A General History of the Fur Trade. 83 



from whence it proceeds to the waters of the river Colum- 

 bia; and follows that river to latitude 52. 24. North, and 

 longitude 122. 54. West, where the Chepewyans have the 

 Atnah or Chin Nation for their neighbours. It then takes 

 a line due West to the sea-coast, within which the country is 

 possessed by a people who speak their language,* and are 

 consequently descended from them : there can be no doubt, 

 therefore, of their progress beingtothe Eastward. A tribe 

 of them is even known at the upper establishments on the 

 Saskatchiwine ; and I do not pretend to ascertain how far 

 they may follow the Rocky Mountains to the East, 



It is not possible to form any just estimate of their num- 

 bers, but it is apparent, nevertheless, that they are by no 

 means proportionate to the vast extent of their territories, 

 which may, in some degree, be attributed to the ravages of 

 the small-pox, which are, more or less, evident throughout 

 this part of the continent. 



The notion which these people entertain of the creation, 

 is of a very singular nature. They believe that, at the first, 

 the globe was one vast and entire ocean, inhabited by no 

 living creature, except a mighty bird, whose eyes were fire, 

 whose glances were lightning, and the clapping of whose 

 wings were thunder. On his descent to the ocean, and 

 touching it, the earth instantly arose, and remained on the 

 surface of the waters. This omnipotent bird then called 

 forth all the variety of animals from the earth, except the 

 Chepewyans, who were produced from a dog; and this 

 circumstance occasions their aversion to the flesh of that ani- 

 mal, as well as the people who eat it. This extraordinary 

 tradition proceeds to relate, that the great bird, having 

 finished his work, made an arrow, which was to be preserv- 

 ed with great care, and to remain untouched ; but that the 

 Chepewyans were so devoid of understanding, as to carry it 

 away : and the sacrilege so enraged the great bird, that he 

 has never since appeared. 



They have also a tradition amongst them, that they ori- 

 ginally came from another country, inhabited by very wick- 

 ed people, and had traversed a great lake, which was nar- 

 row, shallow, and full of Islands, where they had suffered 

 great misery, it being always winter, with ice and deep 

 snow. At the Copper-Mine River, where they made the 

 first land, the ground was covered with copper, over which 



* The coast is inhabited on the North-West by the Esquimaux, and on 

 the Pacific Ocean by a people different from both. 



