The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-24

through the bank in various places, but they
cannot easily De found until the bank falls
GOWN and exposes them. Evidently from time
ininemoriai, bones or tusks have been found
here, al the Claiiam Indian name for Port
Williams lie Nsdi-iga, meaning "boues"
hr. Eells values the specimens very highly as
they are interesting additions TO his collection,
which now includes about 5000 specimens of
Indian and geological relics and minerals
which he has gathered during his eighteen
years WORK as a missionary among the Skoko-
nish and Clallam Indian tribes
REGARDING his experience among the Indians
MI Eells tells some interesting stories. He
says those tribes are very quiet aud have never
participated in any Indian wars or trouble
OF any kind; that they are very peacesble with
each other, have good schools and. like all the
Indians on the Sound, take readily 10 the man
ners and customs of the whites. Tie says the
Indians seen in the cities are not fair samples
OF those who stop On the reservation filling the
SOIL; that the skokomish Indians and the Clal-
lams IN the vicinity OF Dungeness and Elwha
are quite thrifty and intelligent most OF the
families having from three to ten acres OF land
under cultivation, raising potatoes and hay
chleny; that the Clallams in the vicinity OF
Fort Gamble work in the mill and most OF the
remainder live by hunting and fishing.
one important fact stated by Mr.. Eells was
mat Doth those tribes are fast dwindiin g
away. At present he says there about 200
skokomish and 40 Clallams, but the death rate
Is very great among children from birth until
they reach the age OF years. Ii they pass this
age and begin going to school and learning
cleanliness, the chances of becoming diseased
lessen. This proves that the lack OF cleanliness
is largely responsible for the large death rate
in children. Besides this, Mr.. Eells says, hered-
itary diseases are prevalent TO great extent
He feels sure that unless this death rate can be
reduced, the two tribes will become extinct be-
lore great many years roll by.
Another interesting fact not generally known
is that Indians get sea sick very easily. MI
Eeiis says he has frequently been out with them
in canoes and they would become feariully sick.
About ten years ago he and number OF Indians
were shipwrecked in a large canoe between
Port Angeles and Dungeness, and came near
drowning, but they were not far from shore and
all got out in safety, though he was knocked
down several times by the waves, which were
breaking on the beach in a fearful manner.
The Indians in this region, he says, had a
Messiah craze about nine years ago, and though
they made no violent demonstrations, they be-
came awfully nervous and excited. They would
put candles on their heads and shake for hours.
They were little too far advanced for warfare,
and contented themselves with trying to knock
the evil spirit out of their bodies. They thought
awhile man was only bad in the heart, but an
Indian was bad all through SO the evil spirit
could be felt in the tips of their fingers, and
they would beat their fingers until they were
black TO knock the evil spirit out.
Mr.. Eells says they are not as much addicted
to 1ntemperance as most OF the whites in the
vicinity, but still there is good deal of room
for reformation in this respect
As TO the origin oil the Indians on the Coast,he
thinks they are descendants of different peo-
Piles in the old world, which would account for
the great number of different languages spoken
among the different tribes. He ha swrtten some
500 words and sentences of six different Indian
dialects and two lengthy articles regarding the
manners and customs of the Sound Indians
for the benefit of the Smithsonian Institution.
He says he can talk Chinook jargon more flu
emily than he can English. Mr.. Eells is a
brother of Edwin Eells, who has been Indian
agent at Puyallup fol- the past twenty-one
years.