NORTHWEST COAST INDIANS 4] 
The older Indians of Belia Coola, those who were not away working 
at the cannery, were preparing fish for winter use and also drying berries. 
They raised some of the finest strawberries I have ever seen. ‘To pre- 
pare for drying they crush these and various native berries, the red and 
yellow salmon berries and a large sort of raspberry, into an immense 
cake which they spread on racks made of split cedar covered with the 
fresh leaves of skunk cabbage or nettle. Here we found an old man 
carving spoons out of alder wood and an old woman weaving strips of 
cedar bark into mats. Indians from the interior come to Bella Coola. 
They look different from those of the coast, are more active and angular. 
The costumes of both men and women are slightiy different from those 
of the people of the coast. They wear moccasins, which are not used by 
the Bella Coola or their neighbors, who spend much of their time in the 
surf and on the beach. 
Leaving this valley of the Bella Coola, which is a most beautiful spot, 
sometimes called the Switzerland of America, we proceeded up the coast 
to visit the country of the Tsimshian, who live on the Skeena and Nass 
Rivers and the adjacent coasts. ‘The regular steamer took us to Prince 
Rupert, the lively western terminus of the Grand ‘Trunk Pacifie Rail- 
way, where we chartered a launch and visited Old Metlakatla. A mis- 
sionary was once located here but he had trouble with his superiors in 
British Columbia and took his followers, about one thousand Tsimshian, 
to Alaska, where he established the town of New Metlakatla on a grant 
of land received from the American government. His followers make 
some of the finest boats constructed on the North Pacific Coast. In 
the vicinity of the old town we saw a number of shell heaps marking the 
sites of ancient villages, where archzeological explorations would un- 
doubtedly reveal the character of the arts of the ancient people of this 
area and throw some light on their migrations. Continuing with the 
launch we went up the Nass River near the boundary between Alaska 
and Canada, visiting the old eulichon fishing grounds, and then crossed 
into Alaska to stop at many places before turning back at Skagway. 
Our longest stay was made at Wrangel, in the country of the Tlingit 
Indians, where are large numbers of totem poles, carved grave posts 
and mortuary columns. From Wrangel we made a most interesting 
trip up the Stickine and Iskut Rivers. The river is too swift for rowing 
or paddling canoes, and all former ascents had been made by poling, 
bushing or lining. After proceeding as far up the Iskut as it was possible 
