is highly probable that the use of these shells in that region will soon become a 

 story of the past, and the money of the Pale-faces will supersede among the Red- 

 men the shells of the sea. 



The Indians of California, or the tribes inhabiting the northern portion of 

 the coast and the adjoining region, also use the tusk-shells for money ; either the 

 shells or the shell-money is called alli-co-cheek, or allicochick — the latter being 

 the orthography, according to Mr. Stephen Powers, whose valuable papers upon 

 " The Northern California Indians," in the Overland Monthh/, are an important 

 contribution to American aboriginal history. 



" For money, the Cahrocs make use of the red scalps of woodpeckers , 

 whicli are valued at $5 each ; and of a curious kind of shell, resembling a 

 cock's spurs in size and shape, white and hollow, which they polish and arrange 

 on strings, the shortest being worth twenty-five cents, the longest about ^2 — 

 the value increasing in a geometrical ratio with the length. The unit of cur- 

 rency is a string the length of a man's arm, with a certain number of the 

 longer shells below the elbow, and a certain number of the shorter ones above. 

 This shell -money is called allicochick, not only on the Klamath, but 

 from Crescent City to Eel River, though the tribes using it speak 

 several diiFerent languages. When the Americans first arrived in the 

 country, an Indian would give from ^40 to SoO in gold for a string of it ; but 

 now it is principally the old Indians who value it at all." * 



In speaking about marriage among the Eurocs, he says : " When a young 

 Indian becomes enamored of a maiden, and cannot wait to collect the amount of 

 hells demanded by her father, heissometimesallowed to pay half the amount, and 

 become what is termed ' half married.' Instead of bringing her to his cabin 

 and making her his slave, he goes to live in her cabin and becomes her slave." 

 Again, he says : " Since the advent of the Americans, the honorable estate of 

 matrimony has fallen sadly into desuetude among the young braves, because they 

 seldom have shell-money now-a-days, and the old Indians prefer that in exchange 

 for their daughters. .. .(The old generation dislike the white man's money, but 

 hoard up shell-money like true misers)," etc. Among the Hoopas, " murder is 

 generally compounded for by the payment of shell-money." f 



In connection with the use of money in trafiic among the interior Indians, it 

 appears that "all the dwellers on the plains, and as far up on the mountain as 

 the cedar-line, bought all their bows and most of their arrows from the upper 

 mountaineers. An Indian is about ten days in making a bow, and it costs $3, 

 $4, or $5, according to the workmanship ; an arrow, 12% cents. Three kinds 

 of money were employed in this traffic. White shell beads, or rather buttons, 

 pierced in the centre and strung together, were rated at $5 per yard ; peri- 

 winkles, at ^1 a yard ; fancy marine shells at various prices from $3 to $iO, 

 or ^15, according to their beauty." | 



* Vide Overland Monthly, vol. VIII, pp. 329, 427, 535. 

 t Id., vol. IX, p. 156. 

 JM, vol.X, p. 325. 



