6 
MUSEUM BULLETIN NO. 6. 
there, who themselves came from the west coast along the Arctic 
or oftener by the Colville route. 
There is no information available as to the rapidity of trade 
movement between the western edge of the Mackenzie delta and 
Baillie island (Cape Bathurst), for the people of these places 
almost formed one community, visiting backwards and for- 
wards, and there were no set trade expeditions. It is, however, 
only conservative to say that the winter from October to March 
would easily give an article time to get as far east as Cape Parry, 
from where journeys are said never to have been made to Nelson 
head except late in March or early in April, If our hypothetical 
knife had been on its journey 200 years ago, it would no doubt 
have found then, as we would find now, that well into April the 
Prince Albert Sound people of Victoria island are at Nelson head 
hunting bears. They soon start east, however, for they do not 
spend their summers in Banks island. By the middle of May the 
entire tribe nears the head of Prince Albert sound and here a few 
sleds, bent on trade to the eastward, hurry ahead. They ascend the 
Kagloryuak, descend the Ekalluktok, and meet the Ekalluktog- 
miut on Albert Edward bay. A few sleds of this tribe join them 
and all proceed south to the Asiagmiut, whom they find near 
Ogden bay. A portion of this tribe also is going south to the 
Akilinik river, and representatives of the three tribes join forces. 
They cannot go far by sled, for summer overtakes them, but 
loading their dogs and themselves with backloads they “pack” 
south until they reach Back river, where they find people of that 
locality with whom they trade and who ferry them in their 
kayaks across the river. Resuming their “packing” they pro- 
ceed to the Akilinik above Schulze lake, reaching it in mid- 
summer, two years from the time our knife was traded for on 
the west coast of Alaska. On the Akilinik are Hudson Bay 
Eskimo, or at least Eskimo from near Hudson bay, come to get 
wood and to trade with the westerner. Sometime during the 
coming winter our knife, if bought by them, might reach salt 
water. We can say then that the minimum time in which an 
article by this route could pass from western Alaska to Hudson 
bay is about two and one-half years. Possibly so rapid a transfer 
never took place, but we may double the minimum and say with 
