1892-93.] NOTES ON THE AVESTERN DENES. 165 



transform it into a sort of gown by tying it round the waist with a girdle 

 of leather, from which hang beaver nails or teeth, old thimbles or shells 

 of exploded brass cartridges which produce during their walk a jingling 

 sound much appreciated by the native ear. 



Winter and summer, the members of the three tribes under consider- 

 ation wrap their feet with square pieces of blanket, kJie-thdl* which are 

 to them the counterpart of our stockings. 



With the advent of the whites the dress of the Western Denes 

 gradually changed, until it became, what it is now, practically that of the 

 H. B. Co.'s people, with the few additions necessitated by the nature 

 of the former's avocation. However, skin coats identical with that 

 illustrated through fig. 145 are still occasionally met with, especially 

 among the Tse'kehne and Babine tribes. 



The foregoing remarks, as I believe, will give a fair idea of the 

 aboriginal costume such as it obtained among the Western Denes, with- 

 out reference to rank or age. But, when treating of the natives' wearing 

 apparel, one should not forget that even their psychological ideas are not 

 without' influence on its nature. We should remember that most dreaded 

 creature, the pubescent girl. She was considered among the Carriers so 

 much of an etre a part, that she must constantly wear some badge to 

 remind people of her terrible infirmity, and thereby guard them against 

 the baleful influences which she was believed to possess. This consisted 

 in "a sort of head-dress combining in itself the purposes of a veil, a 

 bonnet and a mantlet. It was made of tanned skin, its forepart was 

 shaped like a long fringe, completely hiding from view the face and 

 breasts ; then it formed on the head a close fitting cap or bonnet, and 

 finally fell in a broad band almost to the heels. This head-dress was 

 made and publicly placed on her head by a paternal aunt, who received 

 at once some present from the girl's father. When, three or four years 

 later, the period sequestration ceased, only this same aunt had the right 

 to take off her niece's ceremonial head-dress."-f- 



The latter sentence applies to the daughter of untitled parents. In 

 case the maiden was of noble birth, the first anniversary of hrer entering 



* " Foot-platform." The native names of the different parts of the wearing apparel are here- 

 with given, as they may afford a clue, when considered from an etymological standpoint, to the 

 relative degree of importance or antiquity of the articles thereby denominated. Head-gear of 

 any description, (sbR; coat or tunic, tztit ; breech-piece, tsan ; girdle, se ; cloak (and blanket), 

 ts3t ; leggings, khe-tsih (wherein-the-foot-is-passed) ; mocassin, klie-skw3t, or in composition /I'/iif 

 {synonymous with "foot"); pectoral blanket, patsichuz (that — being a soft stuff — which covers), 

 a verbal noun. 



tThe Western D6nes ; Proc. Can. Inst., 1888-89, P- 162. 



