344 SCIENCE IN Rupert's land. 



their own appellation, while the latter was given to them by th« 

 whites. There is, however, another division among them, of a more 

 interesting and important character than that of the tribes just men- 

 tioned. Irrespective of tribe, they are divided into three classes, 

 termed respectively Chit-sa, Nate-sa, and Tanges-at-sa — faintly repre- 

 senting the aristocracy, the middle classes, and the poorer orders of 

 civilized nations : the former being the most wealthy, and the latter 

 the poorest. In one respect, however, they greatly differ, it being the 

 rule for a man not to marry in his own, but to take a wife from either 

 of the other classes. A Chit-sa gentleman will marry a Tanges-at-sa 

 peasant without the least feeling of degradation. The offspring in 

 every case belongs to the class of the mother. This arrangement has 

 had a most beneficial effect in allaying the deadly feuds formerly fre- 

 quent among them. I witnessed a contest this summer, but it was far 

 from being of a disastrous nature. The weapons used were neither the 

 native bow nor imported gun, but the unruly tongue, and even it was 

 used in the least objectionable way. A chief, whose tribe was in dis- 

 grace for a murder committed the summer before, met the chief of 

 the tribe to which the victim belonged, and in the presence of all 

 commenced a brilliant oration in favour of the latter and his people, 

 while he feelingly deplored his own and his people's inferiority. At 

 once, in the most gallant way, the offended chief, in a speech equally 

 warm, refused the compliments so freely offered, and returned them 

 all with interest upon his antagonist. This lasted for an hour or two 

 when the offender, by a skilful piece of tactics, confessed himself so 

 thoroughly beaten that he should never be able to open his lips again 

 in the presence of his generous conqueror. Harmony was the inevi- 

 table result. 



" The dress of all is pretty much the same. It consists of a tunic or 

 shirt reaching to the knees, and very much ornamented with beads 

 and ioqua shells from the Columbia. The trousers and shoes are 

 attached, and ornamented with beads and shells similar to the tunics. 

 The dress of the women is the same as that of the men, with the ex- 

 ception of the tunic being round instead of pointed in front. 



"The beads above mentioned constitute the Indian's wealth. They 

 are strung up in lengths in yards and fathoms, and form a regular 

 currency among them. A fathom being the standard, and equivalent 

 to the "made beaver" of the Company. Some tribes, especially the 

 Kutch-a-Kutchin, are essentially traders, and instead of hunting 



