196 LABRADOR 



The white man goes hunting, his family protected in his 

 absence ; the Indian, rarely separated from his family, takes 

 the chances of the open for all. 



During late years, few Indians have been regular visitors 

 on the eastern coast of the peninsula. For convenience 

 to themselves, the Oblate Fathers have influenced the hunters 

 who formerly traded at Hamilton Inlet to make the longer 

 journey to Seven Islands. Irregularly a few northern 

 Indians from George River have visited Davis Inlet post, 

 as few as three coming down in one or two recent summers. 

 The northern group turns rather toward Chimo on Un- 

 gava Bay. In winter some numbers of the northern group 

 may come to the east coast, but they do not bring their 

 families unless under pressure of starvation, and their stay 

 is brief. The number of lodges on the eastern side of the 

 country depends on the movements of the caribou. These 

 vary rather widely in the course of their migration, the 

 main herd sometimes remaining south a year or two at a 

 time. As already noted, a number of Montagnais families 

 from Seven Islands hunt near the upper George River nearly 

 west from Hopedale. The height of land there is one hun- 

 dred to one hundred and fifty miles from the coast. All, 

 or nearly all, of these families make the long journey to 

 Seven Islands at intervals, going usually by the upper 

 Hamilton, Ashwanipi Lake, and the Moisie. Rather regu- 

 larly some of these make a visit to the east coast in winter, 

 and sometimes in summer. 



In the northern district, tributary to Fort Chimo, there 

 are some forty or fifty families, according to Peter 

 McKenzie. A certain number of Indians from Whale 

 River also come to Chimo more or less regularly, perhaps 



