The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-16

whether he had any feas. What do you
call fea?" They were described, and
he said Eyes, 1 got them The children
sometimes wore pants but usually a shirt
sufficed. They were in the water con-
stantly. The older Indians were quite
clearly, personally, but one man and his
child had an unsightly skin disease. At
their meals they sat on small boxes or on
the floor. The food was simply cooked,
but quite good. At one meal soup plate
full of rice nicely cooked was served to
each one and eaten with sugar. A sec
ond course consisted of hard tack and
tea, with sugar and condensed milk. An
other meal consisted of the same hard
tack and tea, preceded by beans.
At first they were not very obliging, but
a present of fifty cents, in connection
with a bargain, opened their hearts Won
derfully. Neashot handed it to his mother,
who beamed with pleasure and said
"thank YOU in choice Tongass. After
this an invitation was extended to eat
with them, to sleep in their house; and
assurances were given that no charge
would be made. Neashot explained that
it was their custom to help one another;
that if a man should come there broke.
he would give him something to eat a6 and
time that man might buy him pair OF
pants as a present"
The sole occupation of the Indians at
| this time was catching salmon. The
greater part of the fishing was done with
| a 170-foot seine at high tide. The most
| interesting part was at the rapids, Just
| ABOVE the camp here tney iidu oulaI d
| dam and two sluices for trapuing the fish.
| These sluices were built by Neashot' 5
father-'an old-time pepend (gentieman1 };
! who does not like new ways OF hshlng.
| The most exciting method is by means
! of a long pole having sharp nook on
| the end. This hook is plunged into the
stream and the salmon deXterously Jerked
out Sometimes the fish is seen before
caught, but so plentiful are they that
| they are frequently caught. by blindly
raking the pool These five families hire
| two men whom they pay $40 month.
They own a seine which cost Sl50, and
expect to catch $4,000 or 10000 fish this
| season The Metlakahtla Indus. the local
/ company, pays 6 cents a fish, and FUR
/ nishes them good SIZED BOAT IN WnIcn 70
/ bring their fish to the cannery- These
/ families are Tongass Indians in the pro-
| cess of being absorbed by Metlakhtla.
They have not yet professed Christianity
! and only mart of them live there. They
i have great respect for Mr.. Duncan and
| are anxious to be considered as part of
! his people. We may regard them as be-
/ and those of Metlakahtla- In dealing
! with them a person is constantly sur
! nrised nv finding them more like white
/ mon than he expected. The advance they
1 have made is fifty illustrated by an Incl
i dent which occurred as we were return
II ing to Metlakahtla. Before the cabin lay
4 a stone basin two feet long, one foot
VIDE and three inches deep. 1t had been
n used in the past as a mortar in which tc
concoct DaintS for war and ceremonial
II COCA sions. Neashot was asked if he knew
II lis use. He did not; but would not give
II n away, because 1t made good WASH
II tuh The day of war paint and blanket
II value has departed from this group of In
dams.