Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-01-08
NATIVES OF ALASKR
soIi3e of the Strange Customs Which 0pee
vail Among the Thlinkets.

SoIi3e of the Strange Customs Which 0He9
vail Among the Thlinkets.
Alaskan music is not unlike Chinese
in its monotony. The instrumental
music is extracted principally FROM a
guitar of two strings. But there can be
no doubt of the Ehlin9et's musical apti-
Guide. This is shown by the children ae
the mission schools All Alaskans Dave
the same difficulty as the Chinese in
pronouncihg and .. RheumaSiss be-
comes numstfsns everya ebly: esorys
stoly; years, yeabs. Pronunciation varies
with the situation of the letter.
Ahideous popularity OF the Thlin7kets
is the wearing among the womep OF
CHAT is called ehe ''labrette'' iD q slie
made below anS horizontal With Che
moush. Oddly eAoagh, among the &skie
mos the men often i0sert similar aSrocie
ties en- the coraers of their mouths
When the girls arrive at the age of
fourteen or fifteen the ceatee OF the
under lip is perforated. and 9iese OF
copper wire Introduced IS prove the
aperture from closing. This aperture
g gradually heightened and the sgoodep
Or ivory ornaments are enlarged in proc
oortion till they are frequently inc
CREASED to three and even four inches
IN length, enS almost equal ssidth.
This generally happens whe4 Che ma
tron is advanced iR gears en6 che
muscles are relaxeA
The labrette is hollowe6 ouS on each
side like a spoon, though not quite so
deep; the edges are likewise followed
in the form of 0 pulley IN order to fix
CHS precious erna1ent moro }frnepY to
Che lip.
1t is rare now oG the coSst Go see Ga
orettes worn by 9Oung womeas They
think them foolisho having been severe
7y criticised by che whites an9 Sol2 that
they were ugly. Vanity prevents them
from distorting theip not too pleasing
faces; but / sag many labrette worn
by old womeno and hideous enough was
Che spectacle.
1t is said-5 &ill not voach fog tho
truth of the sta5ement-thas this orna-
ment is sometimes as usefuA as it has
heretofore been considered ornamental,
oHording a firm hold for the fair fingers
OF their possessors when engaged in
drunken broils.
The Thliukets, like othe9 native
CAGES. are hospitable to faula When
On Indian has a surplus of food ne is
aot happy until his friends help bim to
Cat it up. What they can not devour on
qhe spot they are expected to carry
away. A host is offended i9 his guests
do not partake Of every thing set be-
fore them; if strangers are among the
visitors, four or five feasts are not un-
common in a single day. When Judge
Swan was anticipating such an infiic-
ton, his Indian companion warned him
got to eat too much lest he should be
sick and not able to eat unto the bitter
end.
The pot is always on the fire and the
food is almost all boiled, although flour
and water of forbidding texture is often
fried.
'Muck-a-muck'' is seaweed. 1t looks
not unlike tobacco, and is chewed, but
when cooked with vinegar it is said to
be good to eat
The leaves of the bearberry or kinni-
kinick are mixed with tobacco for
smoking to exc out the precious mar.
cotic. These leaves are used for the
same purpose by all North American
Indians. Once they were pounded in
mortars. still extant. but of no further
use, for tobacco has superseded the ma.
tive plant, and small Indian boys are
seen smoking the effeminate cigarette
with marvellous nonchalance Spruce
gum is the women's JOY. Their jaws
are perpetually going, and the expec
toration is-generous.
Though the Thlinkets are apparently
very dirty, owing to never changing
their clothes until the latter are ready
to drop off in rags, still they wash them
selves daily, and are never so persisten
in bathing as during the winter
Corporal punishment is the greatest
disgrace that can be indicted ON man
ana IL rarely resorted to. saving when
boy refuses to battle iii cold water. The,
argunent IS punstuated BY beading Will
sticlA which Il considered less as
puuishms9tfbS a. q means Ut harden
mg ~ - 5-n6ss flSl1s ws1nazS