ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 569 



(dqlcd'iyfihwd'nam, felt hat; dtla'tlqo, straw hat) adorned with various 

 charms or ornaments. The Indians frequently pierce these felt hats with 

 many holes or whiten them with a sort of pipeclay. 



In the olden time the dress of the Kootenays was different. The skin 

 of the moose {ne' ts\id' fM) furnished them with shirt and leggings. They 

 also made ornamented shirts of buckskin, and the women had a special 

 dress for festal occasions. The Lower Kootenays still make these fine 

 shirts, which are often punctured with holes and highly ornamented with 

 bead-work, bits of silk, and strips of otter and weasel skin. The 

 moccasins were made the same as those in use now. The Lower 

 Kootenays used to make them out of the skin of the horse. No hats 

 were in use. The Indians wore broad bands of wolf (Jcd'qkin) or coyote 

 {slci'nhuts) skin around the forehead and sides of the head, leaving the 

 top bare. This probably survives in the narrow band of cloth which 

 some of the older Indians still wear in like manner. More recently, the 

 Upper Kootenays made little caps of skunk {ad'aas) skin, and very 

 beautiful ones from the skin and feathers of the loon (nottlu'kwen). 



Very many of the Indians wear a breech-clout even when they assume 

 the European dress. 



Haik-dkessing (hotcu'ktldmd'mek, I comb my hair). 



Many of the Kootenays wear their hair long and flowing. Numbers 

 of the Lower Kootenays wear their hair cut short : this is less common 

 amongst the Upper Kootenays, although favoured by the Mission. Most 

 of the adult Kootenays braid (Jio' nitl'i! tltliikwa' tcktland' mek, I braid my 

 hair) their hair in one or more braids {kd' tltUikwa' tcktldm, my braid), 

 and ornament these with silk, bits of fur, &c. Three braids, one down 

 the middle of the back and one over each ear, are common. In the old 

 days the rule for both men and women was two braids, one over each 

 ear. The hair was not cut. 



Ornaments and Charms. 



a 



The Kootenays are profuse in the ornamentation of their persons. 

 From the hats, belts (dqk'd'mtam), shirts, and leggings of the men are sus- 

 pended twisted silk, beaded cords, gay ribbons, strips of fur, &c. Strings 

 of weasel (md'iyuk) fur appear to be most in favour, one Indian having as 

 many as twenty dangling from various parts of his dress. Around the 



Fig. 10.— Knife-sheath of leather studded with brass tacks. This is possibly of 



white workmanship. 



hats strings of beads, silk, strips of fur, and bands of bright-coloured 

 cloth are worn. The belts, pouches {d'qkvtld'ko), moccasins, &c., are 

 often finely worked with designs of leaves of plants, animals, &c., in silk 

 or beads. From the necklace {d'na) and belt are suspended bits of ore or 



