Section II, 1891. [ 3 ] Trans. Koy. Soc. Canada. 



I. — Notes on the Shusioap People of British Columbia. 

 By G-EORGE M. Dawson, LL.D., F.R.S., Assistant Director Geological Survey of Canada. 



(Read May 27, 1891.) 



The notes and observations here presented have been made at different times by 

 the writer, while engaged in geological work in the southern inland portion of British 

 Columbia, during the years 1877, 1888, 1889 and 1890. The work in hand did not 

 admit of any special or systematic study of the Indians, but almost constant association 

 with these people naturally afforded numerous opportunities of accjuiriug information 

 respecting them, and the circumstances were such as to favour especially the accumula- 

 tion of local notes and the identification of places. The information thus gathered, is 

 here presented explicitly and for the most part withoiit comment or attempt at explana- 

 tion or correlation. The writer ventures to hope that this record of observations may be 

 accepted as a useful contribution to the knowledge of the ethnology of the region, and as 

 one which may be of service in future investigations, though in itself possessed of no high 

 scientific value. 



It will be understood that these notes make no pretence to completeness, and that 

 while some matters are referred to at considerable length, other aspects of the life of the 

 people, upon which it has happened that nothing of apparent value was obtained, are 

 passed over in silence. 



It must further be mentioned that Dr. Franz Boas, who has for some years been 

 engaged in the investigation of the ethnology of British Columbia, for the Committee of 

 the British Association for the Advancement of Science on the Northwestern Tribes of 

 Canada, has recently prepared a short report on the Shuswaps. This is embodied in the 

 sixth report of the Committee (pp. 80-95), lately printed, and some subjects fully dealt 

 with therein are here altogether omitted. Neither is any attempt here made to deal with 

 the language, in its several dialects. A vocabulary of the Stfi'-tlum-ooh or Lillooet has 

 already been published in the "Composition Vocabularies of the Indian Tribes of British 

 Columbia " (1884), by the writer and the late Dr. Tolmie, while short vocabularies, with 

 some notes on the grammar, are given by Dr. Boas in the work above cited, and it is 

 understood that the same author is engaged in a further study of this and allied languages. 



The latter part of the present paper consists of a list of place-names in the Shuswap 

 country. The positions of most of these places have been accurately identified on the 

 ground, w^hile the names themselves have been obtained from Indians with local knowledge 

 and employed from time to time as guides or in other capacities. The maps at present in 

 existence are, however, so inexact in detail, that it is often difficult to clearly localize on 

 them the points to which the names apply. This difiiculty will be removed for a certain 

 part of the region on the publication of the Kamloops sheet of the geological map, now in 

 the hands of the engraver. The names of places occurring within the area of this map are 



