122 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



pendently a number of times, and those in the Cree dialects are 

 independent of those in the Montagnais-Naskapi ones. 



It should be noted that after three centuries the Indians of the 

 northern shore of the St. Lawrence River still have some of the 

 identical stories which can be read in the Jesuit Relations. It might 

 also be remarked that their Catholicism is superficial, shamanism is 

 found everywhere except at the posts, and at one post the writer saw 

 one of the large conjuring drums. In aboriginal belief, there is a 

 " boss of the caribou " and a " boss of the fishes " ; inside the conjur- 

 ing lodge (" the shaking lodge ") is an " interpreter " (Mistapeu and 

 variations) ; the all-high god is "he who bosses it" (Katependahk 

 and variations). An interesting observation was that at the north- 

 eastern corner of Lake Kaniapiskau a man may marry his paternal 

 aunt's daughter, but that is the only girl cousin he may marry. It 

 may be remarked that the Montagnais-Naskapi of the Labrador Pe- 

 ninsula represent the original culture of Algonquian least modified by 

 contact with other Indians. Also it should be observed that there 

 are marked individualities among the Montagnais-Naskapi just as 

 there are with us. 



A tragic element in the lives of the kindly French-Canadians who 

 inhabit the north shore of the St. Lawrence is the prevalent poverty. 

 They depend entirely for their livelihood on hunting and fishing, but 

 furs do not bring what they used to, and the salmon is not as com- 

 mon as formerly. Moreover, a number starve to death in the woods 

 every winter, as do also many Indians. 



The writer was fortunate in meeting on his journeys a number of 

 Canadian scientists, including Prof. G. Prefontaine, of the department 

 of biology at the University of Montreal, who was tagging salmon ; 

 Dr. H. F. Lewis, of the National Parks of Canada ; and T. W. Wylie, 

 of Ottawa. To these he extends his best thanks for their welcome 

 aid, as he does also to the Doctors La Vallee, of Seven Islands and 

 Bersimis, the officials in charge of the Indians at these localities. 



