ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 583 
trustworthy, so far as they are founded upon the author’s own observa- 
tions; but unfortunately he has not always referred to his informants, 
so that it is impossible to distinguish what he has observed himself 
from what he has learnt from hearsay. The linguistic part of his 
book is taken almost bodily from an anonymous work by a Catholic 
missionary, named Knipping, ‘Some Account of the Tahkaht Language 
as spoken by several tribes on the Western Coast of Vancouver Island ’” 
(London, 1868), which latter book has remained almost unknown. The 
power of observation exhibited in the descriptions of the author, how- 
ever, is not to be depreciated. I confine myself in my description to 
recording the new facts that I have observed or learnt by inquiries 
among the older Indians. 
The Nootka consist of twenty-two tribes, the names of which are 
derived from the names of the districts they inhabit. The tribes speak 
closely allied dialects of the same language. North of Barclay Sound 
the changes of dialect are so gradual that it is impossible to draw any 
distinct lines between them. It seems that the dialects of Cape Flattery 
and of Nitinat Sound are also very closely affiliated. Thus it appears that 
the tribes of the Nootka stock may be divided into three groups speaking 
distinct dialects, but all intelligible to each other. The following is a list 
of these twenty-two tribes :— 
I. 1. Tlai/asath=ontside people . . Cape Flattery. 
2. Patcina/ath é : : . San Juan Harbour. 
ot Na‘tinath:, . ; 3: x . Nitinat Sound. 
II. 4, Ho/aiath . F : 5 
5. Hauteu’k tlés’ath x 
6. Ekilath=bushes on hill people 
7. Hatea/ath . ; : : - Barclay Sound. 
8. Ts’éca/ath . : 
9, Tok’oa/ath . 
10. Hopetcisa’th 
Ili. il. Yutli’lath : A F . Northern entrance 
Barclay Sound. 
12. Tlad/kwiath ; ; 
13. Keltsma/ath=rhubarb people 
14. A’hansath . ‘ . ; Clayoquaht Sound. 
15. Ma/noosath = houses on _ spit 
people. 
16. He’ckwiath : : : 
17. Mo’atcath . 5 . : | 
18. Mo’tclath . . : : Nootka Sound. 
19. Nutea’tlath | 
20. Hvhatisath . : 
21. Kayd’kath . : : : 
22. To’é’k‘tlisath=large cut in bay } North of Nootka Sound. 
5 people. 
(Tlahosath). 
__ Thave given the last name in parentheses, as even on special inquiry 
Idid not hear anything about this tribe, which is the last in Sproat’s 
