TE eASKAsS OF THE NORTHWEST. 
ANS ais 
The Kaskas are a small tribe of Indians 
formed of two small branches; the Ah-dus- 
ti’-nas at the junction of the McDames with 
the Dease, and the Det-tcho-ti’-nas at the 
mouth of the Dease. Little is known of 
their early history, but their old men say 
their tribe was once powerful and could as- 
semble several hundred warriors. At pres- 
ent they do not number more than 125 peo- 
ple all told. 
In appearance they closely resemble the 
Tahltans, are of medium build, fairly tall, 
athletic of frame, and, on the whole not bad 
looking. Their cheek bones are not spe- 
cially prominent, noses straight, skin fair- 
ly tieht= hain black» of ‘course; and’ eyes 
dark. They are good hunters and occupy 
one of the richest game and fur countries 
in the Northwest. 
Their hunting grounds embrace all the 
country tributary to the lower Dease— 
about I50 miles square, and a territory 
Northward on the Liard 75 x 150 miles. 
The first direct trade was opened with 
them by the Hudson Bay Company at old 
Fort Halkett early in the nineteenth cen- 
tury. Previous to this their trading was 
done through the medium of their neigh- 
bors, the~Pahltans and Wiard River In- 
dians, who gave them, in exchange for their 
furs old bottles, tin cans, etc., which they 
cherished as treasures, carrying them with 
them from camp to camp. 
The Dease River swarms with food 
fishes, the most important being trout, 
white fish, pike, grayling, and a beautiful 
little fish which they call the ‘“‘Round Fish.” 
These they take with nets. Excellent white 
fish abound in the numerous little lakes, 
and are caught in the fall in great numbers. 
Ducks and geese are plentiful in season; 
spruce partridges, dusky and ruffed grouse 
in the timber, and rock and willow ptarmi- 
gan on the elevated ridges; rabbits are 
sometimes numerous, other seasons scarce, 
and the lynx, accordingly, plentiful or rare. 
Moose are abundant throughout the entire 
territory and constitute the principal food 
of the natives; besides their skins are made 
into moccasins, the sinews furnish thread, 
babbishe for bags, snow-shoes, nets and 
snares; the hair is used to pad dog-collars; 
the leg-bones are manufactured into imple- 
ments; the marrow, larger intestines, stom- 
ach, heart, liver, kidneys, head, blood, lig- 
aments of the legs, all are eaten; hence, 
under ordinary circumstances, when the na- 
tives are through with a moose there re- 
mains but little to show what manner of 
beast he was. 
ST 
17 
‘ONE. 
Next in importance, as food, is the car- 
ibou. This is found almost everywhere in 
the mountains of this region, and large 
numbers of them and of Black Sheep are 
consumed during the hunts for foxes in 
the fall and spring. The caribou, like its 
cousin, the moose, is consumed utterly, 
even the contents of the stomach mixed 
with the blood being boiled and greedily 
eaten. The skin of the caribou is not often 
tanned for shoes, or clothing, but is used 
for beds and to line (cover?) their brush 
houses in cold or stormy weather. The 
same may be said of the skin of the sheep. 
The goat, in his rugged mountain home, 
is seldom molested by the hunters, as they 
do not like his flesh, and his skin is not val- 
uable. The beaver is hunted both for his 
fur and his flesh, of which the Indians are 
very fond. Porcupines and the mountain 
groundhog are favorite food, and the lynx 
is eaten in emergencies, but bear meat is 
never eaten if any other kind can be ob- 
tained. 
Since these people live so entirely upon 
flesh, we would expect them to be expert 
as cooks, but this is not the case. Should 
they boil, it may be eaten so soon as it be- 
comes hot, no matter how tough, or it may 
be kept boiling for twenty-four hours, just 
as accident may determine. If roasted it is 
often burned to a char. Food is scarcely 
chewed at all, but swallowed in huge pieces 
as they cut them from the mass before them. 
Very little imported food is consumed 
by the Kaskas. On their annual visit to the 
post to dispose of furs, they will indulge in 
bacon, flour, sugar, rice, and sometimes 
syrup or canned goods; but this is only a 
brief feast, after which they return to the 
mountains and their accustomed diet. 
They gather a considerable quantity of 
furs; black and grizzly bear skins, beaver, 
lynx,and marten constitute the greater part, 
a few cross foxes are caught but the whole 
tribe will not kill ten black or silver foxes 
per year; a few wolverines, and still fewer 
otters and minks are captured; they also 
market beaver, caster and tanned moose and 
caribou skins. 
The Kaskas were once ruled by a chief, 
but they do not acknowledge one now. 
Once in a while they have a medicine-man, 
but he enjoys none of the influence of his 
predecessors. They know nothing of the 
pottalclus of the Tahltans; they have no 
festivals, no games or sports, and seldom 
dance. 
Like most Indians, they are inveterate 
gamblers. Their language is practically the 

