Indians of McKenzie River District. 193 



rality among its converts. Their Christianity is very impure, as 

 they have mixed up many of their superstitions with the ceremo- 

 nies of that Church. Fancy their sending letters to God, when 

 any one dies, using the coffin as the post office ! 



2nd. The Beaver Indians, whose dialect is farther removed from 

 the Chipewyans than that of any of the other branches, reside in 

 the country along both sides of Peace River, as far as the upper 

 waters of Hay River on one hand, and Lesser Slave Lake on the 

 other, from just below Fort Vermilion to the Rocky Mountains. 

 They are a bolder and braver race than the others, honest and hos- 

 pitable, indeed superior in most points to the Chipewyans, whom 

 they much resemble in features, customs, and moral character, as 

 well as in the treatment of the softer sex. Thev live as Nomades, 

 possess houses, and subsist principally on the products of the chase. 

 They are good workers in iron, and fabricate very neatly formed 

 spears and crooked knives from worn out files. 



3rd. To the northward and eastward of the Fond du Lac of 

 Athabasca, as far as to the north end of Great Slave Lake, Lake 

 Aylmer, and the east side of Yellow Knife, (Copper Mine) River, 

 dwell the Caribou Eaters or Yellow Knives, who are the same 

 tribe under two designations. They are a largo and stout race of 

 men, fairer and better featured than the Chipewyans, especially 

 the women, who are much prettier. This may arise from the su- 

 perior quantity and quality of their nutriment. Their language 

 is almost pure Chipewyan ; they bear the worst character of anv 

 of the cognate race. Their notions of morality, honesty and 

 veracity are very lax. Their location is in the low woods border- 

 ing on the barren grounds, at which latter they meet every 

 summer for the Reindeer hunt, this animal being their great sup- 

 port. On its flesh they subsist, its skin affords them clothing, 

 its sinews thread, and the raw hide when cut up into small lines 

 like cat-gut, is used by them sometimes as a substitute for twine 

 in the formation of nets. Though formerly at war with the Es- 

 quimaux residing at the outlet of Back's River, there is now no 

 hostile intercourse between them, and the Yellow Knives seldom 

 proceed further coastwise than the Head waters of the before 

 mentioned river. 



4th. Adjoining the Yellow Knives are the Dog Ribs, (Kloy 

 Dimish), whose lands extend from Yellow Knife River to the 

 southeast side of the Bear Lake, and to about midway between 

 Martin Lake and the McKenzie River. In the latter part they 

 Canad. Nat. 3 Vol. IV. No. 3. 



