THE INDIANS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST. 233 



'^ It seems that the languages enumerated above represent as many 

 different linguistic stooks, so far as our limited knowledge extends."* 



A classification based on other than philological and geographical 

 groupings is out of the question at present. A comparative study of 

 the customs, habits, mythology, and beliefs of all the tribes of this re- 

 gion can alone form the basis of an ethnological classification. Charts I 

 and II show the location of the different Indian stocks on the Korth 

 West Coast. This paper, deals principally with the tribes around 

 Dixon entrance, and in our own Territory of Alaska, of which Chart I 

 shows the geographical grouping into stocks. The Kaigani, on the 

 southern part of Prince of Wales Island, are a branch of the Haidan 

 stock. On Annette Island, at Port Chester, will be seen the location 

 of the Tsimshian emigrants. This is a colony that, in 1887, under the 

 leadership of the missionary, Mr. Duncan, abandoned Metlah-Katlah- 

 British Columbia, owing to difficulties with the civil and eclesiastical 

 authorities. The Indians seem very largely to have sympathised with 

 the Eev. Mr. Duncan, as they voluntarily followed him to our own Ter- 

 ritory, where the settlement is called jSlew Metlah-Katlah. 



In Chart II no attempt is made to enumerate the tribes comprising 

 the different stocks. It is interesting, however, to observe that the 

 Bilqula are Salishan, t 



HISTORY. 



European civilization has borne with crushing force upon the Indians 

 of the Northwest coast. Demoralized aod staggered by contact with 

 the whites, the remnant of the former population is just beginning to 

 rally from the blow. Nothing places the Northern tribes higher in the 

 scale of intelligence than the philosophy with which they are adapting 

 themselves to their changed environment, retaining their advantageous 

 native customs and accepting from us only what contributes to their 

 comfort and welfare. The greatest curse to them has been alcohol, 

 and against this temptation they seem absolutely unable to struggle. 



The early European voyagers to this region have preserved in their 

 narratives rough accounts of the habits, customs, and actual condition 

 of the natives. Our earliest acquaintance dates from the visit of Ber- 

 ing in 1741, coming from the north. In 1774-'75 the Spanish navigators, 

 Juan Perez and La Bodega y Quadra, coming from the south, explored 

 the coast to the northward. In 1778 Captain Cook, having with him 

 Vancouver as a midshipman, made his celebrated visit to this region. 

 After that several mercantile companies sent ships thither to trade, 



* Science, vol. xii., No, 299, p. 194. 



t "Among the linguistic results of my journey the most interesting are the dis- 

 covery of three unknown dialects of the Salish stock and the establishment of 

 the fact that the Bilqula, who are of Salish lineage, must have lived at one time 

 yvHh other Salish tribes near the sea." — Notes on Ethnology of British Columbia (Am. 

 Philolog. Soc, Nov. 18, 1887, p. 422), by Dr. Franz Boas, 



