124 



NOTES ON THE TINNEH OR CHEPEWYAN INDIANS 



nor do they know how. Their implements for fishing are the bag for salmon, the 



bar for the fish in the small rivers, a hook and a spear. They also make a small 



fish out of bone and hang it upon a line in the water ; when the pike approach it 



they spear tbem. To make a spear a pole about nine feet long is taken, a 



spike driven into the elid, on each side of which is a flexible piece of bone 



or wood, with a nail or sharp piece of bone attached to it, both pieces of bone 



pointing inwards and upwards. When 



a fish is struck, the two jaws, if I may 



call them so, are forced open, and the 



spike driven into the back of the fish, 



and in jerking up the spear the two Fisli spear. 



nails or pieces of bone in the jaws either stick fast in the sides of the fish or 



meet under its belly, thus preventing it from falling off the spike. The hooks 



are niade and baited in the following manner : The pinion of a goose is taken, 



and the smaller bone is sharpened and fastened hook-shape to the larger ; a 



piece of fish-skin is cut the shape of a fish and sewed on 



the hook; that part representing the head is at the point of 



the hook; ihat representing the tail is where the bones have 



crossed each other ; a line is then knotted to the larger bone, 



and all is complete. Muskrats are taken in a scoop, after 



breaking the rat-house, and beaver with a gaff or net bag, 



after breaking into their houses, or shot swimming down the 



rivers. 



There are several kinds of berries eaten here, principally 

 the cranberry and a kind of blue berry. They also eat a 

 kind of root ; I do not know the botanical name for it, but it 

 grows on sandy ground, is sweet, and when roasted tastes 

 like parsnips. 



The Kutchin do not practice agriculture at all, and their 

 only domestic animals are their dogs, miserable creatures 

 no larger than foxes. They do not make any intoxicating 

 drinks whatever, but are passionately fond of tobacco ; this 

 they of course learned from the whites. Most of the Kutchins 

 smoke in the same manner that we do, but some of the tribes 

 use the same pipe as the Esquimaux, and swallow the smoke, 

 has a wooden stem twelve inches long, slightly curved upwards; the bowl is well 

 represented by the half of a reel for winding sewing cotton upon, and the hole 

 in the pipe is about the same as 

 that in the spool. A pipe is of 

 this shape ; the bowl is made 

 of metal; they do not smoke 

 pure tobacco in it, but mix it 

 with scrapings of willow. 



The Kutchin still retain the 

 bow, which is of the same shape, 

 through all the tribes, with the 



Baited fish hook. 

 This kind of pipe 



Pipe. 



exception of the small guard in the Hong-Kutchin bow, mentioned before. The 

 quiver is the same, and worn under the left arm ; it is furnished with two small 

 loops to hold the bow, thus leaving the hunter both haudsfreeto use hisgun. The 

 arrows are placed in the quiver with the notch downwards. The Kutchin are not 

 expert Avilh the bow ; no doubt they Avere better shots before fire-arms were in- 

 troduced among them. The bow is made of willow, and will not send an arrow, 

 with sufficient force to kill a deer, more than from fifty to sixty yards. The 

 arrows are made of pine. 



Trade. — The Kutcha-Kutcliin, among whom the fort is built, are traders ; 

 they make very little for themselves, but buy from the other Indians; their 



