SKETCH OF THE BOOTHIANS. 43 



KANAYOKE. 



Kanayoke came to the ship at Felix harbour, in the spring of 

 1830; he had wintered at Pad I iak, and, having crossed the isth- 

 mus, joined a party about six miles to the northward, one of whom 

 guided him to us. It appeared that he was the father of Poyetta, 

 by Kanguagiu, Alictu's widow, now the wife of his brother, 

 Poweytag. He was about sixty-five years of age, was five feet 

 eight inches high, and remarkable for being darker in colour 

 than any of the rest. It appears that he lived to the westward, 

 and had communication with a tribe in that direction where the 

 females were most numerous ; and when a wife was wanted for some 

 of his own party, he transferred to him his own wife, and went for 

 another to himself, a friendly service which we understood he had 

 performed no less than five times ; and he had now brought his 

 sixth spouse, by whom he had three young children, to visit three 

 of his former wives, and we witnessed the whole party living toge- 

 ther in perfect harmony ! The advantages of this, as far as he was 

 concerned, were obvious; for in each of the five different families 

 he had a son or two, so that in his old age he might, according to 

 custom, claim support from all or any of them, or from the most 

 successful in hunting, as he was entitled to the share of a father. 

 He brought several good specimens of natural history, for which 

 he was well rewarded, and he gave us some valuable information 



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