52 
ice in the springtime, or again for hunting wild fowl on small lakes when 
no canoes are available. They are of the crudest manufacture and were 
probably always fastened as they are now by any pieces of line which might 
serve the purpose. 
Cases are known of the Satudene constructing skin boats like those 
of the Shi-ta-dene who inhabit the mountains west of Norman. These 
boats are capacious and adapted for the descent of large, fast, and shallow 
rivers. They vary in length from 20 to 40 feet. The rather heavy frame 
of spruce is covered wdth untanned moose skins, eighteen or twenty being 
used for a boat 30 feet long. The craft depends largely on the current of 
the stream for its motive power, although oars are used and also a large 
sweep which, with its oarlock made of a curled spruce root, lends distinction 
to the whole appearance. As has been stated, this type of boat has been 
known to be constructed by members of the Satudene on rivers that flow 
into Great Bear lake, but it is an example of cultural borrowing for the 
sake of experimentation rather than for any need for this craft as it exists 
among the Mountain Indians. 
Snow-shoes and Toboggans — Winter Travel. Snow-shoes are used 
throughout a great part of the year and are of three general types, which 
differ in size though each varies to some extent with the size of the wearer. 
The smallest type is used almost exclusively for following in a trail or 
breaking trail when there is comparatively little snow. 
Typical specimen of small snow-shoe or trail-shoe: the shoe is made 
of birch, is 38 inches long, and is turned up 5| inches in front. The side 
pieces vary in thickness from f inch where they are spliced together at 
the ends to f inch in the middle of the shoe; they vary in width from \ 
inch at the turned up ends to inches in the middle. There are three 
cross struts of which the first is inserted at the place of turning at the 
front of the shoe 34^ inches from the rear end. The second strut, which 
is directly in front of the toes when the shoe is worn, is 6^ inches long, 
1| inches wide, and \ inch thick. The third strut, which is directly behind 
the heel, is 5 inches long, 1 inch wide, and \ inch thick. The second strut 
is 26| inches from the rear end of the shoe, and the third is 14 inches. 
Such shoes are always made of birch or spruce, the former being preferable. 
The average Indian workman can make a pair of such snow-shoe frames 
in about three hours. An Indian has been seen to return from the woods 
during the winter with two green spruce poles about 6 feet long, which 
were leaned against the fire to thaw; then with a drawknife he rapidly 
stripped them of their bark and gave them shape, oblong in section and 
without corners, thinning them down to about half an inch at one end. 
He next tested the flexibility of the ends over his knee and trimmed them 
to his satisfaction. He then made notches a few feet from the thinned 
ends to secure a cord. After putting the thinned ends in the fire for a 
minute, he bent the last 6 inches around the ball of his foot until an arc 
of about 90 degrees was formed. This was attained by considerable 
effort, several attempts being made before the angle was satisfactory, 
but finally he made fast the cord mentioned before. He matched one 
side with the other until both were bent evenly and then deeply incised 
the outside of each tip, closing the notches slightly by biting them with 
his teeth. The insides of the tips were trimmed slightly at an angle and 
