$60 FISHERIES OF THF UNITED STATES. [90] 



ABORIGINAL APPARATUS. 



IMPLEMENTS USED BY THE INDIANS OF CAPE FLATTERY AND THE 

 ESKIMO TRIBES OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 



THE INDIANS OF CAPE FLATTERY. 



The Indians of Cape Flattery are the only representatives of their 

 race south of Alaska who engage actively and energetically (for In- 

 dians) in whaling within the limits of the United States. It may, there- 

 fore, be of interest to give some account of this people ; and to that end 

 I have compiled the following data from the " Indians of Cape Flat- 

 tery"* by James G. Swan : 



The Makah Indians inhabit the region of Cape Flattery, at the en- 

 trance to the Strait of Fuca, Washington Territory, reserved for them 

 under the "treaty of Neah Bay," in 1855. They are of medium height, 

 with a good development of muscle, some of them being well propor- 

 tioned and of unusual strength. Some have black hair, very dark brown 

 eyes, and dark copper-colored skin ; others have reddish hair, and a few 

 have flaxen locks, light-brown eyes and fair skin, which may be attrib- 

 uted to an admixture of white blood of Spanish and Russian stock;t 

 Their tribal name is " Kwe-nait-che-chat." 



All matters pertaining to the government of this tribe are submitted 

 to a council, at which the opinions of the old men usually prevail, though 

 the women are permitted to speak on subjects pertaining to theirrights 

 or in which they are concerned. Formerly the strongest chief, pos- 

 sessed of the most friends and the greatest influence, governed the tribe, 

 but at present, notwithstanding there are several in every village who 

 claim to be descendants of chiefs, their power as rulers is not recognized, 

 though they are treated as belonging to the aristocracy, and are listened 

 to in council. They are also invited to the feasts when councils are held, 

 receive a share of all presents, and their proportion of whales. 



The Makahs are temperate, perhaps from a virtue of necessity, as the 

 sale of intoxicating liquors is prohibited on the reservation. They are 

 not active in vocations or pursuits other than fishing and whaling, and 

 obtain some of their supplies by barter from neighboring tribes and 

 white men. They devote very little time to agricultural pursuits or to 

 the capture of land animals, but excel in the management of canoes, 

 making long voyages from land for fish, and fearlessly attacking the 

 whale. They manufacture their own fishing apparatus, and take es- 



* Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, 220. 



f "In Holmberg's work will be found an account of the wreck of a Russian ship, the 

 survivors of whose crew lived several years among the Makahs. As late as 1854 I saw 

 their descendants, who bore in their features unmistakable evidence of their origin." 

 — George Gibbs. 



