32 



NASHAMOIESS NASHEAKUSK 



[b. a. e. 



branches, except around the central fire- 

 place; the smoke escapes through an 

 opening in the top of the tipi where the 

 supporting poles are brouglit together. 

 The place of honor is the side opposite 

 the fire. Poles extend across the tipi for 

 the suspension of pots and kettles, and 

 hunting appai'atus, clothing, etc. are 

 hung in convenient places. The outer 

 edge of the interior is slightly raised 

 above the center of the floor, affording a 

 slope for the occupants when sleeping 

 with their feet toward the fire. Sweat 

 lodges of small ])oles covered with tent 

 skins are in common use, and are heated, 

 as usual, by means of hot stones on which 

 water is poured. The domestic utensils 

 of the Nascapee consist of thin vessels of 

 spruce or birch, of various sizes, for hold- 

 ing liquids and for use as drinking cujis; 

 berry dishes or baskets of birclibark, 

 sewed like the wooden vessels with split 

 roots; baskets of birchbark with buck- 

 skin top and draw-string; bags made of 

 the skins of reindeer legs sewed together; 

 and spoons or ladles of wood nicely carved. 

 They are inordinately fond of smoking, 

 chewing, and snuffing tobacco — the lat- 

 ter, however, is practised only among 

 the aged, especially the women. When 

 camped at the trading posts the Indians 

 boil together tobacco and molasses, to 

 which water is added; this compound is 

 drunk until stupefaction ensues. Pipes 

 are made usually of sandstone or slate, 

 with stem of spruce, often ornamented 

 with beadwork, and are valued according 

 to the color of the stone. Transportation 

 and traveling are conducted by means of 

 canoes made of slats or ribs covered with 

 birchbark, sleds ortoboggans ( ta-baf!-kan), 

 and snowshoes of four styles framed with 

 wood and netted. Bows and arrows are 

 now almost discarded for guns; but blunt- 

 pointed arrows are still used for killmg 

 small game, and by boys. The reindeer 

 spears, already referred to, consist of a 

 shaft 6 ft long with a steel head made 

 from a flat file. Reindeer snares are 

 made of reindeer parchment cut into thin 

 narrow thongs and plaited, or of tanned 

 skin. Beaver are sometimes trapjied in 

 a sort of net. Knives, awls, ice scoops 

 and picks, hair combs and comb cases, 

 porcupine tails for cleaning the comba, 

 and fishing tackle are among the neces- 

 sarv implements of every Nascapee house- 

 hold. 



The chief amusements of the men are 

 games of draughts or checkers, of which 

 they are exceediijg[y fond, and cup-and- 

 ball. Feasts, acTtmipanied by dance and 

 ceremony, may be given by a man who 

 has been unusually successful in hunt- 

 ing. Drums and drum-like rattles are 

 used for musical accompaniments in their 

 ceremonies; other rattles, as well as bows 



and arrows, which are shot at efligy tar- 

 gets, are used by the boys, while elabo- 

 rately costumed dolls are made for the 

 girls. Like other tribes the Nascapee 

 have an abundance of folktales, the chief 

 subject of which are the animals common 

 to their environment. In these tales the 

 wolverene seems to play a prominent 

 part. (See Turner in 11th Rep. B. A. E., 

 267etseq., 1894.) 



On account of their wandering habits, 

 the nature of their country, and their 

 mixture with the Montagnais, it is im- 

 ]iossible to give an exact statement of 

 their numbers. In 1858 they were esti- 

 mated at about 2,500. In 188-4 the Nas- 

 kapee of the lower St Lawrence were 

 officially reported to number 2,860, and 

 the Indians of Lal:)rador and e. Ruperts 

 Land were returned as 5,016. In 1906 

 there were 2,183 INlontagnais and Nasca- 

 pee officially noted as such, and 2,741 

 unnamed Indians in the interior, 1,253 

 of whom were in the unorganized territo- 

 ries of Chicoutimi and Saguenay. See 

 Montagnais, NUchequon. 



Cunoskapi. — Laure (1731) quoted by Hind, Lab. 

 Penin., i, 34, 18C3 (misprint for Ouneskapi). Es 

 ko-piks. — Walch, Map Am., 1S05; Nascopi. — 

 Stearns, Labrador, 2&>, 1884. Nascopie, —McLean, 

 Hudson Bay, ii, 53, 1849. Nascupi, — Stearns, Lab- 

 rador, 262," 1884. Naskapis.— Hiicquart (1733) 

 quoted by Hind, op. cit., 11. Kaskapit. — Kiiigsley, 

 Stand. Nfit. Hist., pt. G, 149, 1885. Naskopie,— 

 Turner in 11th Rep. B. A. E., 183, 1894. Nasko- 

 pis.— Kingsley, Stand. Nat. Hist., pt. 6, 149, 1885. 

 Naskupis. — Hocquart (1733) quoted by Hind, Lab. 

 Penin., n, 96, 1863. Naspapees, — Stearns, Labra- 

 dor, 262, 1884. Nasquapees. — Ibid. ( correct form). 

 Nasquapicks. — CartwriLcht (1774) quoted by Hind, 

 Lab. Penin., n, H)l, 1863. Ne ne not. — Turner in 

 11th Rep. B. A. E., 183. 1894 ('true men': own 

 name). Neskaupe. — Kingsley, Stand. Nat. Hist., 

 pt.6, 148, 1885. Ounachkapiouek,— Jes. Rel. for 1643, 

 38, 1858. Ounadcapis.— Stearns, Labrador, 262, 

 18S4. Ounascapis.— Hind, Lab. Penin., I, 275, 1863. 

 Ounescapi, — Bellin, map, 1755. Scoffies. — Gallatin 

 in Trans. Am. Ethnol. Soc, ii, ciii, 1848. Secof- 

 fee.— Brinton, Lenape Leg., 11, ls,s5. Shoiida- 

 munk.— Gatschet in Trans. Am. Pliilos. Soc, 409, 

 1885 ('g(K)d Indians': Beothuk name). Skoffie. — 

 Writer ca. 1799 in Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., 1st s., vi, 

 16, 1800. TJnescapis.— La Tour, map, 1779. TJngava 

 Indians.— McLean, Hudson Bay, Ii, 53, 1849. 



Nashamoiess. An Algonquian village in 

 the s. E. part of Marthas Vineyard, Mass., 

 in 1<)59.— Cotton in Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., 

 Ists., I, 204, 1806. 



Nashanekammuck. A former Algon- 

 quian village at Chilmark, Marthas 

 Vineyard, Mass. In 1698 the inhabitants 

 numbered 231. 



Nashanekammuck.— Rep. of 1698 in Mass. Hist. Soc. 

 Coll., Ists., X, 131, 1809. Nashouohkamack. — Ibid., 

 1,204, note, 1.SU6. Nashouohkamuk, — Mayhew, Ind. 

 Converts, 13. 1727. Nashuakemmiuk, — Cotton in 

 Ma.ss. Hist. Soc. Coll., 1st s., i. 204, 1806. 



Nasheakusk ('Loud Thunder'; also 

 spelled Nashashuk, Nasheshuk, Nasues- 

 kuk, Nasheaskusk, Nasheescuck, etc.). 

 The son of Black Hawk and his wife 

 Asshawequa ('Singing Bird'). He was 

 the eldest of Black Hawk's three chil- 

 dren, the others being Nasomsee or 

 Gamesett, a son, and Namequa, a daugh- 



