﻿474 
  ANNUAL 
  EEPOET 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  to 
  them, 
  as 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  skin-covered 
  small 
  boat, 
  the 
  kaiak, 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eskimo. 
  

  

  Practically 
  the 
  entire 
  coast 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  from 
  the 
  Chilkoot 
  

   River 
  to 
  the 
  southern 
  capes 
  of 
  Dall 
  and 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Islands 
  

   is 
  safe 
  for 
  the 
  seaworthy 
  canoes 
  of 
  the 
  Tlingit 
  and 
  the 
  Haida. 
  A 
  

   tempestuous 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  40 
  to 
  60 
  miles 
  wide 
  known 
  as 
  Dixon 
  

   Entrance 
  separates 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  from 
  the 
  islands 
  

   of 
  the 
  Queen 
  Charlotte 
  group. 
  The 
  notorious 
  Cape 
  Muzon, 
  at 
  the 
  

   southern 
  tip 
  of 
  Dall 
  Island, 
  and 
  Cape 
  Chacon, 
  at 
  the 
  southern 
  

   extremity 
  of 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Island, 
  are 
  fully 
  exposed 
  to 
  any 
  gale 
  

   that 
  may 
  be 
  blowing 
  from 
  the 
  Pacific, 
  yet 
  they 
  w^ere 
  regularly 
  

   passed 
  by 
  the 
  dugout 
  canoes 
  of 
  the 
  Haida 
  on 
  their 
  journeys 
  from 
  

   Masset, 
  on 
  Graham 
  Island 
  of 
  the 
  Queen 
  Charlotte 
  group, 
  and 
  How- 
  

   kan, 
  Sulikwan, 
  and 
  Klinkwan, 
  in 
  the 
  Kaigani 
  territory 
  on 
  Prince 
  of 
  

   Wales 
  Island. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  significant 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  while 
  journeys 
  were 
  readily 
  under- 
  

   taken 
  at 
  all 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  coves 
  and 
  natural 
  

   harbors 
  with 
  j)lace 
  names 
  in 
  Tlingit 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Haida 
  languages 
  

   indicating 
  places 
  of 
  refuge 
  " 
  where-one-waits-f 
  or-better-weather." 
  

   The 
  Indian 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  bold 
  Polynesian 
  sailor 
  

   who 
  embarks 
  on 
  a 
  thousand-mile 
  journey 
  in 
  his 
  outrigger 
  canoe 
  

   equipped 
  with 
  his 
  primitive 
  chart 
  of 
  sticks 
  and 
  shells. 
  

  

  The 
  large 
  island 
  of 
  Revillagigedo 
  lies 
  east 
  of 
  Prince 
  of 
  Walea 
  

   Island, 
  with 
  the 
  smaller 
  islands 
  of 
  Gravina, 
  Annette, 
  and 
  Duke 
  

   interposed. 
  North 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  Wrangell, 
  Kupreanoff, 
  

   Chichagof, 
  Admiralty, 
  and 
  numerous 
  smaller 
  islands. 
  The 
  chan- 
  

   nels 
  separating 
  these 
  islands 
  constitute 
  what 
  has 
  become 
  known 
  as 
  

   the 
  Alaskan 
  inland 
  passage, 
  now 
  safe 
  enough 
  for 
  large 
  passenger 
  

   ships, 
  but 
  formerly 
  the 
  scene 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  500 
  wrecks 
  since 
  the 
  

   acquisition 
  of 
  Alaska 
  by 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  Native 
  trade 
  with 
  the 
  interior. 
  — 
  As 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  southeast 
  

   Alaska 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  dense 
  forest 
  growth, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  inland 
  

   trails 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  are 
  few. 
  Bear 
  trails 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  

   other 
  animals 
  are 
  still 
  utilized 
  whenever 
  possible. 
  Such 
  animal 
  

   trails 
  make 
  unnecessary 
  the 
  task 
  of 
  clearing 
  the 
  dense 
  undergrowth 
  

   of 
  ferns, 
  berry 
  bushes, 
  alders, 
  wild 
  celery, 
  skunk 
  cabbage, 
  devil 
  club, 
  

   young 
  spruce, 
  hemlock, 
  cedar, 
  and 
  other 
  plant 
  life. 
  

  

  Rugged 
  mountains 
  embrace 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  islands 
  and 
  

   constitute 
  inaccessible 
  barriers 
  to 
  the 
  native 
  hunter 
  except 
  where 
  

   they 
  were 
  crossed 
  by 
  trails 
  or 
  bisected 
  by 
  the 
  many 
  open 
  water 
  

   channels. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  trails 
  were 
  primitive 
  trade 
  routes. 
  Trade 
  

   was 
  especially 
  fostered 
  by 
  the 
  northern 
  Chilkat. 
  When 
  the 
  Hudson 
  

   Bay 
  post 
  was 
  established 
  at 
  Fort 
  Selkirk, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  diversion 
  of 
  

   trade 
  from 
  the 
  interior 
  at 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  the 
  Chilkat 
  Indians, 
  so 
  they 
  

  

  