Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-04-13
LAND OF THE TINNBHS.

Away 10 the NOrtnNeSC OF
America IN the mysterious corner
of British Columbia, bordered by
"unexplored territory and hem
med in by mighty mountains,
dwelis a race of red men who daily
grow more numerous, who have
made Ibemselver proficient IN
many of the arts of peace, and who,
as they become known in their Gus.
toms and conditions, must excite
the wonder and attention Of the
civilized world. The people are
known to the few travellers who
have found their way among them
as the Tinnees, aud they have
their infrequent communication
with "civiIIzstion7 chiefly through
the Hudson Bay Company posts
at Fort George and Fort Fraser.
Their morals are more strictly
guarded than are those of any
white Nation of today; they es.
TEEN cleanliness both of person
and surroundings as they do cOur-
age; and they have a saying that
"to desert a friend is worse than to
slay him."
The last white visitors to the
home Of the Tinnees were tho men
composing the Government survey
party sent north last summer un.
der A. j. Poudrier, which has re.
Gently returned. The appended
notes OF the chief of the expedition
give some Interesting facts con.
cerning the Tinuees and the land
they live IN.
"1he Immense country north OF
the fifty fourth parallel, generally
described as the lake region, IS
hardly known to the present gen
Grafton. Years ago, during the
gold excitement in Omlneca, a
great deal of trade and travel was
taken that way, and nearly all the
old pioneers are familiar with
the wonderful scenery of the see
ton.
"Slnce the gold boom the only
inhabitants of this extensive cOun-
try has been Indians and a few
Hudson Bay Company employees.
The natives are known as the
Tinuees, this name including the
whole race, some of ihe representa-
tives of which inhabIt the country
east of the Rocky Mountains,
others popping the lake region
proper and still others living as
far to the sOnth as the ChlIcOtin
River. The race is divided into
many families: First, the Chill
cotins living on the plain of that
name; then the Carriers, or 'por.
teurs,' around Fort Fraser, and,
again, the Sccanies and the Ma.
hanles, occupying the country
north and east of the Nechaco
River.
ain language the Tinnees have
no relationship with the other
tribes of the North. but, cnriously;
Indians living as far south as
California Ohe NayajoeS, for ex.
ample or IN Oklahoma, the Chill
cotees, speak tongue very similar
to that of the Tinnees.
'Of late years young and ener
getic missionary, Father Morrice,
Of Stuart Lake, has been giving
his timeand talents to tue upbuild.
ing OF a Tnuees Nation which
shall compare not unfavorably in
many ways with that of the
whites. The mother tOngne Of
the Tinnees, which Is exceedingly
rich in expression, has been
through his efforts reduced to a
system of phonetic writing, the
characters being remarkable for
the simplicity and from the fact
that they rest rather than weary
the eye of the reader. The written
language IS so simple and so
systematic that a Child o. IA man
with equal facility learn to read or
write it to perfection. Not one OF
the tribe, from a child of six to tho
old men aud women of three score
and ten, is unable to-day to either
read or write.
1.-THE phonetic Tlnnees is EN-.
ployed by the Indians in their
cOrrespondence-fOr they have
risen to the dignity of a postal sys-
TEN of their owh-in the marking
of signs for the guidance of travel.
ers and explorers, and IN the hun
dred and one other ways familiar
to civilized Nations.
"To further develop the theory
and render its success more com
p!ete Father Morrice, with the aid
of the Indians, had special types
cast from bis own designs, bOnght
a printing press and three years
ago printed and published several