony is brought aiul
killed at the door of iiis tent; his body is then laid out in his own teepee,
ol'toti in a sittiirg position, and all his possessions are spread around him;
tlie edges of the lent are wedged down and seenrcd with stones, then the
teepee is closed and left. Tl;is is called a ' death teepee.' Travellers
sometimes come across ii solitiry teepee with no signs of life around it,
and on looking ia are iHU'rilied to see a decomposing corpse. There is
greut grief when ii person dies. Tin- ])eoplo weep and howl over the dead
bodies of their fi'ionds. It is usual also for tlie friends to throw their
blankets and other vahiables into the coflin bei'ore it is closed. A mother
has l)L'en known to wrap her last remaining blanket around hei dead infant,
even in the middle of winter. !Mr. Tims told me of a father walking
several miles barefoot through the snow to bury his litile (Oiild, having
given his moccasins to the dead infant. The graves of the dead are
visited by the living; the people often come and hold a feast with the
departed spirits, setting aside portions of food for them. The Blackfeet
seem to have no dread of ghosts or spirits, and do not mind handling*
dead bodies. It is not an unusual thing for a ' death tcepeo' even to be
rifled by* those bent on plunder.
Physical DEVbiLOPMENT.
I i)icked out, as nearly as I could, an average lilackfoot Indian — his
name was Boy Chief, aged 44 or 45 — and measured him from head to foot,
the result being as follows : —
»
1. IToiglit from i^round to vertex
'>
3.
4.
11.
r,.
7.
12.
^^•
IG. Circumference oi' chest at armpit
„ „ mammiu
18. „ at haunches .
2(). Span — outstretched arms
27. „ thumb lo middle linger
28. Length of thumb . . . .
„ foot . . . .
Ii). Heijjiht- sitting on the ground
meatus auditorius
chin
top of sternum
elbow (bent) ....
umbilicus ....
fork
tip of linger (hanging vertically)
knee-cap joint ....
It.
r.
in.
II
■ >0. Head — greatest circumference (over glabella)
11. „ length of face, root of nose to chin .
152. „ arc meatus audit, over head to chin .
31. „ „ root of nose to inion
•Vii. „ „ over glabella ....
4 111
it
' H
O.'l
-H
>',
11*
2 Oi
8.'.
f) 11"
8i
2^
lOi
2 10
1 10',
U
1 o^
1 2
1 OA
The hair of the Indians is black, straight, somewhat fine, and abundant
[in quantity ; it grows to about 3 feet in length, and is put i in large
[plaits, one on each side of the face, and generally one or more at the
[back. There is no hair on the face ; if any grows it is very little. The
jfew stray hail s that appear are plucked out with small iron tweezers. The
Icolour of the skin, not exposed to the air, is No. 21 (two other persons
igreed with me on this point), and of the eye, No. 1 towards the centre,
ind No. 16 towards edge of iris.
1887.
I
194
REPORT — 1887.
Intklleciuai, Capacity.
Ah no children of this triho have, as yot, boon inducud to remain even
for a few consecutive wt-eks ut school, it is impossible to report at present
on tliis lieiid. I hiivc, however, sutnuieded in iiidiiciii;j^ two hoys to return
with me to our Slnnu'wauk Home (1, .")(>() miles distant IVotu their reserve),
and it will he very interestiiij^ to see in the course of a year what prou^ress
they make, in comparison with boys from other tribes. The Hliutkfeet
have all the appearance of \)v'u\fr nn intellij,'ent peophi ; mid I saw two
boys at the mission who wiu'o evidently hej^fnnini^ to understand intelli-
gently the useof tlie letters of the alphabet, for they had several times su<^-
gested to Mr. Tims alterations in his mode of sjiellin;^ Hlaekfoot words ;
one of them, I found, had in his possession a list of Hlackfoot and English
words, evidently trying to teach himself the English language. Like all
other Indian tribes, tliey learn very quickly to write a good hand, and
many of the children show a taste for drawing.
■■^;''f
Tin: liANQu.uji;.
I entirely endorse Mr. Halo's view that the Blaekfeet language is a
bi'anch of the Ahjuukiii stock, having a near affinity to that spoken by the
Ojibways and Crees ; the grammatical construction is almost precisely the
same, and a good many of the words are similar. Tlie Sioux language,
spoken by some 2,000 Indians in the North- West Territory, is an entirely
distinct language, both in structure and vocabulary, but the other lan-
guages south of the Saskatchewan Valley, viz. Cree, Hlackfoot, Saulteanx,
and Ojibway, are clearly all of one common stock. Eollosving are a few
words in the three principal tongues which bear some resemblance to one
another : —
Ojibway
Cree
Bhic'kfoot
Man
inini
iyiniw
nin'nau
woman
ikwo
is k wow
akew
name
ijiniki'isowin
ijiliiki'isowin
inikasim
my diiughter
nidiinis
niti'inis
nit ana
wood or
tree
iiiitik
luistik
rni.stis
I
iiistoa, -ni
iiiya, -111
nin, -ni
thou
kistoa, -ki
kiya, -ki
kin, -ki
yes
A
A
A
my leg
nikad
niskat
nokatsi
kettle
akik
nskik
iska
But it is : 1 the grammatical construction of the three languages that the
reserablai ;e is the most marked. I shall notice eleven points in order: —
1. Ti distinction behveen animate and inanimate plurals.
In Oj way animate nouns make their plurals in ff, iff, off ; inaniir.ato in an, un.
InCi
In Bl kfoot
o7{, ak
ax, i.r, ox ;
in esto, isto.
In all iree languages an animate noun must be followed by an animate
verb, and vice versa.
2. In all three languages a distinction is observed between iha first
person phiral exclusive and the first person plural inclusive. Thus : —
Ojibway Cree Blackfoot
Our house (excl.) niwigiwaminan niwaskahiganinan nokoanan
„ (incl.) kiwigiwilminan kiwaskahiganinau kokoanan
ON THE NOIU'U-WKSTliUN TUIllES Of CANADA.
105
n oven
present
retiirti
L'serve),
.sicWriH't
;ii\v two
I iiitDlH-
wortls> ;
Tiiko all
incl, and
I ago IS a
LMi by tlic
cisfly the
language,
n entirely
other liin-
iaulteanx,
are a fi^w
Id' to one
3. Distinct endiiKjH Ai ^xptrss the srcoml third person, aiul the third third
i™/N.i», in (I sfiitrnre.—'VhlH rule is peculiar to ()jil)\vay atul Cree, hut I
(•(Uild not ascertain vvhethor or not the Blackfoot observe the .same
distinction.
1, The ndjrctioc is ptiieed h'/itr*' thr iimni in these three hinguages. In
some other liidian languages, e.g. Sioux, it follows the noun.
.''). All (I'ljrctives (with the exception of adjcct'val piirticles nsetl only
ns prefixes) cun he Iruiis/nrincd, with but very little ulturation, inl:^ ini-
prrsonal verhs ; thus (Mlaekl'oot) ajsi, good; mjsin, it is good. This in
similar to Ojihwayand Cree.
l). Pi'rs'hiiil and, possess! rr prn)inniis. — The first and second persons,
siiit,'Hlar and plural, ns shown in Mr. Hale's report, have the sario first
svlliihle and nearly the same ])lnral endings in all three languages, viz.
1/;, I, ray ; Id, thou, thy. Plural endings — nan, we, our ; iva, waw, you,
[your.
7. The ohjcdive case of the pronoun is in all three languages embodied
|in the verb. Thu.s : —
())ii)way
kisa.yiin
kisiigi
kisiigiiiiiiii
uLsiigiiyonan
;s that the
order : —
linaH, un.
\esto, isto.
i,n animate
m the first
?hus : —
bkfoot
loanan
loanan
I love thee
llioa lo'.ost mc
tlioii lovest us
lie loves us
kisiikihitin
kisakiliin
kisakihinan
nisakihikonan
Blackt'ont
kiti'ikomimo
kitakoniiiuok
kitAkomimokipinan
nitakomiinokinau
8. The sinip^ at form (and often the root) of the verb is the singular
imperative. Thus : —
OJiliWiiy dec lUackfoot
Sleep thou nibun nipa oki'tt
give it to him mij miy kukit
9. The negative is doidde, as in the French language : — Ojibway,
caivin . , si ; Blackfoot, mat . . . at or ats. In Cree they have only the simple
Tord narndwiija or nawa before the verb. Thus : I do not love hinx.
)jibway, kawiii nisagiasi ; Cree, 7iaindwii/a nisakiheiu ; Blackfoot,
%i.mat-tahomim,axt,-ats.
10. Tliere is a disfinet form for the neijattvo imperative. Ojibway,
j5e;/o . . . hen ; Cree, ekaioiya or eJca ; Blackfoot, mini ov pirn. Thus : Do not
rive it. Ojibway, kego mina ken ; Cree, ekawiija miy ; Blackfoot, mini
lukit.
11. An interrogative particle is used in all three languages. Ojibway,
la ; Cree, tci ; Blackfoot, kat . . . pa. Thus : Are you happy ? Ojibway,
ywaivijeudam ina? Cree, h'miyaxvatam tci? Blackfoot, kikateagsitakipa?
There may very likely be other analogies between these three
mguages, but the above are as many as I have had time to inquire
ito.
There are two sounds in the language which arc difficult of pro-
nunciation, and students are undecided as to how best to write them,
(a) There is a sound between kr and ks. I suggest writing it kc,
lus : nikcista, my mother.
{(j) There is a sound between ch and ts. I suggest writing this tc,
lus : tcema t Where ?
In the following vocabulary the letters and sounds are pronounced as
bllows : a as in father, a as in bat, e as in they, i as in pique, % as in
|lck, as in note, u as oo in cool, ai as in aisle, aw as ow in cow,. \u as evo
few, j as 2 in azure, g like ch in the German.
02
lOG
EEPORT — 1887.
Vocabulary of Bhicl-foot words.
man
nin'nau
moon
kokuniikesamCniuht- 1
i
woman
akew
light J
boy
sag'komapi
star
kiikatosi 1
s
girl
aki'koan
day
kc'lstikui "
V
int'iuil
s'ilsiman
night
kokiiyi 1
y
my I'iUbLT
niii'iia
morning
kciskanatani 1
Kiy mother
nikcista
evening
ii'iakuyi 1
b
my luisi)aud
noma
spring
motiiye j
d
my wife
notokc'man
su tinner
nepuye
a
my son
noko-a
autuiim
luuki'iye
C'(
my tlauu'Iiter
nitan'na
winter
stuye
ti
my elder brother
ni-ls
wind
sopiiyi
tl
my younjier brotliei
niskan
thunder
kcistcikiim
al
ray elder sister
nin'sta
liglitning
aipopi'i'^
III
my younger sister
nitakim
rain
so'laiyi
w
Indian
niitci-lapiwa
snow
kim'skwii
fa
people
matiipiwa
lire
istci
lie
head
motokan
water
ogke
he
hair
mokoiekinsin
ice
kokutuyi
th
face
mostoksis
earth
kcakum ;
to-
forehead
moniis
sea
istciksipokogke ' :-
i ye;
ear
mogtokis
river
niyutagtai .j
to-
eye
moopspi
lake
omiiksikimi %
ye.'
nose
moksisis
valley
istelkiim /v^
no
mouth
mah'6i
prairie
sau-ke ^
oiu
tongue
miltsini
mountain
netum'mo -^
t\\'(
teetli
mogpekists
island
mini
1 tin-
beard
imoyowasin
stone
'okotoki :;
1 ^°"
neck
mukokin
salt
istciksipolvo ;J
live
arm
mots'imln
iron
mikskini M
six
hand
motels
forest
as'oaskwi -m
sev(
lingers
mokitslix
tree
niisteis M
eigl
thumb
omakokitsis
wood
mifitcis ■
nails
owotVmokitsix
leaf
suyopokist 1
body
mostom
bark
otokis 1
I
chest
mokikin
glass
matuyis M
belly
njokoan
pine
pagtogki 3
Mr.
fcmalf^ breast
un'nikis
ilesh
ikcisako f^otes, c
leg
nio'katsi
dog
"iiit'i ' iJreDort o
foot
moapisak
bullalo
enlvva f?^
L ^° *
plackfo
toes
bone
mokitsiix
ogkin
bear
wolf
kiaiyo fu
apisi tm
otatuye ^
heart
moskitsipap
fox
idance '
blood
liapan
deer
'owatiiye |^
been dei
town
ilkapioyis
elk
ponoka ^
of that r
chief
ninnau
beaver
kcist agki n|
n some
Fath
warrior
sooyiepitsi
rabbit
'atcista ra
my friend
nipla
liorse
ponokiimita H
house
napioyis
Hy
sosksisi Sj
Jest disf
skin lodge
moyis
snake
pitscksina W^
iraong t
kettle
iska
bird
plksi ^
icrupulo
bow
arrow
nama
apsi
egg
feather
owaw ^
mrim'in K|
'elations
axe
koksiiki
goose
'apspini H
'esponde
knife
istoan
duck
sa-ai ^H
'or sever
boat
iikiosatsis
lish
mam'ml Hi
nuch ab
moccasins
'atsikists
name
nimikajjini 9
•efore tli
pipe
tobacco
akwiniman
white
ksiksinam ■«
ised the
le adds
pista'kan
black
siksinaiD fl
sky
sun
ni\mot^k
red
maksinflni ■{
uatusi
blue
kiuuuuiudtiji S
Ide of th
nformati
ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA.
197
yellow
otokuinam
nine
plkso
greo-.
otskiiinani
ten
k^po
i)ig
small
omakiuii
eleven
kepu nilcikoputo
en;'d<imi
t welve
kepo niitcikuputo
strong
skuiiita]:)i
twenty
nsltcippo
old
niipi
thirty"
niippo
yuun;?, new
inani
ninety
piksippo
li-QOd
agsi
one hundred
keplppo
had
pakappi
one thousand
omfdcsi-kcpippo
.lead
(>nin
he cats
au-yi-u
alive
sAkiait;\pi
I eat
riit-au-yi
cold
stuyo
he drinks
i'lisimiu
this
'auui
I drink
nitaisinii
tiiat
"ouiak
he runs
aukski'isiu
all
konai
lie dances
aiaipiu
many
akaiin:
he sings
ninikiu
who
t.aka
he sleeps
ai-6kau
far otT
pit'tsl
he speaks
epi'iyiu
near
astotsini
he sees
Visapiu
here
anum
he sees him
nanuyewaie
there
omiui
he kills him
Initsiu-ai-e
to-day
anok kcistcikni
he loves hini
akomimiu-ai-e
yesterday
rni'itan'ni
he sits
itau[)iu
to-morrow
apinakwis
sit down
"apiit
yes
a
he stands
itaipnyiu
no
sa,
he goes
itappo
one
nitukskani
I go
nitai-itappo
two
nal okam
go
tappot,
three
niukiskani
he comes
puk. ipn
four
nisoyim
come
puksiput
live
nisiti'i
he walks
awawakau
six
n'awyi
he works
apotakiu
seven
ikitsikani
lie steals
ilikomosiu
eight
naniso
ita
In
Notes hy Mr. H. Hale on the Report of the Bev. E. F. Wilson.
Mr. Wilson having submitted to me bis valuable report, I add a few
I notes, comprising some facts whicL have come to my knowledge since my
: report of 1885 was preparod.
In that report I suggested that the non-Algonkin element of the
I Blackfoot language, as well as their peculiar' religious ceremony, the ' sun-
Pance ' (which is not found amcmg the eastern Algonkins), might have
oen derived from some tribe west of the Rocky Mountains. The natives
|Df that region who are nearest to the Blackfeet arc the Kootenais, a people
§u some respects of notewor'^l.y and superior character.
Father De Smet, in his Indian Sketches,' describes them as 'the
est disposed of all the mountain Indians.' They are highly esteemed
mong the traders for their good qualities, and particularly for their
crupulous honesty. With this people the Blackfeet have had close
elations, in peace and war, from time immemorial. My intelligent cor-
espondent, Mr. J. W. Schultz, an educated gentleman, who has resided
or several years among or near the American Blackfeet, and has written
uch about their usages and traditions, informs me that the Kootenais,
lefore their recent conversion by the Roman Catholic missionaries, prac-
iised the sun-dance. This he had learnt from Indians of that tribe.
c adds : ' In old times, liowever, the Kootenai? lived as much on this
de of the mountains as they did on the other.' This accords with other
formation which I have received to the same effect. As the Blackfeet
1^
198
REPORT — 1887.
DOW occupy the country which the Kootenai's formerly possessed, on the
east side of the mountains, it is clear that the Blackfcet must have ex.
pelled the Kootenais from that country, and very probably have con-
querod and absorbed some portion of the tribe. It is to this quarter,
tliereforo, that we should naturally look for the strange clement in tlio
Blackfoot lani^uao-e. We find, accordingly, that the word for 'sun,'
which in the Blackfoot language is totally ditferent from the coi'rcspond-
ing word in all other Algonkin tongues, bears an evident resemblance
to the Kootenai name of that luminary. In Blackfoot the word is vatos
or natusi\ in Kootenai it is nataniJc. The words ditfcr merely in their
terminations. There can hardly be a doubt that, when the Blackfeet
boi'rowed from tlicir former neighbours their most peculiar and remark.
able religious ceremony, they boiTOwed also the name of the sun-deity to
whose worship it was devoted.
Two of the legends given by Mr. Wilson deserve notice in this con.
nection. He was informed that the Snake Indians first had horses, and
that these came out of the 'big salt water ' which has tidis. This event
is combined with another — that of the carrying away of a Blackfoot
woman to the south by 'the snakes.' The snakes are the Shoshonees.
This widespread people, vrhose bands wandered over a vast region, from
California to Texas, were in former days among the most inveterate
enemies of the Blackfeet. To the tradition related by Mr. Wilson some
facts may be added from the statements of Mr. Schultz. He mentions
that horses were first known to the Blackfeet about the beginning of the
present century, and that ' they were stolen from the south.' Putting all
these circumstances together, we are warranted in concluding that tlii'
Blackfeet first obtained horses by capturing them from the Shoshonees
in a war which was kept in memory not only by this event, but also by
the fact that a Blackfoot woman was made prisoni r and carried off' bv
the enemy. From the prisoners whom they made in turn the Blackfeet
learnt that the strange animals which they had taken came from the
great salt water. Horses were probably first known to the Shoshonees in
California, where they wei'e introduced by the Spaniards in the latter part
of the last century. The Sho.shonees would learn from the Spaniards
that the horses had come originally across the ocean. This informatioD
passing from tribe to tribe over the continent reached the Blackfeet in
the shape of the myth which Mr. Wilson has obtained. What is chicflj
to be noted is that this niyth, which by its form might be thousands ot
years old, has yet unquestionably originated within less than a century.
This modern shaping of the Blackfoot mythological stories is alsc
apparent in the account of the making of the first woman and man fr( .1
the ribs of Napi. This portion of the creation myth, which does not
appear in the version furnished to me by Father Lacombe, is evidently s
novel feature, derived very recently from the missionary teachings.
We are now prepai'cd to find an event of not very ancient historj
involved, as may reasonably be conjectui'cd, in the remarkable traditioi
obtained by Mr. Wilson concerning the women who lived by themselv("
in a district adjoining the land of the Blackfeet, and who finally tooi
husbands from among the latter. This story holds apparently an impoit
ant place among the Blackfoot legends. A correspondent, who has pai
muc'h attention to such subjects — Mr. George Bird Grinnell, Ph.D., >
New York (editor of 'Forest and Stream ') — sends it to me as he learn:
it from his Blackfoot (Peigan) guide during a hunting tour in the Fn-
ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA.
199
ssaed, on the
list liave ex.
y have con-
f.his quarter,
3ment in tlio
rd for ' sun,'
correspond-
resemblaTico
,'ord is V edits
crely in their
he Blackfett
and remark.
sun- deity to
in this eon.
horses, and
This event
a Blackfoot
Shoshonees.
region, from
st inveterate
Wilson some
He mentions
tilling of tlip
Putting fill
ing that the
i Shoshoncos
but also bv
iirried off bv
he Blackfed
ttie from tlie
ihoshonees in
he latter part
le Spaniards
5 inforniatioD
Black feet in
lat is chieflj
thousands ot
a century,
ories is alsc
nd man fn .
ich does luv
s evidently ;
hiugs.
cient histor;
ble traditio:
y themselve
finally too:
y an import
vho has p;ii
11, Ph.D.,^
as he leati
!• in the Fi
i
West two years ago. In this form the story does not appear to have
anvthing directly To do with the creation. It becomes one of the many
talcs in which the ' Old Man ' (Napi) is represented as playing the fool,
and as tricked by other powers or by mortals. In reference to his name,
which Mr. Wilson and others write Napi, and Father Lacombe Napiit;
and which ]5Ir. Griunell renders ' Old Man,' it may be mentioned that
Ka-'>i is an adjective, signifying ' old.' Used as a name, it might be I'on-
dert'd ' 'J'lie Old One' (iu French, Li' Vli'n.r ; in German, Lcr Alte).
]\[iil)lii: is a verbal form, used also as a name, and signifying, pi-operly,
' ih" who is old.' The following is the legend as told to Mr. Grinnell : —
' As Oid Mail was going along he came to a big lodge, which was the
woman's home. He went in. Tiie women .said to him, " Do you think
that you have men for husbands for ub ? " He said, "Who is chief
here?" A woman replied, "That woman behind is chief." Ho said to
the chief woman, " To-morrow let those women come to the valley. A
Pi'igau will be there, finely dressed, with leggings trimmed with weasel-
skin ; very handsome is his wearing apparel." The chief woman replied,
" Lot the others wait. I am first chief woman ; I will be the first to take
a husband." Now Old ]Man Avanted very much to have the chief woman
for his wife although she did not look nicely. She had been making
dried meat, and her hands and arms and clothing were covered with
blood and grease. The next day the chief woman came to the valley,
and there she found many men. In the midst of them was Old iMan,
splendidly dressed, with weas(d-skin leggings. As soon as she saw him
tlie chief woman recognised Old Man ; so she let them all go, and went
back to the women. To them she said, " You can take any of these men
except the finely drcs.sed man who stands in the middle. Do not take
him, for he is mine." Then she put on her best apparel, and went to the
valley. The women went to look for husbands. Old Man [who wished
to be chosen by the chief woman] stayed far behind [so that he should not
be taken by any of the others]. All the women chose husbands, and took
all the men to their lodges. One man was still left unchosen — it was Old
^lan, The chief woman said, " Old Man thought I was a fool. Now we
will make a buffalo piskan [enclosure], and I will change him into a pine
log, and we will use him for a part of the fence. So Old Man is the fool,
and not the woman." '
As we know the legend of the origin of horses had a recent historical
foundation, so we may also conclude that this story of the women and
their choice of husbands, coupled with the rejection of Napi, had its
origin in some actual occurrence of perhaps no very remote date. We
know, from other noted traditions — such as the ' Rape of the Sabines '
and the capture of wives for the children of Benjamin — how such mar-
riage ^ by wholesale, as they might be styled, are likely to take place. If
there ever was a camp of Indian women with whom no men were found,
we may be tolerably sure that they were the survivors of a war in which
all the fighting men of their tribe had been slain. The band of Kootenais,
who formerly dwelt east of the Rocky Mountains, was certainly not dis-
lodged by their Blackfeet enemies without a desperate war, in which, as
a natural and almost inevitable result, the men would be killed — perhaps
in a fight at a distance from their homes — and the women, who were left
at home, would be afterwards made prisoners, and would become the
wives of the conquerors. Such events are of common occurrence in Indian
history. The liberty given to the captive women, when once received as
,
200
REPORT — 1887.
members of the Blackfoot nation, of choosing their own Imsbands would
be entirely in accordance with Indian sentiments and habits. That thpsi>
women should despise and reject Napi, the ])ecaliar and rather vidicnlous
divinity of the Algonkins, and should introduce the worsiii-^ of their own
glorious sun-god, is intelligible enough. Thus we can see )u)w a tradition
as improbable on its face as the coming of liorses out of the salt water
may represent an actual event which has deeply affected the language,
i-eligion, and character of the Blackfoot nation. A similar occurrence,
described in ^Midler's ' Grundriss der Sprachvvissenschaf t,' had a stdl more
remarkable consequence. The Caribs (Galibis) of the South American
mainland, having con([uered the Arowaks, who inhabited the neighbour-
ing islands, put the men to death and took the women for wives. The
women, with true Indian ii\depeudence, retained their own langiuigo
among themselves, and taught it, as well as the language of their hus-
bands, to their children. The result was that i wo languages were sub.>-;e-
quently spoken in the tribe — the Galibi among the men, and the Arowak
(mixed, however, with some Carib elements) among the women. If the
conquest had taken place a few generations earlier the two languages
would doubtless have been by this time fused into one — a Carib speech,
with many Arowak elements — and the origin of the mixed race would
have become a story of the Carib mythology.
I may venture to add that Mr, Wilson's carefulness in preserving these
native stories — however trivial they might at fir.st seem — precisely as they
were received by him deserves particular acknowledgment.
The Committee ask for reappointment, with a renewal of the grant.
I
f
'^
•'iffi iiBiwmii i ijMiwiii i MBm i
nds would
That those
vidiculons
' their own
a ti'adition
salt water
]ano'iia<;e,
iccarronce,
i ncill more
American
leighbour-
Ivoa. The
langnago
their hns-
,'erc subse-
le Arowak
n. If the
languages
I'ib speech,
\ace would
'ving these
ely as tliey
; I
u^ grant.