Their Dress, Like That Of The Wahkiacums,
Consists Of A Short Robe And A Tissue Of Cedar Bark.
Their hair hangs
loosely down the shoulders and back; and their ears, neck, and wrists
are ornamented with blue beads.
Another decoration, which is very
highly prized, consists of figures made by puncturing the arms or legs;
and on the arms of one of the squaws we observed the name of J. Bowman,
executed in the same way. In language, habits, and in almost every
other particular, they resemble the Clatsops, Cathlamahs, and, indeed,
all the people near the mouth of the Columbia, though they appeared
to be inferior to their neighbors in honesty as well as spirit.
No ill treatment or indignity on our part seemed to excite any feeling
except fear; nor, although better provided than their neighbors with arms,
have they enterprise enough either to use them advantageously against
the animals of the forest, or offensively against the tribes near them,
who owe their safety more to the timidity than the forbearance
of the Chinooks. We had heard instances of pilfering while we
were among them, and therefore gave a general order excluding them
from our encampment, so that whenever an Indian wished to visit us,
he began by calling out `No Chinook.' It is not improbable that this
first impression may have left a prejudice against them, since, when we
were among the Clatsops and other tribes at the mouth of the Columbia,
they had less opportunity of stealing, if they were so disposed."
The weeks remaining before the party set out on their return were passed
without notable incident. 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.
"But the most curious workmanship is that of the basket.
It is formed of cedar-bark and bear-grass, so closely interwoven
that it is water-tight, without the aid of either gum or resin.
The form is generally conic, or rather the segment [frustum]
of a cone, of which the smaller end is the bottom of the basket;
and being made of all sizes, from that of the smallest cup
to the capacity of five or six gallons, they answer the double
purpose of a covering for the head or to contain water.
Some of them are highly ornamented with strands of bear-grass,
woven into figures of various colors, which require great labor;
yet they are made very expeditiously and sold for a trifle.
It is for the construction of these baskets that the bear-grass
forms an article of considerable traffic. It grows only
near the snowy region of the high mountains; the blade,
which is two feet long and about three-eighths of an inch wide,
is smooth, strong, and pliant; the young blades particularly,
from their not being exposed to the sun and air, have an appearance
of great neatness, and are generally preferred. Other bags
and baskets, not waterproof, are made of cedar-bark, silk-grass,
rushes, flags, and common coarse sedge, for the use of families.
In these manufactures, as in the ordinary work of the house,
the instrument most in use is a knife, or rather a dagger.
The handle of it is small, and has a strong loop of twine
for the thumb, to prevent its being wrested from the band.
On each side is a blade, double-edged and pointed; the longer
from nine to ten inches, the shorter from four to five.
This knife is carried habitually in the hand, sometimes exposed,
but mostly, when in company with strangers, is put under the robe."
Naturally, all of the Columbia River Indians were found
to be expert in the building and handling of canoes.
Here their greatest skill was employed. And, it may be added,
the Indians of the North Pacific coast to-day are equally
adept and skilful. The canoes of the present race of red
men do not essentially differ from those of the tribes
described by Lewis and Clark, and who are now extinct.
The Indians then living above tide-water built canoes of smaller
size than those employed by the nations farther down the river.
The canoes of the Tillamooks and other tribes living on the seacoast
were upwards of fifty feet long, and would carry eight or ten
thousand pounds' weight, or twenty-five or thirty persons.
These were constructed from the trunk of a single tree, usually
white cedar.
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