A LETTER FROM A. B. PERRY. 175 



[The following letter dated 30th June, 1888, was x^eceived from 

 A. Bowen Perry Esq. Inspector, North-West Mounted Police, Prince 

 Albert, North-West Territory. — Ch. S. Com.] 



Sir :— 



I have to acknowledge your Sociological Circular of June '88. I 

 fully agree with you as to the importance of the work with which your 

 circular deals. Such information as you requii'e must be obtained 

 speedily for the state of the Indians is changing most rapidly. Old 

 customs are passing away ; their ceremonies are almost of the past, 

 certainly with many tribes ; their family customs are assimilating 

 to those of their white brethren ; and in fact in almost every section 

 named in your circular the infoi'mation to be obtained will be of a 

 hearsay character. I speak more particularly of this district of 

 Saskatchewan. The Indians ai'e all Crees with one exception, a small 

 band of renegade Sioux from Minnesota. 



Missionaries have for many years labored among the Cree In- 

 dians and with no little success. The Crees have for some time 

 devoted themselves to farming and abandoned their nomadic life. 

 Schools have been maintained. These influences combined with the 

 strong and successful attempt of the government to break up old 

 habits and customs have effected a complete change in the Indian, 

 chai'acter and habits. Not always for the best it must be admitted. 

 With civilization, disease has been introduced, immorality has in- 

 creased and physical degeneration ensued. It seems that physical 

 degeneration universally follows the semi-civilization of the Indian 

 The causes are many. Change of food, from fresh buffalo meat and 

 fish to a diet of badly baked bread and bacon. The bread is un- 

 leavened ; the flour being simply mixed in water and half baked in a 

 frying pan or in ashes. Consequently the bannock as the bread thus 

 made is called, is very indigestible and unfit for food. Again in their 

 old life they wandered about from place to place, lived in lodges which 

 afibrded plenty of ventilation. Now they live the year around, or the 

 greater part of it, for some of them take to their lodges in the summer, 



