6 MUSEUM BULLETIN NO. 6. 



there, who themselves came from the west coast along the Arctic 

 or oftener by the Colville route. 



There is no information available as to the rapidity of trade 

 movement between the western edge of the Mackenzie delta and 

 Baillie island (Cape Bathurst), for the people of these places 

 almost formed one community, visiting backwards and for- 

 wards, and there were no set trade expeditions. It is, however, 

 only conservative to say that the winter from October to March 

 would easily give an article time to get as far east as Cape Parry, 

 from where journeys are said never to have been made to Nelson 

 head except late in March or early in April. If our hypothetical 

 knife had been on its journey 200 years ago, it would no doubt 

 have found then, as we would find now, that well into April the 

 Prince Albert Sound people of Victoria island are at Nelson head 

 hunting bears. They soon start east, however, for they do not 

 spend their summers in Banks island. By the middle of May the 

 entire tribe nears the head of Prince Albert sound and here a few 

 sleds, bent on trade to the eastward, hurry ahead. They ascend the 

 Kagloryuak, descend the Ekalluktok, and meet the Ekalluktog- 

 miut on Albert Edward bay. A few sleds of this tribe join them 

 and all proceed south to the Asiagmmt, whom they find near 

 Ogden bay. A portion of this tribe also is going south to the 

 Akilinik river, and representatives of the three tribes join forces. 

 They cannot go far by sled, for summer overtakes them, but 

 loading their dogs and themselves with backloads they "pack" 

 south until they reach Back river, where they find people of that 

 locality with whom they trade and who ferry them in their 

 kayaks across the river. Resuming their "packing" they pro- 

 ceed to the Akilinik above Schulze lake, reaching it in mid- 

 summer, two years from the time our knife was traded for on 

 the west coast of Alaska. On the Akilinik are Hudson Bay 

 Eskimo, or at least Eskimo from near Hudson bay, come to get 

 wood and to trade with the westerner. Sometime during the 

 coming winter our knife, if bought by them, might reach salt 

 water. We can say then that the minimum time in which an 

 article by this route could pass from western Alaska to Hudson 

 bay is about two and one-half years. Possibly so rapid a transfer 

 never took place, but we may double the minimum and say with 



