50 M'Keevor's Voyage to Hudson's Ray* 



deer- skm jacket, the sleeves of which are distinct front the 

 body, so that they can be removed at pleasure. Their small- 

 clothes and shoes are made of the same materials as the jacket; 

 the latter, or moccasicus, as they are termed, are generally 

 embroidered with dyed porcupine's quills, in a very neat and 

 elegant manner. Some of them wore a coat of scarlet, or 

 green cloth, made after the military fashion, and ornamented 

 with a profusion of tin, or silver trinkets, giving them a very 

 noble and majestic appearance. 



The dress of the women differs somewhat from that of the 

 men : the blanket, instead of being thrown loose about the 

 shoulders, is brought close round the forehead, somewhat in 

 form of a hood, and is generally bound round with scarlet, or 

 green tape; they also wear a long loose petticoat, made of 

 some woollen stuff. On Sunday, in place of the blanket, they 

 wear a piece of g-reen or scarlet cloth, made into the form of 

 a mantle, and thrown carelessly over the shoulders ; it is in 

 general very handsomely embroidered with various coloured 

 ribbons, particularly green or yellow ; under this they wear 

 a cloth uress, not unlike a European riding-habit. When 

 going abroad, they wear a black beaver-hat, ornamented with 

 feathers and bands of various-coloured ribbons. On the en- 

 tire, an Indian woman, in her Sunday-dress, has a very pretty 

 and interesting appearance. 



Their canoes differ considerably from those of the Esqui- 

 meaux, as well in the shape as in the materials of which they 

 are formed. The American canoe is completely open at top, 

 and is made of sections of bark, taken from the birch-tree ; 

 these are sewed together with filaments from the roots of the 

 spruce fir-tree, called watapc. They are about thirty feet in 

 length, and about six in breadth at the widest part* The 

 bottom is rounded, and they have no keel. The frame is 

 formed of slight pieces of light wood, over which is fastened 

 a sheathing composed of the materials already mentioned. 

 Instead of the double paddle, used by the Esquimeaux, they 

 make use of a short piece of wood, about three feet longv 

 narrow at the top, and gradually becoming broad towards the 

 extremity ; on the who^e, not unlike the extremity of an Eng- 

 lish oar cut off. 



The manner in which they construct their tents, or wig- 

 wams, is as follows : Being provided with poles of a proper 

 length, they fasten two of them across, near the ends, with 

 bands made of birch rind ; having done this, they raise them 

 up, and extend the lower part of each as wide as they pro- 

 pose to make the area of the tent ; other poles, of an equal 

 height, are then set round at equal distances from each other, 



