172 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. IV. 



operation.' Again did the loon dive with him, emerging this time at the 

 original point of departure. ' Now can you see'? asked the loon. — 'I 

 now see very well,' replied the old man wading ashore. Then to show 

 his gratitude to his benefactor he presented him with his own dentalium 

 shell necklace, and taking some more dentalium shells from his quiver, 

 he threw them * at him. 



"Ever since, the loon wears a white necklace, and the shells which hit 

 him also produced the white spots we now see on his wings, j-" 



Now that we are satisfied as to the great antiquity of the dentalium 

 necklace, we will leave the old man of the story to settle with his 

 unfaithful spouse, and return to the description of the other articles of 

 adornment obtaining among the Western D^nes. 



The na-jthan\ is the horn or metal wristlet which has already been 



described and figured (see fig. 126). 



As for the la-tcd7i || it is of modern origin, 



and is an imitation of the ruffles of the 



whites. As such, it is worn in winter time 



as a protection against cold. But many 



Carrier or Tse'kehne girls nowadays wear a 



variety of it merely as an ornamental 



addition to their costume. To that class 



belongs the la-tc^n herewith figured. It is 



of glass beads of several colours mounted 

 Fig. 162. . 



on sinew threads. The rosette in front is 



made of narrow ribbons and a common mother-of-pearl button. 



Ceremonial Costume. 



It has already been hinted that the ceremonial costume of the Carriers, 

 was very elaborate. When one keeps in mind their proximity to the 

 coast Indians who are so fond of parade and display, this statement can- 

 not surprise. What would rather astonish those who have read a former 

 paper by the writer wherein the wonderful faculty of imitation 

 characteristic of the Carriers is chiefly brought into relief is the fact that 

 though the sociological peculiarities which gave rise to this costume were 

 evidently borrowed, yet the latter was, in the main, original. It was 

 proper to the tdjieza- and the fsekJmza- or noble men and women. 



*" Threw them" and " presented them " are rendered by the same word in Dene. 

 + The loon of this story is the Urinator pacificus of the naturalists. 

 X " That (being of a naturally long material) which is around." 

 Illeit. "hands-stick," same word as that for "wrist." 



