30 ALASKA. 



The Yaiikutat tongue is spoken only by the people of Yah- 

 kiitat, or that belt of coast between Lituya Bay and Copper 

 Eiver; it is divided into two dialects, viz : 



The Yahl'utats, from Icy Bay to Cross Sound. 



The Oo(j((lenslic, from mouth of Copper lliver to Icy Bay. 



The Sitka, or KoLOsn tongue, is spoken by all the Indians 

 from Lituya Bay to Prince of Wales Island, the Stickeeu, and 

 without auy dialects, although there are eight or ten tribes, and 

 they are relatively numerous. 



The Kauegan, or Prince of Wales, is spoken on that 

 island and Queen Charlotte's, aud completes the list of lan- 

 guages in the Territory, as far as I can intelligently compile 

 and arrauge them. 



From the tables wbicli I give at the close of this chapter, the 

 relative population of these diiferent tribes can be recognized, 

 aud by them it will be seen that, save where the Aleutians and 

 Kodiakers are living, together with a number of Eussian half- 

 breeds or Creoles, there are no organized or fixed settlements 

 in the Territory; the Indians roaming at will in the mountains 

 and over the plains during the summer, fishing and berrying 

 l^rincipally, until the severity of approaching winter drives them 

 back to underground houses iu the north, and wooden huts and 

 large barracoons by the sea at the south, T\'here, reeking in filth, 

 four and five months are passed in perfect comfort to them, pro- 

 vided that they have food — passed in sloth and sleep, with the 

 exception of a small proportion of them who are marten, mink, 

 and fox trappers. These men frequently perform an astonishing 

 amount of labor, enduring incredible hardships, should they 

 happen to be ambitious, but this is a very rare quality. 



The two leading stations in the Territory, (excepting the Pry- 

 bilov Islands,) both with regard to trade and population, are the 

 villages of Ounalashka and Kodiak, each with an Aleut and 

 Creole i)oi)ulation of four hundred, more than double the num- 

 ber occupying any other settlement, save that of Belcovskie, 

 which has two hundred and forty-eight, with a seaotter trade 

 fully equal or superior to either Ounalashka or Kodiak. Then 

 following in order of trade and population, we have the villages 

 of Unga, of one hundred and sixty-two souls; Atka, of one 

 hundred and thirty-one souls ; Oomnak, of one hundred and 

 nineteen souls; then comes Sitka, with a population to-day, 

 principally Russian half-breeds, of one hundred and eighty-six,* 



* Not couutiug tbo troops, Govurniuent eiiiploy(5s, or Iiuliaus. 



