The Journal Is Chiefly Occupied With Comments
On The Weather, Which Was Variable, And Some Account Of The Manners
And Customs Of The Indian Tribes Along The Columbia River.
At that time,
so few traders had penetrated the wilds of the Lower Columbia that
the Indians were not supplied with firearms to any great extent.
Their main reliance was the bow and arrow.
A few shotguns were seen
among them, but no rifles, and great was the admiration and wonder with which
the Indians saw the white men slay birds and animals at a long distance.
Pitfalls for elk were constructed by the side of fallen trees over which
the animals might leap. Concerning the manufactures of the Clatsops,
they reported as follows: -
"Their hats are made of cedar-bark and bear-grass, interwoven
together in the form of a European hat, with a small brim of about
two inches, and a high crown widening upward. They are light,
ornamented with various colors and figures, and being nearly
water-proof, are much more durable than either chip or straw hats.
These hats form a small article of traffic with the whites,
and their manufacture is one of the best exertions of Indian industry.
They are, however, very dexterous in making a variety of domestic utensils,
among which are bowls, spoons, scewers [skewers], spits, and baskets.
The bowl or trough is of different shapes - round, semicircular,
in the form of a canoe, or cubic, and generally dug out of a
single piece of wood; the larger vessels have holes in the sides
by way of handles, and all are executed with great neatness.
In these vessels they boil their food, by throwing hot stones into
the water, and extract oil from different animals in the same way.
Spoons are not very abundant, nor is there anything remarkable
in their shape, except that they are large and the bowl broad.
Meat is roasted on one end of a sharp skewer, placed erect before
the fire, with the other end fixed in the ground.
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