ANTHROPOMETRY OF THE BEAVER, SEKANI, AND 
CARRIER INDIANS 
INTRODUCTION 
This is the third report on the physical anthropometry of the Indians 
of Canada the author has made for the Division of Anthropology, National 
Museum of Canada. The first report (Bulletin No. 59) dealt with the 
Cree and Saulteaux Indians in northeastern Manitoba; the second 
(Bulletin No. 64) with the Chipewyan and Cree Indians in the region of 
lake Athabaska; and this, the third, the work for which was undertaken 
during the summer of 1929, deals especially with the Beaver Indians. 
But, incorporated in this third report is the information that D. Jenness, 
Division of Anthropology, National Museum of Canada, collected in the 
year 1923 on the Sekani, Eastern Carrier, and Western Carrier Indians. 
His notes on these three tribes he has very kindly entrusted to the author’s 
care. It is not inappropriate that these three tribes, together with the 
Beaver Indians, should be dealt with in one report, for not only do they 
inhabit adjacent territories but all four belong to the D6n6 or northern 
Athabaskan stock. 
The main purpose of the field work undertaken in 1929 was to obtain 
information on the physical characters and physical proportions of the 
Beaver Indians with the object of extending our knowledge of the Den6 
stock. To this stock, the Chipewyan Indians dealt with in the second 
report also belong. The Beaver Indians frequent the banks of Peace river. 
Since within recent years it has become known that beyond the high 
banks of Peace river there extends a wide and fertile prairie, the region 
about this great river has gradually been turned into a vast field of wheat. 
The railway track is penetrating this region and stations are being estab- 
lished every few miles. Around these stations villages are springing up, 
and from these as centres farming is enabled to spread to progressively 
wider circles. The Indians, in consequence of this invasion, are disposing 
of their reserve lands — which the homesteads of white people thus threaten 
to surround — and are taking up fresh reserves farther afield. 
The three bands of Beaver Indians visited have, or had until recently, 
reserves near Hudson Hope, Fort St. John, and Dunvegan, all of which 
are situated close to the banks of Peace river. The two other bands of 
Indians visited were living somewhat to the south of the river. Of these, 
one, the Grande Prairie band, is composed of Beaver Indians and of various 
mixed breed Indians (this band had assembled at lake Saskatoon); the 
other, composed largely of Cree Indians and Cree breeds, has its reserve at 
Sturgeon lake, where it was visited. 
In all, measurements were taken of one hundred and eighty-five 
Indians. 1 When these are sorted out according to age, sex, and stock 
they are seen, as the accompanying Table No. I shows, to fall into a 
considerable variety of groups, of which only the Beavers are represented 
J In addition to these one hundred and eighty-five Indians, lour Indians were examined for blood grouping only. 
