UPKeevor's Voyage to Hudson's Bay. 51 



so that their lower ends form a complete circle ; over the en- 

 tire is spread the tent-cloth, which is generally made of deer- 

 skins* dressed by the natives. A slit is made in the bottom 

 part, which serves the purpose of door; it is always placed 

 opposite to that point from which the wind blows. These 

 tents have neither window nor chimney; there is merely an 

 aperture left in the middle of the roof, which serves the double 

 purpose of letting out the smoke, and admitting the light. 



This humble wigwam constitutes the entire of a North- 

 American Indian's residence, serving him as kitchen, parlour, 

 bed-room, &c. In one part, their culinary and domestic uten- 

 sils are arranged ; in another, their beds, which are rolled up 

 during the day, and covered with a large buffaloe-skin ; and 

 in another, the materials for their work. Among their culinary 

 utensils is what they term a skippertogan, or small bag, which 

 contains a flint, steel, and touchwood. Some of these bags 

 are uncommonly handsome, being richly ornamented with 

 beads, porcupine-quills, and ermine. The perogan, or tinder, 

 the Indians make use of, is a kind of fungus that grows on 

 the outside of the birch-tree. There are two kinds, one hard, 

 and not unlike rhubarb ; the other soft and smooth. The 

 latter is prepared for use by laying it on hot ashes, and then 

 reducing it to a state of fine powder. The hard kind is very 

 easily ignited, catching even the smallest spark that falls from 

 the steel ; once on fire, it is very difficult to extinguish it ; 

 the spark appears to spread and burrow through the entire 

 mass in all directions, so that, though to all appearance it is 

 quite extinguished, combustion is all the time going on inter- 

 nally ; hence the use of it is attended with considerable risk. 

 I have had pieces of it in my pocket quite free, as I con- 

 ceived, from combustion ; on putting in my hand, however, I 

 have frequently found the entire reduced almost to a cinder. 

 In the interior, where they have no opportunity of getting 

 a flint and steel, they procure fire by rubbing two smooth 

 pieces of wood rapidly against each other. 



* The Indian mode of dressing leather is as follows: A lather is made 

 of the brains and some of the soft fat or marrow of (he animal commonly 

 called the rein-deer ; in this the skin is well soaked, when it is taken out, and 

 not only dried by the heat of a fire, but hung up in the smoke for several days; 

 it is then taken down, and is well soaked and washed in warm water till the 

 grain of the skin is perfectly open, and it has imbibed a sufficient quantity 

 of water; after which it is taken out, and wrung as dry as possible, and then 

 dried by the heat of a slow fire, care being taken to rub and stretch it as long 

 K as any moisture remains in the skin : afterwards they are scraped to make 

 them quite smooth. See HERON'S Vpyage up Coppermine Hirer. Being 

 dressed in oil, they always grow harder after being wet, unless great care bp 

 taken to keep rubbing them all the time they arc drying. 



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