﻿SUPPOSED DESCENT FROM A RAVEN. 405 



wards ; but the coast people wear also a waterproof 

 outer dress, made of whale-gut or otiier thin mem- 

 branous substance, which they have most probably 

 adopted from their Eskimo neighbours. The 

 dwellers of the interior do not use it, and indeed 

 have not the material. The Koltshanen construct 

 birch-bark canoes ; but on the coast skin boats or 

 baidars, like the Eskimo kaiyaks and umiaks, are 

 employed. Another opening has, however, been 

 added to the kai3^ak, which is therefore longer, and 

 carries two sitters. It Avould seem that the con- 

 stant commercial intercourse between the coast 

 tribes had led them to adopt whatever they thought 

 worthy of imitation from one another. 



The passion for glass beads extends from the 

 coast to the Mackenzie. The Atnaers bury their 

 accumulations of this treasure in the earth, and 

 leave the hoard to their children. In Cook's time 

 a large light-blue bead was in the greatest request. 



All the coast tribes now under consideration 

 claim descent from the Raven ; and it would 

 strengthen the opinion we entertain of their af- 

 finity with the Kutchin, if the same belief existed 

 among the latter. This, however, has not been ascer- 

 tained. The west coast Eskimo and tlie Chepewyan 

 tribes agree in tracing the origin of their respective 

 nations to the Dog. The Raven, say the Northern 

 Kolushes, Prometheus- like, stole the elements one 



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