18 



former numerous appearances of Eskimo in this district, and a 

 few still surviving representatives, as well as the very apparent 

 mixture of Eskimo blood in many of the resident whites of southern 

 Labrador, that the Eskimo in small roving bands, formerly in- 

 habited the coast south of Hamilton inlet and part way down the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence. 



There is also a tradition in this region that the Eskimo were 

 accustomed to visit the northern coast of Newfoundland yearly, 1 

 where they used to trade with the Beothuks. It is improbable 

 that they would make the trip to Newfoundland from the country 

 north of Hamilton inlet in their skin boats under the ice and 

 weather conditions which prevail on the Atlantic coast of Labra- 

 dor; but in favourable weather it would have been quite easy 

 to have crossed the Strait of Belle Isle from the southern camps. 



Lieutenant Curtis, who made a careful census of the Eskimo 

 on the Atlantic coast of Labrador in 1773, fortunately gave the 

 old tribal names, one of which was recognized by one of my 

 informants as that applied to Belle isle. These tribal names are 

 as follows: "from the Straits of Belle Isle going north the first 

 tribes were known as: 



The Ogbuctike [Belle isle] 270 persons 



" Nanyoki [Nain ?] 100 " 



Kunedloke [Okkak ?] 360 " 



" Nepawktoot [between Okkak and Hebron]. . . 70 " 



" Cannuklookthuok [Hebron] 345 " 



" Chuckbuck [Saglek bay ?] 140 " 



" Chucklcluit [Lamson bay] 40 " 



" Noolaktucktoke [Ramah] 30 



" Nuchvak [Nachvak] 60 



From Nuchvak north into Ungava bay 210 " 



1,625 persons 



This list is the only one which gives us any idea of the old 

 tribal divisions on the Labrador coast. After the establishment 

 of the Moravian missions, the Eskimo were gathered around 

 these stations and the old tribal divisions broken up. 



1 One of the early edicts of Gov. Palliser forbade the Eskimo crossing to the Newfoundland 

 Bide of the Strait of Belle Isle, which they were accustomed to visit for a certain wood for 

 their harpoon shafts. 



