^ESTIMONY TAKEN AT BARCLAY SOUND AND ELSEWHERE 

 ON VANCOUVER ISLAND. 



Dc2)ositio)i of ClinrUe, Nltnat Indian, scaler. 



pelagic sealing. 



State of Washington, 



County of Clallam, ss : 

 Charlie, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I am a native Nitnat 

 Indian, and belong to the tribe of Indians on Vancon- 

 Experienee. ver Island, British Colnmbia. I am 55 years old and 



reside at Pachenah Bay on Vancouver Island, British 

 Columbia. I am by occupation a hunter and fisherman and have been 

 so engaged ever since I have been able to paddle a canoe or spear a fish. 

 Perkins 1891 ^ scalcd out froiu Ncali Bay in the C. C. Perlxins in 

 1891, and this year I am sailing on James G. Sican. 

 ^ James G. Swav, ^ntil the last eight or ten years I sealed out of Pache- 

 nah Bay with my tribe in canoes. We used to seal in 

 the Straits of Juan de Fuca and up and down the coast from 10 to 20 

 miles off. Between that time and last year I went sealing from Pache- 

 nah and sealed up and dowM the coast between Columbia River and 

 Barclay Sound, from 20 to GO miles off the coast. I am familiar with 

 all the bays and inlets on the west coast of Vancouver Islan.d. I do 

 not know of any place on this coast where seals haul 

 brSdin|on°clast^ '"' i^P »«<! brccd, uor have I heard the Indians on Van- 

 couver Island talk about any such place. Seals do not 



^ _ Pelagic birth impos- ^..^^ ^.^^^ ^^ ^j^^.^ y^^^^^^. .^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^, ^^^ ^j^^ j^^^^^ 



Years ago seals were very plentiful from 5 to 10 miles 



from the shore. I could see them all around in bunches of from ten to 



twenty each, but since the white man has commenced 



Decrease. ^ ^^.j^' ^^^^^^ ^^.^^ ^^^^ ^^.^^ ^^^^^ shotguu (in the last five 



or six years), they have decreased very rapidly. 



About ten years ago the first British schooner came into Pachenah 

 Bay to get Indian hunters, and have been coming in there ever since, 

 increasing in numbers year by year, till now there are nearly one hun- 

 dred sealing schooners on the coast hunting seals. About seven years 

 ago they commenced to kill seals with rifles and a lit- 

 Firearms. tlc later they used shotguns, but I have always hunted 



with the spear; but very few Indians that go from Pachenah Bay or 

 from Neah Bay use guns; we prefer the spear, because we are afraid 

 that if we use guns they will get frightened away and not come ba(3k 

 again, and also because we lose a great many of the seals that we 

 shoot, but with the spear we make no noise and get 

 Success with the almost all that we hit. There are about 100 seal 

 hunters that live at Pachenah Bay and make their 

 304 



