Official Report of the Exploration of the Queen Charlotte Islands for the Government of British ColumbiaChittenden, Newton H.
History
Official Report of the Exploration of the Queen Charlotte Islands for the Government of British Columbia
Chittenden, Newton H.
Haida Indians; Queen Charlotte Islands (B.C.)
The Indians have brought in specimens of bituminous coal said to have
been obtained upon a stream discharging into Cumshewa Inlet, and they
also report having seen a seam near Ninstints. Messrs Knight, Williams
and Allen, practical coal miners of Nanaimo, prospected the islands
for coal during the past summer, but made no locations.
* * * * *
Copper.
Copper bearing rocks, and veins occur in several localities on the
east coast of Moresby Island, and shafts have been sunk into them at
Copper Bay and opposite Copper Island and abandoned. The examination
of these deposits is briefly mentioned in progress report No. 2.
* * * * *
Productions, Cereals and Vegetables.
Oats are the only cereal which has been successfully grown in the
islands.
Potatoes, turnips, cabbages, peas, and garden vegetables generally,
with the exception of Indian corn tomatoes and melons are raised.
* * * * *
Fruits.
Crab-apples, red, blue and black whortleberries, Scotch, salal, salmon
and strawberries are very abundant. Cranberries were found on the
north and east side of Graham Island. A few black currants and
gooseberries were also seen. Apple and pear trees grow well, but bear
an inferior fruit which seldom ripens.
* * * * *
Inhabitants--Physical Characteristics.
These islands are inhabited by about 800 Hydah Indians, a very
remarkable race of people. The most common type of the adult unmixed
Hydah is about five feet, seven inches in height, thick-set,
large-boned, with fairly regular broad features, coal-black hair and
eyes, and a bronze complexion. They have generally--both men and
women--finely developed breasts and fore-arms, caused by their almost
daily use of the canoe paddle from infancy. A few have well-formed
legs, though the greater number are defective in this respect,
resulting from much sitting, or rather squatting in their, canoes, in
and around their lodges, with but comparatively little walking. Their
feet are so short, broad and thick through the instep, that shoes are
made by the manufacturer, expressly for them. Some of the young men
wear a moustache, and a scanty beard is occasionally seen upon the
face of the old men, though both generally eradicate such hair as it
grows. Only the women and medicine men permit the hair of the head to
grow long. They walk with a springy light tread and agile step,
though I easily outran a young Indian of Massett, who matched himself
against me. Some of them are very strong in the arms, an Indian of
Skidegate beating me at "tug of war." Many are expert swimmers,
sometimes diving from their canoes into the rough sea, and bringing
out wounded seal which have sunk to the bottom. One of my men
performed such a feat, springing from the top of a great rock, where
the ocean was breaking. They are intelligent and quick to learn from
observation.
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