﻿THE YUKON RIVER TRIBES. 397 



clouted hair shaking in the wind, gave them a 

 wild and savage aspect. They were armed with 

 pikes of their own manufacture, also with similar 

 weapons, mounted with sheet-iron, procured from 

 the Eussians. On the dance ceasing, Mr. Murray 

 presented the brother of the deceased chief with 

 twelve inches of tobacco to smoke over the grave, 

 which produced a favourable impression, and called 

 forth the remark that noio he could consider the 

 white people as his friends. These Indians after- 

 wards became troublesome, asked for goods on 

 credit, and on being denied threw out some signi- 

 ficant innuendos, saying, among other things, that 

 the Russians had used them so at first, but had 

 become more civil since they had cut off one of 

 their outposts. At the great dance in the evening, 

 the deceased chief's brother did not join the circle, 

 but retired to a corner, and made piteous lament- 

 ations. 



Mr. Murray, from information collected from the 

 natives, estimates the population of the banks of the 

 Yukon at about one thousand men and boys able 

 to hunt. They are distributed as follows. Between 

 the upper branches of the river and the coast of 

 the Pacific, on or near the 6 2d parallel, reside the 

 Artez-kutcM, or " tough and hard people," number- 

 ing 100 men. The Tchii-kutcMy "people of the 

 water," of about the same numbers, inhabit the 



