29 



seldom any amount of niiistaclie. In liabits and dress, the people of pcripli- 

 eral settlements show usually some influenee of the differing, Ijut adjacent, 

 people with whom they are brought in contact. Their manners and dress 

 are no^v rapidly altering by intercourse with traders. I am informed that 

 many of the peculiarities noted by me, when the International Telegraph 

 Expedition first brought its explorers into contact with these people, have 

 become obsolete or are rapidly passing away. 



TENAN'-KUT-CniN' 



= Tcnan'-Kiilchhi, Dall 1. c, Ibeir own tribal name. 



? Tschinlcalcii of WraugoU, bairy men. 

 = Kolchalna of tbe Russians (among otber tribes). 

 = Gens dos Butlcs of Fort Yuliou HuJson 15ay men. 

 = Moitntain-mtn of autbors. 



The name of this people signifies "mountain men", as that of their river, 

 the Tananah', signifies the river of mountains. They occiipy the watershed 

 of the Tananah', which has been visited very recently for the first time by 

 Ketchum and other white men, but is not, properly speaking, yet explored. 

 When we met them in 18G6, this tribe was almost in a state of nature. Once 

 a year, without their women, they descended the Tananah' in birch canoes, 

 in full accoutrement of pointed coats, beads, feathers, and ochred hair, to 

 trade at the neutral ground of Nukhikayet ; or, failing to be pleased there, 

 ascended the Yukon to Fort Yukon, and there awaited the arrival of the 

 annual bateaux. With the goods purchased, they then retired to their fast- 

 nesses, and were seen no more until another year. No 'white man or Indian 

 of other tribe had penetrated the wilds in which they pursued the deer and 

 trapped the fox and sable. Their reserve, fierce demeanor, and the mystery 

 which surrounded their manner of life had its effect on the imagination of 

 the adjacent tribes, Avho seemed to fear the strangers, and had many tales, 

 smacking of the marvelous, to tell of them. This is now changed, and the 

 account which I have elsewhere given of them will have a kind of historical 

 interest. 



They appear to have certain localities where they establish huts of very 

 flimsy constniction, but move about a large part of the year, and cannot be 

 said, therefore, to have strictly permanent villages. They live chiefly by 



