240 REPOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



aud of thi3 habits and best modes of capture of ail sor ts of niaiiue ani- 

 mals. On shore they are rather disappointing as hunters, as they are 

 not at all cool headed. Their superstitions, beliefs, and practices of 

 witchcraft, sorcery, slavery, and shamamism do not necessarily place 

 them on a very degraded intellectual plane when we compare their 

 practices and beliefs with those of other savage tribes. 



They possess a fair knowledge of human nature ; have good oratorical 

 powers ; are communicative when diplomatically approached ; have a 

 keen sense and appreciation of the grotesque ; and have a great sense of 

 wit and humor, as they laugh immoderately at the antics of the dancers, 

 the witty remarks of the clowns, and the grotesque carvings erected in 

 ridicule of the whites or of their neighbors. Placing implicit confidence 

 in the truth of their legends and the reliability of their carved columns, 

 they have an immense respect for graphic characters. Anything writ- 

 ten on paper or carved is per se credible, and they attach the greatest 

 value to a letter of recommendation written by a white man, irrespec- 

 tive of the sentiments expressed by the writer. 



MORAL CHARACTERISTICS. 



Judged by our standard, these Indians of the north have fallen by the 

 way side. Judged by their primitive ethi|;al conceptions, as compared 

 with those of the surrounding tribes when they first came in contact 

 with the whites, they may be said to be distinguished by the great prog- 

 ress they had themselves made in morals. When first visited by the 

 early voyagers these Indians, like all others on the coast, were bold, 

 arraut thieves. With them it was not dishonorable to steal, and, if 

 caught, restitution settled the matter. On the other hand, they dis- 

 criminated, and seldom or never stole from a guest, and never robbed 

 one of their own totem. With them, to-day, an unwatched camp or an 

 unlocked house is sacredly respected, and the most valuable property 

 cached in the woods, as is the Indian custom, is as safe from other In- 

 dians as if guarded night and day. Unfortunately, white men have set 

 some very bad examples in this respect, and the Indians have been 

 more often sinned against than sinning. 



They have great respect for the aged, whose advice in most matters 

 has great weight. Some of the older women, even bond women in 

 former times, attain great influence in the tribe as soothsayers, due as 

 much to their venerable appearance as to any pretense they may make 

 of working medicine charms. They are remarkably fond of and indul- 

 gent to their children, rarely chastising them. As between the sexes, 

 the rights of the women are respected and the terms of equality on 

 which the men and women live are very striking to most visitors of this 

 region. Although marriage is essentially by purchase, and the question 

 of morality and immorality of the wife solely one of sanction by the 

 liusband, yet even this restriction is centuries in advance of their 

 jiortheru neighborsj the Aleuts apd Konig^gaSj with whom promiscuity 



