106 TllANSACTlONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. IV- 



Names of the Twelve Lunar Months. 



In Carrier. In Ts^'k^hne. 



Sa-tco, the big moon. Infsih-sa, moon of the wind. 



Tcdz-sdl^ Yast9se-sa, moon of the snow- 



Tc^z-tco* storms. 



Cin-usa, moon of the spring. Ahta-znsa, moon of the golden 



Tdkus-uza^ moon of the carp. eagle. 



Tanr-iiza, moon of the summer. Ratqc-inza, moon of the wild goose. 



Kesdl-iiza, moon of the land-locked Sas-inza, moon of the black bear 



^^^"^°"- Mdudh-tce-thd-oje, moon when they J 



Thallo-za, moon of the red salmon. ^^j^^ ^^ ^j^^ water 



Pti-uza, moon of the bull-trout. Hj'ke-ta, " the buffalo ruts." 



joh-uza, moon of the white-fish. ^tsiz-tnza, moulting moon. 



Panr3n nafs9Kei, "during its half Sa-ts9tle, little moon. 



one navigates."! Sa-td, great moon. 



Sa-tco-din-az, "next to the big ^,^,^.. . ^j^^ f^^ ^^^ ^j^^ animals) 



"^°^"-" disappears." 



Md-tJi3n-thdn-ts9tle, " what freezes is 

 covered with bare ice." 



The first of these months corresponds nearly to January. 



The size of the page prevents me from giving side by side with the 

 above the names of the Tsi^Koh'tin months. Their main peculiarities 

 may be thus resumed : March is the " moon when one comes out of the 

 subterranean huts" ; April is the moon of the sucker; July, that of the 

 Kes, or white-fleshed salmon ; August, that of the red-fleshed salmon ; 

 November is called " this month we all enter the subterranean huts," 

 and December is the moon of the ice. It will thus be seen that different 

 social habits and occupations have left their impress even on the names 

 of the months such as recognized by the three Dene tribes under study. 



Observances of the Hunter and the Trapper. 



Prior to their embracing Christianity, the Western Denes had recourse 

 to various other means of ensuring success while engaged in hunting. 

 Several superstitious practices were observed, the neglect of which was 



* Tlie root Tcps is now meaningless. The finals s^/ and Uo mean " small " and " big " re- 

 spectively. 



+ 1. e. Lake Stuart is opened to navigation during the half of this month. 

 1 1, e. The goslings. 



