184 THE HUDSON BAY ESKIMO. 



of the old crones endeavoring to make their voices heard above the 

 rest. The clerk, while trading with them, often teases them until the 

 entire number turn their voices on him, and the only relief he has is to 

 expel them all from the store and admit one or two at a time, while the 

 remainder throng the windows and shout at the top of their voices. 



During the spring, when flocks of Canada geese are winging their 

 way northward, the Indians will imitate their notes so closely that the 

 birds do not discover the source until too late. Some of the party 

 make one note, while the others imitate the other note. It seldom fails 

 to beguile the geese to the spot. 



Owing to the impossibility of getting a reliable person to teach me 

 the language of these people I was able to procure but few words. 

 The number obtained, however, is sufficient to prove that the people 

 of this region, excluding the Innuit and whites, belong to the Cree 

 branch. The Mountaineers and Little Whale river Indians belong to 

 the same stock, and the difference in their language is due wholly to 

 environment. 



The Indians and Innuit of this region are more or less directly in 

 contact. At Fort Chimo it is especially so. Here, as elsewhere, they 

 do not intermix, an Indian never taking an Innuit wife or the Innuit 

 taking a squaw for a wife. I knew of one instance whei-e a Naskopie 

 went to dwell with some Innuit camped near the mouth of the Kok- 

 soak, but after remaining away for a few days he returned to his own 

 people. 



SPECIAL ACCOUNT OF THE PEOPLE AROUND FORT CHIMO. 

 THE KOKSOAGMYrT. 



The Eskimo with whom I was brought in contact at Fort Chimo were 

 those belonging to that immediate vicinity. They term themselves 

 Koksoagmyut, or people of the Koksoak or Big river. 



The people who apply this name to themselves do not number more 

 than a score and a half. There are but four families, and among these 

 are some who belong to other localities, but now dwell with the Kok 

 soagmyut. They consider themselves a part of the people dwelling as 

 far to the north as the western end of Akpatok island, and to the east 

 as far as (icorge's river. The Eskimo dwelling between those points 

 have similar habits, and range indiscriminately over the hunting 

 grounds of that locality, seldom going farther southward than the con- 

 fluence of the Larch river or the North river with the Koksoak. 



Among these few natives now inhabiting the Koksoak valley we find 

 the men to be above the stature usually ascribed to the Eskimo. All 

 but one of the adult males are above 5 feet 8 inches. The smallest 

 man is little more than 5i feet tall. All are well proportioned and pre- 

 sent an excei)tionally good physique. Tlie females are also well pro- 

 portioned, and, in fact, appear to compare well with females of civilized 



