332 



THE POLAR WORLD. 



as a medium of exchange among the Kutchin, and Sir John Richardson re- 

 marks that no such near approach to money has been invented by the nations 

 to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains. The standard bead, and one of the 

 most value, is a large one of white enamel, manufactured in Italy only, and is 

 with difficulty procured in sufficient quantity to satisfy the demand^ as beads 

 are more prized than English cloth and blankets. 



Another article very much in request among the Kutchin is the large ribbed 

 dentalium shell which is collected in the archipelago between Oregon and Cape 

 Fairweather, and passes by trade from tribe to tribe until it finds its w^ay at 

 length to the Yukon. With this shell they adorn their mittens, and even at- 

 tach it to their guns, which have been lately mtroduced, and are in great de- 

 mand. All men carry powder and ball, whether they own a gun or not, and 

 obtain for it a share of the game. 



The tribes on the Yukon tie their hair behind in a cue, or " chignon," and 

 daub it with grease, and the down of geese and ducks, until, by the repeti- 

 tion of the process continued from infancy, it swells to an enormous thickness, 

 so that the weight of the accumulated load of hair, dirt, and ornaments causes 

 the wearer to stoop forward habitually. The tail-feathers of the eagle and 

 fishing-hawk are stuck into the hair on the back of the head, and are removed 

 only when the owner retires to sleep, or when he wishes to wave them to and 

 fro in a dance. 



The principal men have two or three wives each, while the bad hunters are 

 obliged to remain bachelors. A good wrestler, however, even though poor, can 

 always obtain a wife. 



The women do all the drudgery in winter except cooking, and do not eat 

 till the husband is satisfied. In summer they labor little, except in drying 

 meat or fish for its preservation. The men alone paddle while the women sit 

 as passengers, and husbands even carry their wives to the shore on their arms, 

 that they may not wet their feet — an instance of gallantry almost unparalleled in 

 savage life. The Esquimaux women row their own " oomiaks," and the Chepe- 

 wyan women assist the men in paddling their canoes. On the whole, the so- 

 cial condition of the Kutchin women is far superior to that of the Tinne women, 

 but scarcely equal to that of the Esquimaux dames. 



They do not carry their children in their hoods or boots like the Esquimaux, 

 nor do they stuff them into a bag with moss like the Tinne and Crees, but they 

 place them in a seat of birch-bark, w4th a back and sides like those of an arm- 

 chair, and a pommel in front resembling the peak of a Spanish saddle, by which 

 they hang it from their back. The child's feet are bandaged to prevent them 

 growing, small feet being thought handsome, and consequently short unshapely 

 feet are characteristic of the people of both sexes. A more ridiculous or insane 

 custom can hardly be imagined among a nation of hunters. 



The Kutchin are a hvely, cheerful people, fond of dancing and singing, in 

 w^hich they excel all other Indians ; leaping, wrestling, and other athletic exer- 

 cises are likewise favorite amusements. They are inveterate talkers. Every 

 new-comer arriving at a trading-post makes a long speech, which must not be 

 interrupted. The belief in Shamanism is still in full vigor among them. 



