BUSHNELL] VILLAGES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI 9 
yet during the long winters when the lakes were frozen and the land 
was covered by several feet of snow there were periods of want when 
food was scarce. 
The habitations and other structures of the Ojibway, which have 
already been described and figured (Bushnell, (2)), were of various 
forms, constructed of several materials, and varying in different 
localities, according to the nature of the available supply of barks 
or rushes. 
In the north, on the shores of Lake Superior and westward along 
the lakes and streams, as in the valley of Red River and the adjacent 
region, the majority of structures were covered with sheets of birch 
bark, secured to frames of small saplings. 
About the year 1804 Peter Grant, a member of the old North-West 
Company, and for a long period at the head of the Red River De- 
partment of the company, prepared an account of the Sauteux In- 
dians, and when describing the habitations of the people, wrote: 
“Their tents are constructed with slender long poles, erected in the 
form of a cone and covered with the rind of the birch tree. The 
general diameter of the base is about fifteen feet, the fire place 
exactly in the middle, and the remainder of the area, with the ex- 
ception of a small place for the hearth, is carefully covered with the 
branches of the pine or cedar tree, over which some bear skins and 
old blankets are spread, for sitting and sleeping. A small aperture 
is left in which a bear skin is hung in lieu of a door, and a space is 
left open at the top, which answers the purpose of window and 
chimney. In stormy weather the smoke would be intolerable, but 
this inconvenience is easily removed by contracting or shifting the 
aperture at top according to the point from which the wind blows. 
It is impossible-to walk, or even to stand upright, in their miserable 
habitations, except directly around the fire place. The men sit 
generally with their legs stretched before them, but the women have 
theirs folded backwards, inclined a little to the left side, and can 
comfortably remain the whole day in those attitudes, when the 
weather is too bad for remaining out of doors. In fine weather they 
are very fond of basking in the sun. 
“When the family is very large, or when several families live 
together, the dimensions of their tents are, of course, in proportion 
and of different forms. Some of these spacious habitations resemble 
the roof of a barn, with small openings at each end for doors, and 
the whole length of the ridge is left uncovered at top for the smoke 
and light.” (Grant, (1), pp. 329-830.) And referring briefly to 
the ways of life of the people: “In the spring, when the hunting 
season is over, they generally assemble in small villages, either at 
the trader’s establishment, or in places where fish or wild fowl 
