We Were Also Visited By Several Men And Women,
Who Offered Dogs And Fish For Sale; But As The Fish Was Out Of Season,
And At Present Abundant In The River, We Contented Ourselves With Purchasing
All The Dogs We Could Obtain.
"The nation among which we now are call themselves Sokulks;
with them are united a few of another nation, who reside on a western
branch which empties into the Columbia a few miles above the mouth
of the latter river, and whose name is Chimnapum.
The languages
of these two nations, of each of which we obtained a vocabulary,
differ but little from each other, or from that of the Chopunnish
who inhabit the Kooskooskee and Lewis' rivers. In their dress
and general appearance they also much resemble those nations;
the men wearing a robe of deer- or antelope-skin, under which a few
of them have a short leathern shirt. The most striking difference is
among the females, the Sokulk women being more inclined to corpulency
than any we have yet seen. Their stature is low, their faces are broad,
and their heads flattened in such a manner that the forehead
is in a straight line from the nose to the crown of the head.
Their eyes are of a dirty sable, their hair is coarse and black,
and braided without ornament of any kind. Instead of wearing,
as do the Chopunnish, long leathern shirts highly decorated with beads
and shells, the Sokulk women have no other covering but a truss or piece
of leather tied round the hips, and drawn tight between the legs.
The ornaments usually worn by both sexes are large blue or white beads,
either pendant from their ears, or round the neck, wrists, and arms;
they have likewise bracelets of brass, copper, and born, and some
trinkets of shells, fishbones, and curious feathers.
"The houses of the Sokulks are made of large mats of rushes, and are generally
of a square or oblong form, varying in length from fifteen to sixty feet,
and supported in the inside by poles or forks about six feet high.
The top is covered with mats, leaving a space of twelve or fifteen
inches the whole length of the house, for the purpose of admitting
the light and suffering the smoke to escape. The roof is nearly flat,
which seems to indicate that rains are not common in this open country;
and the house is not divided into apartments, the fire being in the
middle of the enclosure, and immediately under the bole in the roof.
The interior is ornamented with their nets, gigs, and other fishing-tackle,
as well as the bow of each inmate, and a large quiver of arrows,
which are headed with flint.
"The Sokulks seem to be of a mild and peaceable disposition,
and live in a state of comparative happiness. The men,
like those on the Kimooenim, are said to content themselves with a
single wife, with whom the husband, we observe, shares the labors
of procuring subsistence much more than is common among savages.
What may be considered an unequivocal proof of their good disposition,
is the great respect which is shown to old age.
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