NO. 7 ABORIGINAL POPULATION OF AMERICA MOONEY 2/ 



The first great disturbing influence was the great smallpox epidemic 

 of 1 78 1 -2, which swept over the whole country from Lake Superior 

 to the Pacific (see Plains). There is traditional and archeologic evi- 

 dence that this epidemic was very destructive throughout British 

 Columbia, but the tribes may be assumed to have nearly made up the 

 losses from this cause in the 70 years or more that elapsed thereafter 

 before the permanent occupation of the country by the whites. The 

 coast trade, inaugurated about 1785, marks the beginning of steady 

 decline, which proceeded rapidly to almost complete extinction of the 

 coast tribes after the advent of the miners about 1858, and the con- 

 sequent wholesale demoralization of the natives. The interior tribes 

 have suffered much less in proportion from this cause, but these, how- 

 ever, have been greatly reduced by repeated visitations of smallpox 

 and other epidemics, of which the most destructive was the smallpox 

 epidemic which swept the Phaser River country and northward along 

 the coast in 1862. In 1852-3 the Nootka tribes of Vancouver Island 

 also lost heavily by this disease. Famine and intertribal wars have 

 also been important factors in the decrease, although the tribes of 

 this section have almost entirely escaped the evils of removal and 

 war with the whites. 



Athapascan 1780 1906 



■" Naanees," andi 

 "Tahltans" of ' 



Babine and 1 2,000 374 



Cassiar agen- 

 cies. J 



Strongbow 500 350 



Beaver — see Canada, Central 



Sekani tribes (only 212 attached to an agencj-, ;'. c. 



Haida (Masset & Skidegate tribes of Queen Charlotte 500 (?) 



Babine tribes 3.500 600 



Carrier tribes 5,000 876 



Chilcotin 2,500 400 



Tsetsaut ( Nahane tribe, Iskoot River & Portland canal ) 35o( ?) Extinct 



Stuwihamuq (of Nicola valley) 150 Extinct 



Kitunahan 



Kutenai 1,200 1,122 * 



Skittagetan 

 Haida (Masset & Skidegate) tribes of Queen Charlotte 



Islands, B.C.) 8,000 599 



Haida (Kaigani) of Prince of Wales Island, Alaska.. 1,800 200 (?) 



Nahane tribes, excl. of those of 

 Yukon Territory, etc. 



Amount carried forward 28,200 5,02i 



' Of these 573 were in Montana, U. S., and 549 in British Columbia. 



