196 LABRADOR 
The white man goes hunting, his family protected in his 
absence; the Indian, rarely separated from his family, takes 
the chances of the open for all. 
During late years, few Indians have been regular visitors 
on the eastern coast of the peninsula. For convenience 
to themselves, the Oblate Fathers have influenced the hunters 
who formerly traded at Hamilton Inlet to make the longer 
journey to Seven Islands. Irregularly a few northern 
Indians from George River have visited Davis Inlet post, 
as few as three coming down in one or two recent summers. 
The northern group turns rather toward Chimo on Un- 
gava Bay. In winter some numbers of the northern group 
may come to the east coast, but they do not bring their 
families unless under pressure of starvation, and their stay 
is brief. The number of lodges on the eastern side of the 
country depends on the movements of the caribou. These 
vary rather widely in the course of their migration, the 
main herd sometimes remaining south a year or two at a 
time. As already noted, a number of Montagnais families 
from Seven Islands hunt near the upper George River nearly 
west from Hopedale. The height of land there is one hun- 
dred to one hundred and fifty miles from the coast. All, 
or nearly all, of these families make the long Journey to 
Seven Islands at intervals, going usually by the upper 
Hamilton, Ashwanipi Lake, and the Moisie. Rather regu- 
larly some of these make a visit to the east coast in winter, 
and sometimes in summer. 
In the northern district, tributary to Fort Chimo, there 
are some forty or fifty families, according to Peter 
McKenzie. A certain number of Indians from Whale 
River also come to Chimo more or less regularly, perhaps 
