290 AVOYAGETOTHE 



^ xin ^' ^^^ women being very fond of long hair, which is con- 



•- ' fidered as a great ornament. At the death of a friend the 



AagiL hair is cut off pretty fhort, which feems to be the general 



ue ay 21. j^Q^^j-jn^jj^g q^ ^\[ Indian tribes. The women wear the hair 



either clubbed behind or tied up in a bunch on the crown 

 of the head ; the men wear theirs either loofe or tied at 

 the crown. The method of drefllng the hair with birds- 

 down is only pradifed by the men. The women in ge- 

 neral are hair-dreffers for their huibands, which office they 

 feem to perform with a great deal of dexterity and good- 

 nature. 



Polygamy I think is not pradlifed here, as I never ob- 

 ferved any one of them to have more than one woman 

 whom he feemed to confider as his wife, to whom they 

 pay very ftridl attention and treat with a great deal of af- 

 fedion and tendernefs : you cannot affront them more than 

 by attempting to make advances to their wives. They 

 likewife are very fond of, and remarkably affectionate to, 

 their children. The women are the keepers of their trea- 

 fures or riches, which they generally have in a box or 

 bafket, and always take the lead in fafliions, which they 

 fhew by the placing of their ornaments, or fixing fuch a cu- 

 riofity to be the favourite of the day. It is not the cuflom 

 with thofe people, as with the South Sea iilanders, for the 

 men and women to eat feparately, nor are the women 

 confined to eat meats of a particular defcription ; but for 

 men, women, and children, to fit down indifcriminately 

 at their meals, which chiefly confift of fifh of different 

 kinds ; fuch as falmon, which they have in the greateft 

 abundance, muffels, and various other {hell-fifh, fea- 

 otters, feals, and porpoifes j the blubber of the porpoife 

 I they 



