POLAR REGIONS. 



33 



'in on the least hint from any of the sailors, they would 

 immediately slip oil their dress, and expose them- 

 """ "V~" selves in a state of nudity, without any appearance 

 whatever of shame or confusion. 



The north American Indians have been successfully 

 classed by the American physiologists into three great 

 nations distinguished by their language. ' These 

 tongues are extensively disseminated through that vast 

 continent, and used by people at great distances from 

 each other. They are, 1. The Floridean, which is 

 spoken by the Creeks, Chickesaws, Chocktaws, Chero- 

 kees, Pascagoulas, and some other southern tribes. 2. 

 The Iroquois, spoken by the Mengwe or Six Nations, 

 the Wyandots, the Nadowessees, and Asseeneepoytuck 

 or Stone Indians. 3. The Lcnni-lentipc, spoken by a 

 great family, more widely spread than the other two, 

 from which the Crees, the Chipewyans, the Copper, 

 and the Dog-rib Indians are derived. Into those three 

 families philological investigation has reduced the sup- 

 posed multitude of North American tongues, and under 

 them may be classed the numerous tribes mentioned by 

 the early French writers, who have involved the sub- 

 ject in inextricable confusion, by neglecting the only 

 true test, similarity of language, and adopting the ap- 

 pellation of every petty tribe, derived from their hunt- 

 ing grounds, as the mark of a different race. 



The general tradition of the Lenape is, that their 

 family originally came from the westward, taking pos- 

 session of the whole country from the Missouri to the 

 sea, and destroying the original inhabitants, whom they 

 name Alligewi. In this migration and contest, which 

 continued for many years, they say that the Iroquois 

 moved in a parallel line with them, but in a more 

 northerly course, and finally settled on the St. Law- 

 rence. The Lenape, being the more numerous family, 

 soon sent detachments northward, as far as the shores 

 of Hudson's Bay, and gave rise to the chief northern 

 tribes now along the Arctic circle. This account gives 

 colour to the tradition of the Chipewyans, who are a 

 numerous tribe of Lenape, that their immediate ances- 

 tors were from the eastward, contrary to the general 

 tide of migration above detailed. There is higli proba- 

 bility in these traditional documents ; and if we may be 

 allowed to speculate on the slender data yet beforeus, the 

 American Indian, of at least the last two families, may 

 be considered as more recently come into America than 

 the Alligewi. If we are to consider the curious anti- 

 quities of utensils, metal ornaments, tumuli, barrows, 

 and substructions, recently described at Circleville and 

 elsewhere, t as remains of that people, the Alligewi 

 must have been a race of men considerably advanced 

 in refinement, until they were dispersed or exterminat- 

 ed by clouds of ferocious hunters advancing from the 

 west. 



The North American Indians have many things in 

 common with the nomade and hunter tribes of eastern 

 Asia. Those of the Five Nations have a strong person- 

 al resemblance to the Tschutski, who appear to be of 

 Tatar descent from the fine race of Kabardinski. Scalp- 

 ing their enemies, eating human riesh, tattooing their 

 skins, clothing themselves with skins of wild beasts to 

 get near their prey, (as is practised by the natives of 

 Nootka Sound,) have strong resemblances to what has 

 been detailed of the customs of some tribes of ancient 

 Scythse ; and the latter circumstance may be the ori- 

 gin of the fabled annual transformation of one Scythian 

 horde into wolves. 



The restless spirit which has so often made the Mon- 

 l Tatars the scourge of the civilized world, may be sup* 

 posed to have occasioned migrations from Asia to A me- 

 rica, by the narrow strait of Behring, and the numerous 

 islands between that passage and the promontory of 

 Alaska, without violating any historical probability ; 

 and it is not unlikely that the philological researches 

 which have been so successfully prosecuted of late years, 

 will lead to the discovery of affinities between the Ian. 

 guages of eastern Asia and America. The Indian tribes 

 who inhabit the north-western part of America are but 

 little known to Europeans. On both banks of Macken- 

 zie's river are the Squint-eyes, or Quarrellers, or Lou- 

 cheux. This tribe speak a dialect of the Esquimaux, 

 with whom they mingle at the mouth of that river. 

 With this tribe Russian copper coins have been found. 

 These people trade with FortGood- Hope, the most north- 

 ern settlement of the North-West Company, on the 

 confluence of the Great Bear Lake Iliver and Macken- 

 zie's River. On the north side of Great Bear Lake are 

 found the Hare Indians, a tribe of the Lenape, or 

 Chipewyan family, who are among the most civilized 

 Indian tribes in this quarter, and are reckoned by the 

 Dog Ribs and Chipewyans great conjurors. 



The Nath-Ana Indians, the Sheep Indians, the Rocky 

 Mountain Indians, the Strongbow Indians, the Beaver 

 and Thick Wood Indians, are all tribes of the great Chi- 

 pewyan family. The Strongbows are a haughty but 

 friendly tribe, and are esteemed excellent hunters. Both 

 they and the Rocky Mountain Indians believe that they 

 came originally from the west from a level country, 

 where there was no winter, which produced trees and 

 large fruits now unknown to them ; and " it was in- 

 habited by many strange animals, amongst which there 

 was a small one, whose visage bore a striking resem- 

 blance to the human countenance ;" and their tradition 

 is, that their ancestors were forced to leave their native 

 seats by the rising of the waters. Then they migrated 

 northward, following the tracks of animals along the sea- 

 shore, until they came to a narrow strait, which they 

 crossed on a raft ; but the sea having afterwards been 

 there frozen, they were unable to return. This tradi- 

 tion seems to imply an Asiatic migration. These 

 tribes dwell on the western banks of Mackenzie's river. 

 Of all the Lenape, the Dog-rib Indians seem to be 

 the most civilized, if we take their treatment of their 

 women as a criterion. The drudgery of the tribe is 

 not, as in other Indian nations, performed by the wo- 

 men, but by the men. The women perform only the 

 lighter kinds of employment, as making garments, and 

 embroidering their ornaments; and a new married Dog- 

 rib Indian takes a pride in displaying such proofs of the 

 skill of his wife. The Dog-ribs are fond of dancing 

 and singing ; their temper is mild, cheerful, and hos- 

 pitable; their habits somewhat indolent. Their traditions 

 derive them from the westward. They inhabit the 

 country between the Copper-mine and Mackenzie's 

 Rivers. They speak a dialect of the Chipewyan. The 

 Copper Indians are essentially of the same race ; but 

 differ from the Dog-ribs in their treatment of the wo- 

 men, and are contented to borrow the dances and rude 

 songs of the latter. The Copper-mine Indians often 

 have warred with the Esquimaux, with whom they 

 were, until Franklin's journey, at deadly enmity. They 

 are a shrewd people; and since they have procured fire 

 arms from the traders, have commanded the respect of 

 the Chipewyans, who formerly tyrannized over them. 

 They wholly subsist, like the other American Indians, 



Heckewelder's Essay, Amer. PhiL Soc. Tram. 

 VOL. XVII. PART I. 



\ Amer. Phil. Tratu. 

 



