2 2 CHEPEWYANS. 



of their own people, or to the trading post. The 

 advice of the traders is gradually breaking down 

 this practice. 



Shamanism does not seem to exert the important 

 influence upon the 'Tinne that it does among the 

 Asiatic Tchukche, the Kutchin, or the Eskimos. 

 There are men in the nation, with the reputation 

 of sorcerers, who profess to have power over spirits ; 

 but they have but little personal influence, and are 

 generally of small repute, to which, perhaps, the 

 contempt of the white people for their arts con- 

 tributes. A belief, however, in the power of the 

 Eskimos and of strange Indians to hurt them by 

 incantations, or " bad medicine," prevails. White 

 people are said to be exempt from such dangers, 

 their " medicine " being the most powerful. The 

 " conjurers" are occasionally employed to cure the 

 sick, and I suppose on such occasions receive some 

 reward ; but I heard of no instance of their being 

 beat and coerced to influence the spirits favourably 

 in the manner that the Asiatic Tchukche are re- 

 ported in Baron Wrangell's work to deal with 

 their shamans. 



Among the Crees the conjurers perform a much 

 more prominent part than with the 'Tinne, and 

 their practices come frequently under the observa- 

 tion of residents on the lands of that people ; but 

 I never saw one exhibit among the Hare Indians, 



