12 TRIBES OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA 



chin. To speak of a &quot; Red &quot; Indian gives quite a 

 wrong impression, for the skin is of a coppery 

 brown, with a kind of underlying red tinge. The 

 hair is usually long, straight, and black, but in 

 British Columbia, and amongst the Dene, a reddish 

 shade of hair is not uncommon, while among Salish 

 tribes of the Pacific Coast the hair may be wavy or 

 slightly curled. 



Of all the native tribes of British North America 

 the Eskimo have by far the hardest and most un 

 pleasant life, because they have no vegetable foods, 

 cannot practise agriculture, and are entirely depen 

 dent on the products of hunting expeditions, which 

 for nine months out of twelve are undertaken in 

 bitterly cold weather, and among dreary wastes of 

 snow. Indians such as the &quot; Haida &quot; of Queen 

 Charlotte Islands, the &quot; Kwakiutl &quot; of Vancouver, 

 and some of the &quot; Salish&quot; and &quot; Dene &quot; tribes of 

 British Columbia, are most fortunate on account 

 of a warm temperate climate and an abundant 

 supply of various animal and vegetable foods. 



To the west of the Rocky Mountains lies a hilly, 

 well-wooded country, abounding with game such 

 as deer, foxes, bears, hares, beavers, squirrels, 

 while birds are plentiful, and delicious salmon may 

 be obtained from the Fraser River and its tribu 

 taries. Of all trees the cedar has been most useful 

 to the coastal tribes, for it is to them what the 

 cocoa-nut palm is to the people inhabiting the South 

 Sea Islands. From the wood of cedar trees, houses 

 and canoes are made, while clothing may be manu 

 factured from the inner bark ; and there is no part 

 of this useful tree which is not put to some good 



