164 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VOL. IV. 



All the Western Denes wear mittens, which are made of the same 

 material as their mocassins. Even during the fair season, they will 

 never do any kind of manual work without having them on. They are 

 suspended to a cord of plaited yarn passing behind the neck and over 

 the shoulders, so that, even when they are not in actual use, there is very 

 little risk of losing them. The wrist-band is invariably ornamented with 

 stripes of blue and red cloth, together with colored ribbons, according ta 

 the fancy of the wearer. 



Gloves are now used, but were unknown in prehistoric times. 



Instead of the hood common among their kinsmen of the Mackenzie 

 Basin, the Carriers formerly wore a dainty cap of marmot skin made in 

 this wise: — A band, some three inches broad, was cut from the skin with 

 the hair on and secured at either end so as to form a crown-like head- 

 dress. Over this was sewed a circular piece of similar material leaving 

 out a brim of the same width as that of the band. This projecting part 

 of the skin was then slit into a fringe which rested gracefully on the 

 original head-band. 



This description applies to the summer cap. The winter head-gear 

 consisted of a hemispherical bowl of woven rabbit skin strips without 

 fringes. Both summer and winter, men and women wore the same style 

 of cap. 



The summer dress of the women did not materially differ from that 

 of the men. The tunic was simply longer and oftentimes ornamented 

 round the shoulders and back with a row of pendent cariboo and beaver 

 claws or teeth. For the sake of convenience a girdle also secured the 

 folds of that robe over the waist. They wore, and among the Carriers 

 continue to wear, leggings like the men. 



During the cold season both sexes, but more especially the women on 

 account of the outdoor work to which they were subjected, added to the 

 foregoing a sort of small blanket of undressed skin of any small fur- 

 bearine animal which covered their breast from the neck to the waist. 

 This pectoral blanket was attached with strings behind the neck and 

 also secured by the outer girdle round the waist. We have already seen 

 that in olden times a swan's skin sometimes served an identical purpose. 



The body was further protected against the inclemency of the season 

 by means of a large cloak of lynx skins sewed together and worn with 

 the hair outside. The more conservative half of the TsijKoh'tin tribe have 

 retained to this day the use of this fur cloak. But it is worn among 

 them with the hair next to the body, and the material is, as with the 

 poorer Carriers, marmot instead of lynx skins. The TsijKoh'tin women 



