The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1883-05-26

Or8y 8 narDOI, lltc NdtlouS ulucS Va
Indians, who, as hunters and fishers.
are as fearless and hardy as any race
of aboriginal men in the known world.
Until the incoming of the white man
and the appliances of civilization their
entire support was drawn from the
ocean, which, in their light canoes-a
simple shell hollow from the trunk of
q giant cedar-they daily visited, to
catch the halibut and seal-the one
furnishing their food, the other their
raiment. But it was to pursue a no
bier game than these that brought their
daring qualities in full play. 1t WAS
in chase of the mighty whale they
found at once their greatest pastime and
the main source of their livelihood.
With no boats but their canoes, with no
weapons but their bone-pointed spears,
and for lines, ropes made of twisted
sealskin or the tough inner bark OF the
cedar, they sought the leviathan on the
deep and slew him. These exploits form
the theme of many of their songs and
stories, sung or told around the fires in
the large and comfortable houses on the
coast and at the potlaches and other
festivities with which they fill in the
gloomy days of winter, when the stormy
weather prevents their going out to
sea.
drunken, whorthless yagabonds that so
many of their brethren on the sound
have become. The fatal influences OF
the white mans civilization have
reached them, but in moderate degree,
and so far have tended rather to elevate
than degrade them. They still hunt the
pwhale, but it is with the harpoon and
lance and whale line, and the homes to
which they return with their spoils are
| in many cases built in strong and neat
manner of sawed lumber, with glass
windows and paneled doors. Few of
them speak English and great portion
do not know the Chinook" the jargon
of the Indian traders. With all their
primitive wants readily supplied by the
expenditure of but slight toll, and with
abundance of ready money from the
sale of sealskins and whale oil, their
condition is much better than that of
many a white who looks down with
contempt on the siwash. The whaling,
| which was formerly the main resource,
has been superseded of late years by
the much more profitable sealing BUSH
ness, which in the past furnished them
with but their clothing, but now brings
them large sums of money, and as a
consequence all the comforts and even
the luxuries of civilization which they
either desire or know how to enjoy, but
it is still followed when opportunity
presents itself with the ardor Of former
days.
The whaling canoes are somewhat Of
the general model Of all the Indian
canoes of this part of the world, but on
| larger scale and very much thicker,
the better to stand the rough usage they
receive. Their weapons consist of har-
poons, lances with long, sharp point
Of copper, short coils of manila line and
numerous bladders made Of whole seal
skins, with all the apertures tied az
with sinew, full of air, and with the flu
in. The writer, last fall, while on I
visit to Quillute, some forty miles below
Cape Flattery, where small tribe of In
dams live, had the pleasure to witnes.
the capture of a whale, and more excit
ing sport we never engaged in. w,
were standing on hill in the neighbor
hood of the Indian village, when sud
den commotion among the Indians at
tracted our attention. A shouting boz
rushing wildly past was hailed, bu
simply uttering some wild yells ant
! pointing toward the ocean he rushe,
on. Following the direction OF his fin
ger we saw the foamy spray from tn
nostrils of blowing whale thrown int
the air, and moment later momenta
ry glimpse of his broad black back. w
rushed toward the beach and jumpe'
} hurriedly into one of the larger canoes
and in few moments, mixed up in tn
bottom of the canoe with collection O
harpoons, sealskin bladders, lances
! ropes, etc, and amid chorus of yell
and whoops that would have made tn
: incurable ward of an insane asylum
, seem as quiet as church social befor
} supper, we were off. Four other canoe
accompanied us, but the fifth, throug
some mishap, was capsized in the SUI
} and was delayed too late for the first q
the sport. The dozen or more paddle
: in each canoe flashed like lightning a
; each one strained every nerve to di:
lance its competitors for the glory an
profit of getting the first harpoon.
Soon we were upon the monster, who
l lolling lazily along, paid no heed to tn
7 demonstrations of his puny assailanti
: But he was rudely awakened. tn
l foremost canoe darted forward an
, 'thud' went the heavy harpoon int
his broad back, buried nearly to tn
shaft. The canoe was stopped and SUI
: denly backed, and none to soon, fc
with suddenly and terrific smash {
: his fiukes on the water, barely missin
9 the nearest canoe, he sounded. A nun
> Der of sealskin bladders, fast to tn
! harpoon line, were thrown over, and eac
I, canoe, in turn as it came up, made fa'
I with line to the foremost canoe. u
. came the monster and with fearf,
. lurch all four canoes were dragge
through the water at a fearful rate 9
D lac f<~r c.