OF THE POLAR SEA. 



155 



mercial struggle commenced, than to their recent sickness, mention- 

 ing in confirmation of his opinion that they could now, by the pro- 

 duce of little exertion, obtain whatever they demanded from either 

 establishment. 



At the opening of the water in spring, the Indians resort to the 

 establishments to settle their accounts with the traders, and to pro- 

 cure the necessaries they require for the summer. This meeting is 

 generally a scene of much riot and confusion, for the hunters receive 

 such quantities of spirits as to keep them in a state of intoxication 

 for several days. This spring, however, owing to the great deficiency 

 of spirits, we had the gratification of seeing them generally sober. 



They belong to the great family of the Chipewyan, or Northern, 



Indians, dialects of their language being spoken in the Peace, and 

 M'Kenzie's Rivers, and by the populous tribes in New Caledonia, 

 as ascertained by Sir Alexander M'Kenzie in his journey to the 

 Pacific. They style themselves generally Dinneh men, or Indians, 

 but each tribe, or horde, adds some distinctive epithet taken from 

 the name of the river, or lake, on which they hunt, or the district 

 from which they last migrated. Those who come to Fort Chipewyan 

 term themselves Saw-eessaw-dinneh, (Indians from the rising sun, or 



Eastern Indians,) their original hunting grounds being between the 



Athabasca, and Great Slave Lakes, and Churchill River. This dis- 

 trict, more particularly termed the Chipewyan lands, or barren 

 country, is frequented by numerous herds of rein-deer, which furnish 

 easy subsistence, and clothing to the Indians ; but the traders en- 

 deavour to keep them in the parts to the westward where the beavers 

 resort. There are about one hundred and sixty hunters who carry 

 their furs to the Great Slave Lake, forty to Hay River, and two hun- 

 dred and forty to fort Chipewyan. A few Northern Indians also resort 

 to the posts at the bottom of the Lake of the Hills, on Red Deer 

 Lake, and to Churchill. The distance, however, of the latter post 

 from their hunting grounds, and the sufferings to which they are 



x 2 



