﻿INDIAN" 
  VILLAGES 
  OF 
  ALASKA 
  KEIEGEE 
  475 
  

  

  proceeded 
  to 
  burn 
  down 
  the 
  fort. 
  They 
  were 
  the 
  original 
  trade 
  

   monopolists. 
  On 
  the 
  mainland 
  of 
  British 
  Columbia, 
  trails 
  existed 
  

   along 
  the 
  great 
  rivers 
  and 
  from 
  one 
  river 
  valley 
  to 
  the 
  other. 
  The 
  

   trails 
  along 
  the 
  Skeena, 
  Bella 
  Coola, 
  and 
  Taku 
  Kivers 
  were 
  exten- 
  

   sively 
  used. 
  

  

  Trade 
  along 
  such 
  trails 
  was 
  limited 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  to 
  olachen 
  oil 
  

   which 
  was 
  exchanged 
  by 
  the 
  coast 
  tribes 
  for 
  skins, 
  jade 
  tools, 
  copper, 
  

   and 
  white 
  man's 
  trade 
  goods 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  interior. 
  

   Such 
  trails 
  were 
  known 
  as 
  grease 
  trails 
  from 
  the 
  olachen 
  or 
  candle- 
  

   fish 
  oil, 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  trade 
  staple. 
  Inland 
  trails 
  extended 
  over 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  passes 
  to 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  the 
  Mackenzie 
  and 
  the 
  Yukon 
  

   Kivers. 
  After 
  the 
  erection 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  Bay 
  post 
  at 
  Port 
  Simpson 
  

   near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Skeena 
  River 
  and 
  at 
  other 
  points 
  along 
  the 
  

   Stikine, 
  Nass, 
  and 
  Taku 
  Rivers, 
  regular 
  semiannual 
  trading 
  voyages 
  

   were 
  undertaken 
  by 
  natives 
  from 
  such 
  far-distant 
  points 
  as 
  Sitka 
  and 
  

   Howkan. 
  

  

  The 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  fur-trading 
  companies 
  on 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  natives 
  

   has 
  been 
  far-reaching. 
  The 
  Russian 
  governmental 
  fur-trade 
  monop- 
  

   oly, 
  the 
  Russian-American 
  Co., 
  with 
  headquarters 
  at 
  Sitka, 
  rivaled 
  

   the 
  Hudson 
  Bay 
  Co. 
  post 
  at 
  Port 
  Simpson 
  on 
  the 
  Skeena, 
  and 
  the 
  

   other 
  inland 
  posts 
  in 
  diverting 
  trade 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  native 
  trails 
  and 
  

   portages. 
  Sitka 
  was 
  maintained 
  by 
  the 
  Russians 
  as 
  a 
  trade 
  center 
  

   with 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  until 
  the 
  purchase 
  of 
  Alaska 
  

   by 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  in 
  1867. 
  The 
  fort 
  erected 
  by 
  the 
  Russians 
  was 
  

   destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  Tlingit 
  in 
  1802, 
  although 
  Sitka 
  remained 
  the 
  Rus- 
  

   sian 
  seat 
  of 
  government. 
  Port 
  Simpson 
  remained 
  the 
  other 
  great 
  

   center 
  of 
  native 
  trade 
  until 
  eclipsed 
  by 
  the 
  many 
  cannery 
  tow^ns 
  and 
  

   the 
  villages 
  that 
  developed 
  as 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  whites 
  increased. 
  

  

  Laiiid 
  ownership; 
  settlements; 
  villages.— 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  territory 
  

   adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  Indian 
  villages 
  was 
  portioned 
  out 
  among 
  the 
  different 
  

   native 
  families 
  or 
  households 
  as 
  hunting, 
  fishing, 
  and 
  berrying 
  

   grounds. 
  These 
  lands 
  were 
  recognized 
  as 
  personal 
  property 
  and 
  

   were 
  handed 
  down 
  from 
  generation 
  to 
  generation. 
  Each 
  family 
  

   established 
  a 
  summer 
  camp 
  on 
  its 
  fishing 
  preserve 
  and 
  hunted 
  in 
  the 
  

   region 
  back 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  winter. 
  The 
  privilege 
  to 
  hunt, 
  fish, 
  or 
  to 
  gather 
  

   berries 
  belonged 
  only 
  to 
  natives 
  having 
  rights 
  under 
  native 
  law. 
  

  

  Each 
  stream 
  had 
  it 
  owner, 
  whose 
  summer 
  camp 
  might 
  be 
  seen 
  

   wdiere 
  hunt:ng 
  or 
  fishing 
  could 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  most 
  favorably. 
  At 
  

   times 
  such 
  streams 
  were 
  held 
  in 
  severalty 
  by 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  families 
  

   with 
  equal 
  privileges 
  of 
  fishing. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  season, 
  

   the 
  summer 
  camp, 
  with 
  its 
  smokehouse, 
  oil 
  pit, 
  and 
  fish-drying 
  racks, 
  

   was 
  abandoned 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  house 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  "winter 
  

   town." 
  Here 
  the 
  social 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  clans 
  was 
  fostered 
  anew 
  in 
  cere- 
  

   monial 
  feasting 
  and 
  dancing 
  throughout 
  the 
  winter 
  months. 
  

  

  