9& Cordova's Voyage of Disc&veri/ 



head constantly uncovered, so that, if* it were properly taken 

 care of, it would become line and long ; its colour is black. 

 Some among them had beards ; but they were very thin, and 

 far from common. 



The women are somewhat shorter than the men, and have 

 nothing- characteristic in tlieir countenance ; but evince an ex- 

 treme care in covering wdiat nature dictates to be concealed, 

 as well as their breasts, which are generally large and hanging 

 low down. So sharp and delieateis the voice of the women, as to 

 differ from thatof tlie men much more than is observed between 

 the sexes in any other place with which we are acquainted. 



The principal ornament of these Indians is a cap or bonnet of 

 feathers, worn only by the eldest among the men ; they also 

 paint the face, legs, and other limbs, with various stripes., 

 white, red, and black, which only render their appearance 

 more disagreeable ; they take vast pains in this part of their 

 ornament, as we could observe, particularly when they were 

 to come on-board our frigate. The skin of a sea^wolf, or a 

 seal, throw^n over the shoulders, and descending as low as the 

 middle of the leg, which they fasten to the waist with a cord 

 made of the entrails of fish, is all they use for dress and to 

 defend them from the weather, except a sort of apron made 

 of feathers, which hangs before them : sometimes they ^vore on 

 their feet a piece of the same skin, fastened and drawn round 

 the ancle like a purse. The women wore this skin-cloak not 

 only fastened round the waist, but they also brought it round 

 under their arms, securing it round the neck, so as entirely to 

 cover the bosom. 



One part of dress, peculiar to women of all ages, is to wear 

 round the wrist a sort of bracelet made of the entrails of fish ; 

 the same they also place round the small of the leg above the 

 heel. 



Both men and women have a cord tied round the head like a 

 coronet, which, in some measure, confines and keeps up the 

 hair. Round tiie neck some of them wore strings of beads, 

 as they may be called, made of small shells tolerably well pre- 

 pared ; or else many turns of a small cord made in form of a 

 necklace, made of entrails offish. 



Children of both sexes are commonly quite naked ; and we 

 could not help wondering at the great bulk of their bellies, 

 which, however, return to their proper size, in proportion as 

 they grow up. This appearance is perhaps owing to their 

 never using any kind of bandages or swaddling clothes; for 

 when their children are born, they are laid ligliily on some 

 skins of young seals, and the mothers commonly carry thgm 



