DEPARTMENT OP ETHNOLOGY. 283 



by the most recent investigations io British Columbia, and the other 

 the location of the different tribes of the Koloshan and Baidan .stocks 

 about Dixon Entrance, which arm of the sea forms the natural 

 boundary between Alaska and British Columbia. In connection with 

 this latter chart it may be well to state that it outlines the hunting 

 and fishing grounds of the different tribes as far as obtainable by the 

 writer. The report itself does not deal with the linguistic character- 

 istics, the religious beliefs, or superstitions and traditions of the 

 Indians. Otherwise it aims at a somewhat systematic general ex 

 position of the habits, customs, arts, industries, and characters of the 

 Indians composing the Koloshan, Baidan and Tsimshian stocks and 

 in connection with the accompanying illustrations will serve as a de- 

 scriptive catalogue of the collection in the National Museum from this 

 region. In the selection of the material lor illustrations from the 

 Museum collections, characteristic specimens were formed into an 

 ethnographic collection illustrative of these Indian stocks, similar to 

 the Eskimo collection now so graphically arranged in the Museum. 

 General descriptive cards were written to temporarily explain the 

 significance of the collections until such time as the individual cards 

 may be prepared from the report. From the narrative of early voy- 

 ages the primitive customs and characteristics of these natives are 

 contrasted with those of the different periods in the past century. 

 Much new material is presented, notably the illustrations of ancient 

 wooden and leather armor, the preparation of tobacco, details of 

 house and canoe construction, several methods of hunting and fish- 

 ing, the significance of totemism, the steps in the development of the 

 arts of painting and carving and outline of their principal ceremonial 

 institutions. This report will undoubtedly form the basis of any 

 further ethnological research in that region, and the section will bean 

 object lesson to explain the report. 



Another scries of objects arranged for public inspection in the Museum 

 is designed to teach the history and elaboration of a single group of 

 industries, namely, those connected with the protection and manipula- 

 tion of tiie. Mr. Walter Hough, my assistant, has devoted much time 

 to this study, and has been able to gather the fire-making tools of 

 nearly all the tribes of our aborigines from the farthest north to Cape 

 Horn. By study and correspondence he has also found out the methods 

 of applying these, until he can, with the simplest savage device, himself 

 create lire. Collections have also been made of tinder-boxes, tinder- 

 wheels, strike-a lights, stick-matches or "spunks,"' early friction matches, 

 lighters, etc., and the series is now nearly complete for this country. 

 Mr. Hough has also devoted much time to the arrangement of the il- 

 lumination collection, with a view to tilling up the lacuna' and showing 

 the elaboration of lighting apparatus. While the collection and instal- 

 lation of ancient and foreign lamps has been attended to, special atten- 

 tion has been given to procuring the earlier forms in our own country 



