338 EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



Dixon (1787) says of the Sitka Indians: 



The chief of the tribe lias always the entire management of all the trade belonging 

 to his people, and takes infinite pains to dispose of their furs advantageously. * * • 

 The moment a chief has concluded a bargain he repeats the word Coo coo twice, with 

 quickness, and is immediately answered by all the people in his canoe with the word 

 Whoah, pronounced in a tone of exclamation, but with greater or less energy, in pro- 

 portion as the bargain he had made is approved. * 



In general notes on the northwest coast the same author says : 



Whenever any large party came to trade these treasurers [dance paraphernalia] 

 were first produced, and the principal persons dressed out in all their finery before 

 the singing commenced. In addition to this, the chief (who always conducts the vo- 

 cal concert) puts on a large coat, made of elk skin, tanned, round the lower part of 

 which is one or sometimes two rows of dried berries or the beaks of birds, which 

 make a rattling noise whenever he moves. In his hand he has a rattle, or more 

 commonly a contrivance to answer the same end, which is of a circular form, about 

 9 inches in diameter, and made of three small sticks bent round at different distances 

 from each other ; great numbers of birds' beaks and dried berries are tied to this 

 curious instrument, which is shaken by the chief with great glee, and in his opinion 

 makes no small addition to the concert. Their songs generally consist of several 

 stanzas, to each of which is added a chorus. The beginning of each stanza is given 

 out by the chief alone, after which both men and women join and sing in octaves, 

 beating time regularly with their hands or paddles; meanwhile the chief shakes his 

 rattle and makes a thousand ridiculous gesticulations, singing at intervals in differ- 

 ent notes from the rest; and this mirth generally continues near half an hour with- 

 out intermission.! 



The song which was usually sung on such occasions is reproduced 

 from the same volume (p. 243), in Plate lvi. 



As mentioned, the course of the slave trade was from the south to 

 the north and from the coast inland. The Tsimshian were the middle 

 men, and were, and are still, the great traders in oil and grease, of 

 which they prepare large quantities from the eulachon, seal blubber, deer 

 and goat flesh. Computed in blankets, the euiachon grease or oil now 

 brings one blanket for from 10 to 15 pounds. With the disappearance 

 of the sea-otter, the Haida, with great foresight and judgment, began 

 the cultivation of the potato, which was first introduced amongst them 

 by an American ship-captain. Dunn (1834) says: "Ihave known from 

 500 to 800 bushels being traded in one season from these Indians 

 (Haida) at Fort Simpson." | It is not unusual now to see fleets of 

 canoes coming in from the Queen Charlotte Islands bringing pota- 

 toes, etc., and towing new canoes to trade or sell. The Hudson Bay 

 Company now has a "guest house" near its post, to accommodate the 

 visiting Indians who come to trade with them. Ordinarily, however, the 

 visiting Indians are the guests of their own gens at the Tsimshian vil- 

 lage near by. Large fleets now also visit Victoria each spring and fall 

 from the north, not only to trade, but too often, unfortunately, for im- 

 moral purposes. 



* Dixon, Voyage, p. 189. iJUd., pp. 242, 243, J: Dunn, Oregon, p. 204, 



