138 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



■ceremonies they used wooden masks and castanets or i-attles which 

 were not devoid of merit as works of art. I have none of these in 

 my possession, and will simply refer the Sociologist to the specimens 

 drawn in Plates vi. and ix. illustrating Mr. G. M. Dawson's mono- 

 graph of the Kaidali Indians.^ The masks of our Denes, minus the 

 ears, were identical in shape with those of the aforesaid Plates, 

 whilst their rattles were only somewhat plainer in design than those 

 used by the Kaidahs. 



The Dene knives were ordinarily made of the common arrow-head 

 flint, but those made of beaver teeth were more esteemed. 



As already hinted, axes were not home-made, at least among the 

 Carriers, and the few cutting tools then in use among them were in 

 the possession of the notables alone. The commune vulgns had re- 

 course to fire in order to cut their firewood and the few slender poles 

 or logs required for the erection of their lodges. With the exception 

 of the Chilh;>^otins, they did not even know of the elongated stone 

 hammer, formerly so common among other A.mei-ican aborigines. 



As for copper they obtained it by barter with Indians from the 

 coast ; but its use among them was restricted to the manufacture of 

 trinkets, bracelets and hair-pincers. Apropos of copper, the Carriers 

 of some localities have the following legend respecting its discovery 

 and introduction among them. They contend that in times not very, 

 remote, all the Indians (themselves among the rest) congregated at a 

 certain point of the sea coast around a tower-like copper mountain, 

 emerging from the midst of the water. Their object was to decide 

 which tribe should become the possessor thereof. When all had 

 united in shouting, the mountain, after a time, began gradually to 

 totter and the Kaidahs who are blessed with big heads and strong 

 voices, caused it to fall on tlieir side. " Thus it was," they add, " that 

 those Indians won or secui-ed the cojiper mountain, and we have ever 

 since been obliged to have recourse to them for what we require of 

 that metal to make bracelets for our wives and daughters." 



1 Geological Survey of Canada, Reports for 1878-79. Ajipendix A. 



