THE WESTERN DENES. 137 



that tliey are coiled or woven according to the method described and 

 illustra,ted by Professor 0. Mason in the Smithsonian Report for 1884/ 

 bnt with this difference that all those T have seen among the Chilh- 

 ;i^otins are broad-mouthed and wallet-like instead of having the shape 

 of a jar characteristic of the specimen illustrated by the learned 

 Professor. 



Another industry more diffused among the Western Den^s is the 

 weaving or knitting of rabbit skins into robes or blankets. They 

 begin the process by cutting each skin with the hair on in one single 

 narrow strip which they knit or rather twist and weave on wooden 

 frames of the required size. 



Their mocassins, gloves and mittens are of cariboo or deer skin 

 dressed in this wise : After having subjected the skin when fresh to 

 a slight drying process, they scrape off any particle of flesh or fat 

 adherent thereto with a bear bone chisel-like tool such as that 

 illustrated by figure 8. Then, the hair is i^emoved with a scraper- 

 formed of the tibia of a caiiboo (figure 9.) after which it is thoroughly 

 rubbed with the brain of the animal and put aside until needed for 

 immediate use. In that event, after having passed a night soaked in 

 cold water, it is subjected to several rinsings in warm water alternat- 

 ing with repeated scrapings until, being quite dry, soft and pliable, 

 it is given the form of a bag and placed over a fire or rather the 

 smoke of vegetable detritus started in a hole in the ground. When 

 it has been thus thoroughly smoked on both sides, it is ready for use- 



The same process is followed when tanning or dressing moose skins 

 except that owing to the peculiar tenacity of the hair, a short curved 

 knife is used instead of the bone sci^aper. Out of these skins they 

 make the bear and cariboo snares mentioned in a previous paragraph. 

 These snares consist simply of babiche-like ropes twisted together 

 into a line which is outwardly protected from moisture by the inner 

 bark of the red willow wrapped around it. The Chilh^^otins plait, 

 instead of twisting these lines and thus obtain very neat and strong 

 ropes. 



As if conscious of their inferiority as workmen, the Western 

 Denes made but few attempts at carving. Yet, in some of their 



1 Annual Report, etc. Part ii., p. 294. Plate v. 



