116 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



[Vol. IV. 



does frequent service as a mere pe-yds-Jiahwozo * or snow shovel, as 

 it is also used to clear of snow the doorway of habitations and space 

 adjacent thereto. It should be remarked, however, that the prehistoric 

 •ahtcas. was much ruder in form and finish than that herewith illustrated. 



The bulb of this fern is eaten while fresh and baked a retoiiffce in this 

 wise : " The natives dig out a hole about three feet in diameter in the 

 ground, pave its bottom with heated stones over which they strew chips 

 of alder {Alnus rubra) bark, and then fill it up with the roots. The 

 whole is then covered with earth and the roots will be ready for the table 

 ten or twelve hours later, that is when entirely cooled down."-f- 



As far as I can ascertain, no such esculent root as "ah grows in the 

 TsiiKoh'tin's countr}'. But its absence is more than compensated by the 

 presence there of two very useful tubers, ^j-;w//! and j/zw/i*, which resemble 

 respectively diminutive oblong and spheroidal potatoes. When these 



Fig. 105. Fig. 106. ^ size. 



have reached maturity, they are dug out with the T-shaped tool shown 

 in fig. 105. As may be seen, there is nothing complicated in the nature 

 of this implement, since it is nothing else than a birch branch cut off 

 with its shoot. To ensure greater toughness to the material, its point is 

 generally treated to a slight calcination. Immense numbers of the 

 root are annually gathered. They are either boiled as potatoes or 

 smoked in the house. For the latter purpose a sinew or buckskin line is 

 passed through each of them, and while thus forming strings of vegetable 

 beads, they are hung up near the chimney or the fire hole. The smoking 

 process is rather long, and at its close, the tubers are eaten without any 

 further preparation. I have also seen this method practised aniong the 

 TsijKoh'tin with regard to the smallest of their potatoes. 



From the culinary peculiarities of the TsijKoh'tin we may pass to their 

 faculty of imitation and adaptiveness as evidenced by the herewith 



* Lit. " wherewith-snovv-is shaved off." 

 + The Western Denes, p. 135. 



