818 REPORT— 1889. 



The Salish of the interior and the Lower Kootenay also live to a great 

 extent upon fish. They use dug-out canoes, in which they navigate the 

 lakes and rapid rivers. Fish are caught by means of hooks, but principally 

 in bagnets. Deer, elk, mountain goat, big-horn sheep, and bears are hunted 

 extensively. At the present time these tribes raise considerable numbers 

 of horses, which are used in hunting and travelling. The upper Kootenay 

 are principally hunters. They used to cross the mountains and hunt 

 buffalo on the plains. The Salish dress in the blanket, in the same way 

 as the coast tribes do ; while the clothing of the Kootenay resembles that 

 worn by the Indians of the plains. They wear moccasins, leggings, 

 breeches, and a buckskin jacket, trimmed with metal and leather fringes. 

 Men and women wear braids wound with brass spirals and trimmed with 

 beads. 



The art of pottery is unknown in British Columbia, and in the eastern 

 parts of the province little carving in wood is done. Large baskets serve 

 for cooking purposes. Stone hammers and pestles and mortars are still 

 used throughout the Province. 



I cannot give a satisfactory account of the arts and industries of the 

 tribes of the interior, as these have been supplanted by the use of Euro- 

 pean manufactures, and old implements are scarce and difficult to obtain. 



Houses. 



The coast tribes live in large wooden houses. The plan of the house of 

 the northern tribes differs somewhat from that of the Coast Salish, although 

 the mode of construction is the same. The framework of the house con- 

 sists of heavy posts, which support long beams. The walls and the roof 

 are constructed of heavy planks. Those forming the walls rest upon strong 

 ropes of cedar-bark connecting two poles, one of which stands inside the 

 wall, while the other is outside. The boards overlap each other in order 

 to prevent the rain from penetrating the house. The boards forming the 

 roof are arranged like Chinese tiles. The rain flows off on the lower 

 boards, as through a gutter. 



The house of the northern tribes is square. It faces the sea. A 

 platform of about two feet high and four feet wide runs all around it 

 inside. It has a gable roof, which is supported by one or two beams 

 resting on two pairs of heavy posts which stand in the centre of the front 

 and of the rear of the house. The door is between the pair of posts 

 standing near the front of the house. Three or four steps lead up to the 

 door, which is on the platform. Very large houses have two or three plat- 

 forms, and thus attain, to some extent, the shape of an amphitheatre. 

 The houses are generally occupied by four families, each living in one 

 corner. Small sheds are built on the platforms, all along the walls of the 

 houses. They serve for bedrooms. Each family has its own fireplace, 

 near which the enormous family settee, capable of holding the whole 

 family, stands. Some of the houses of the Heiltsuk" and Bilqula are built 

 on posts, the floor being about eight feet above the ground. In these 

 houses the fireplaces are made of earth and of stones. The Tsimshian, 

 Haida, and Tlingit make a hole in the centre of the roof for a smoke- 

 escape, while the Kwakiutl merely push aside one or two boards of the roof. 



The houses of the Coast Salish and Nootka are very long, being 

 occupied by a great many families, each of whom owns one section. The 

 roofs are highest in the rear part of the house, and slope downward 



