ox THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 647 



were ordinarily built in pairs facing each other and with a common fire 

 between. At the present time the winter houses are of logs, often very 

 well built, and in summer tents are iised, canvas for the purpose being 

 obtained from the whites. 



It was said that formerly the canoes of this tribe were made of bark 

 stretched over wooden ribs. Both bow and stern were sharp, and were 

 not raised above the level of the rest of the canoe. The largest of these 

 canoes would carry about ten men. Later and at the present time the 

 canoes are dug-outs from single logs. 



Cooking was done by roasting or boiling, the latter by means of hot 

 stones in water tight baskets of bark or woven fibre. The hot stones 

 were manipulated by tongs of wood. 



The weapons used in war were bows and arrows and war clubs, the 

 latter made of a stout stick about the length of the arm with a stone head 

 fastened by leather thongs. None of these weapons are now in existence 

 apparently. Spears with points made of the horn of the mountain sheep 

 were used in hunting, but not in war. The arrow points were of stone. 

 Fishing spears with detachable heads of bone were formerly very common, 

 but are now rai-ely seen, and a large bone hook fastened to a rod like a 

 gaff was also sometimes used. 



In war a sort of wooden armour was worn over the chest and back as 

 far down as the waist. This protection, in shape like a sleeveless shirt, 

 was made of tough sticks about an inch in diameter, fastened together 

 with leather thongs, and was sufficient to turn arrows. The head was 

 also protected by a thick leather cap covering the entire head except the 

 face. According to the only obtainable account of war decorations, the 

 upper part of the face was painted black and the lower part red. Besides 

 the leather helmet, war head-dresses were worn of the skins of birds and 

 of the heads of animals, so arranged that the beak or mouth came forward 

 over the forehead. The most popular skin for such head-dresses was said 

 to have been that of the raven. Any man who was a di yi'n would wear 

 the skin of his own protecting bird or animal. 



Ear ornaments were formerly quite universally worn by both sexes, 

 and usually in the form of small buttons of various matei'ials attached to 

 short strings and suspended from the lobes of the ears, which were pierced 

 for the purpose. Older people are still found with pierced ears, but the 

 pendants are seldom seen. Rings v/ere also worn in the ears, but the 

 Chilcotin say that this was a coast custom which they adopted, and was 

 not so common as the other. 



Nose ornaments of rings and straight bars inserted through the septum 

 were also worn. One old man further described a lip ornament as a small 

 straight bar piercing the upper lip, but this was not confirmed, and no 

 description of labrets was obtained. 



Tattooing appears to have been pretty universal, the face, chest, arms, 

 smd legs being the parts most favoured. Little information as to designs 

 could be obtained, but it was asserted that there was no difference in the 

 designs used by the two sexes. This is of course doubtful. The materials 

 used in the tattooing process were bone needles and charcoal. 



In general the decorative art of the Chilcotin was very slightly 

 developed. They did not carve their weapons or utensils, and the 

 basketry designs were and are of the simplest character. 



It was said that in the old days cremation was used in the disposal of 

 the dead, the ashes being afterwards buried. Since the arrival of the 



