﻿BOATS. 357 



The dress of the two sexes is much alike, the outer 

 shirt or jacket having a pointed skirt before and 

 behind, those of the females being merely a little 

 longer. The Kutchin also wear these pointed skirts, 

 but they have not been adopted by the Hare Indians 

 or any of the Chepewyan tribes, who in common 

 with the more southern Indians cut their shirts or 

 frocks evenly round at the top of the thigh. I 

 suspect that the long skirts of the Kutchin or Es- 

 kimos have given origin to the fabulous account of 

 men with tails, thought by the Kolushes of the 

 Pacific coast to inhabit the interior in the direction 

 of Mackenzie's' River. 



The Eskimo boots are also peculiar to the nation, 

 being made of seal-skin so closely sewed as to be 

 water-tight, and coming up to the hips like those 

 used by fishermen in our own land. The Chepewyans 

 and Crees manufacture no leather that resists water; 

 the deer-skin dressed by them like shammy absorbs 

 water like a sponge, and hardens and spoils in 

 drying. Neither have these Indians boots, but 

 merely shoes or mokassins, with soft tops that 

 wrap round the ankle, and are unconnected with 

 the leggins or trowsers. 



The Eskimos show much skill in the preparation 

 of whale, seal, and deer-skins, using the first for 

 thongs and lines employed in the capture of sea- 

 beasts, also as harness for dog- sledges, soles for 



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