Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-13
.CANN|BAL TS|MPsEANS
HAVE BEEN CIVILIZED
Reclaimed Tribes of Savagcs
From Barbarism.
HIS PICTURESQUE CAREER
Indians Are tho Metlakahtlans of
To-Day, and Have Aspirations for
Higher Education and Citizenship.
Something Of Their Town.
ny FRANK G. CARPENTER.

Metlakahtia. This Is the seat of III,
Indian colony brought here from Brit.
ish Columbia by Father Duncan, now
almost thirty years ago. Every on,
has heard of Father Duncan's wonder
full work with the Indians He is now
eighty-four years OF ase and is still
strong and full of vigor. He is some
times called the apostle of Alaska, ano
his work with thsse Indians gives hin
right to the title. Mr.. Duncan heEar
life as g commercial traveller in Eng
land, and at twenty-one he was vel
on his way toward a salary OF $4,000
year. He was naturally religious
and he decided 10 give UP his work
and become Il missionary. lie Went Il
college, expecting TO be sent out &c
India, but instead he was ordered tC
90 TO the western coast OF British Co
lumbia 10 work with N tribe of Indians
known as the Ts:mpsean.
TSIMPSEAN INDIANS
WE'RE lARBtHoTS TRIRE
These Tsimpscan Indians were then
among the most uarIGVOuS az ANY on
the North American Continent They
believed ~ witcn doctors ana Mere
given over to cannibalis,n. They were
hunters and fishers and clothed them
selves in the skins OF bears and wolves.
They had weird dances, during which
they wore the skulls OF bears on their
heads. They had medicine men who
wore masks and who tried TO brighten
OFF disease with hideous noises, If the
demon OF disease did not leave, the
witch doctors would hack away the
sore places on the body of the patient
with their knives, or suck or burn away
the a!lng flesh. They pointed out
children and others rs possessed of
evil spirits and as being witches. and
in such cases the tribe felt they must
kill those so afflicted
i
toms regarding the treatment of their
women Young girls approaching
woranhcod were confined far away in
Isolated cabins, and when brought back
were supposed 10 have dropped down
from the moon and to he ready for
marriage on such occasions there was
great feastine. and the youths of the
tribes were initiated into dog eating,
cannibalism and devil dancinc. The
Indians believed in spirits. and they
had certain theories as TO the trans
migration of souls. ON the whole,
they were on very low scale OF civil
i2at!on.
When Father Duncan arrived in Vic
toria on his way TO this work he was
told that If he went on to the Indians
he would surely be killed. The man
who gave him the warning was the
head OF the Hudsons Bay Company.
who. when Duncan still insisted, said:
We'll, nv good man. IL YOU are TO be
killed and eaten, suppose YOU are
the one most Interested. and we shul!
have 10 lie, YOU do AS Won wish"
with this permission. Father Dun
can was allowed to go TO Fort S:rno-
son, no, far from Prince Rupert. and
ne there began work, The story OF
how he narrowly escaped being muir
dered and how h gradually worked
his way into the confidence OF ,he saw
ages shall tell later as he gave il TO
me
II IS enough here to say that he
converted eight o. nine o: these tribes
20 the Christian religion and made
th+- =tout - mos, lc-v-sb!dinc and
civilized people g: :hs Indian ~acs
-a=y tz5 -a=s- car council and they
govs-a@d themselves They had ,nei-
c~-- orzts E-c ;1.y established a can
=--s .Ec-c-y zrt -, Up salmon for
= p-s1: -Ae- -@a--el = MAKE ropes
,-1 brushes . Tez-s I'D q .rin NJ
D--rz- Wen: . ErE.ard and nrcu=h,
-Ecy. ---strz. inst, MEMS. and .hey es-
-lnllthsl :-zss band. The had a
sc-c...9-xe 80 z -h--c. Kim a. o.
60 Will. me, were abi- "a ,,av
49, =, 49,. -s.y.. 49,. .r.;
49,, 49, --.s .i-rs r,a-
80 -S~i'