BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE TSIMSHIAN 



40 



means of stone chisels, stone axes, and fire; but the planks used for 



house building were usually split off from a live tree by cutting deep 



not clics into the trunk at appropriate distances and then splitting off 



pieces from the tree by means of large wedges, which wore driven with 



long-handled stone mauls (fig. 4) ; while on the 



southern part of the coast hand hammers were 



used. After the planks had been split off, the}* 



were smoothed by means of stone or bone adzes 



(fig. 5). For very fine work the process of 



smoothing was continued until the surface of the 



plank had reached a high degree of finish. The 



planks and boards were finally polished off with 



grit stones and dogfish skirt. The art of mak- 

 ing household utensils from thin planks of this 



land had reached a high degree of perfection. 



The method pursued was that of kerfing the 



planks and of bending, after having subjected 



the wood to a steam bath. In this manner the 



sides of boxes and buckets were made. These 



were fastened to a wooden bottom either by 



means of pegs or by sewing with twisted cedar 



twigs (fig. 6). 



Water-tight boxes were secured by calking the 



joints. Large boxes of this type (fig. 7) were 



used for storing provisions, blankets, etc.; 



smaller water-tight boxes, for cooking food, the 



box being filled with water, which was then 



heated by means of red-hot stones. 



Food trays (fig. 8) were made of large blocks of wood hollowed 



out by means of chisel and ax and finished with a crooked 



knife, the handle of which fitted the hand nicely. 



One of the best prod- 

 ucts of the woodwork of 

 the natives of this region 

 is the dugout canoe, which 

 is made of cedar, hollowed 

 out, and worked down to 

 an even thickness. After 

 the cedar has been hol- 

 lowed out, it is steamed 



and then spread, and thus large canoes are made of graceful form 



and capable of withstanding a heavy sea. 



The basketry of the Tsimsbian is not elaborate. Simple or twilled 



woven matting is made of wide strips of cedar bark (fig. 9). Water- 

 50633°— 31 eth— 16 4 



