150 THE ARCTIC PRAIRIES 



men's tent with its weather-proof roof and the Indian 

 teepee with its cosy fire. (See cut, p. 149.) 



Not one of these lodges that I saw, here or elsewhere, 

 had the slightest suggestion of decoration. 



For people who spend their whole life on or near the 

 water these are the worst boatmen I ever saw. The 

 narrow, thick paddle they make, compared with the 



broad, thin Iroquois 

 paddle, exactly ex- 

 pressed the difference 



a. Chipewyan paddle. 6. Iroquois between the two as 



canoemen. TheChip- 



ewyan's mode of using it is to sit near the middle and 

 make 2 or perhaps 3 strokes on one side, then change 

 to the other side for the same, and so on. The line 

 made by the canoes is an endless zigzag. The idea of 

 paddling on one side so dexterously that the canoe 

 goes straight is yet on an evolutionary pinnacle be- 

 yond their present horizon. 



In rowing, their way is to stand up, reach forward 

 with the 30-pound 16J-foot oar, throw all the weight 

 on it, falling backward into the seat. After half an 

 hour of this exhausting work they must rest 15 to 20 

 minutes. The long, steady, strong pull is unknown 

 to them in every sense. 



Their ideas of sailing a boat are childish. Tacking 

 is like washing, merely a dim possibility of their very 

 distant future. It's a sailing wind if behind; other- 

 wise it's a case of furl and row. 



By an ancient, unwritten law the whole country is 

 roughly divided among the hunters. Each has his 



