ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 193 



nothing is to be seen but the rudely made box and some kind of a flag 

 flying above it. When a chief dies his favourite pony is brought and 

 killed at the door of his tent; his body is then laid out in his own teepee, 

 often in a sitting position, and all his possessions are spread around him; 

 the edges of the tent are wedged down and secured with stones, then the 

 teepee is closed and left. This is called a ' death teepee.' Travellers 

 sometimes come across a solitary teepee with no signs of life around it, 

 and on looking in are horrified to see a decomposing corpse. There is 

 great grief when a person dies. The people weep and howl over the dead 

 bodies of their friends. It is usual also for the friends to throw their 

 blankets and other valuables into the coffin before it is closed. A mother 

 has been known to wrap her last i-emaining blanket around her dead infant, 

 even in the middle of winter. Mr. Tims told me of a father walking 

 sevei'al miles barefoot through the snow to bury his little child, having 

 given his moccasins to the dead infant. The graves of the dead are 

 visited by the living ; the people often come and hold a feast with the 

 departed spirits, setting aside portions of food for them. The Blackfeet 

 seem to have no dread of ghosts or spirits, and do not mind handling 

 dead bodies. It is not an unusual thing for a ' death teepee ' even to be 

 rifled by those bent on plunder. 



Physical Development. 



I picked out, as nearly as I could, an average Blackfoot Indian — his 

 name was Boy Chief, aged 44 or 45 — and measured him from head to foot, 

 the result being as follows :— 



ft. in. 



1. Height from ground to vertex 6 8| 



2. „ „ meatus auditorius . . . .5 2* 



3. „ „ chin 4 ll| 



4. „ „ top of sternum . . . . 4 7^ 

 li; „ „ elbow (bent) 3 5| 



5. „ ,, umbilicus 3 4^ 



7. „ „ fork 2 7| 



12. „ „ tip of finger (hanging vertically) . 2 2| 



8. „ „ knee-cap joint 1 "^1 



16. Circumference of chest at armpit 2 llA 



„ „ mammEe 2 9| 



18. „ at haunches 2 8| 



26. Span — outstretched arms 5 11 



27. „ thumb to middle finger 8| 



28. Length of thumb 2f 



foot 10| 



13. Height- sitting on the ground 2 10 



30. Head — greatest circumference (over glabella) . . .1 lOj 

 41. „ length of face, root of nose to chin . . . . o 4| 



32. „ arc meatus audit, over head to chin . . . . 1 2^ 



31. ,, ,, root of nose to inion 12 



33. „ „ over glabella 1 0^ 



The hair of the Indians is black, straight, somewhat fine, and abundant 

 in quantity ; it grows to about 3 feet in length, and is put up in large 

 plaits, one on each side of the face, and generally one or more at the 

 back. There is no hair on the face ; if any grows it is very little. The 

 few stray hairs that appear are plucked out with small iron tweezers. The 

 colour of the skin, not exposed to the air, is No. 21 (two other persons 

 agreed with me on this point), and of the eye, No. 1 towards the centre 

 and No. 16 towards edge of iris. 



1887. 



