individuals having more or less Tutelo blood in their veins still survive.

3. Algonkian. The great majority of the Indians at present residing within the borders of the Province of Ontario belong to the widespread Algonkian stock, representatives of which at one time or another were found over a vast area from the Rocky Mountains to the shores of Newfoundland, and from Churchill River in the north to Pamlico Sound (N. C.) in the south-the Blackfeet, Cree, Ojibwa, Montagnais, Mississagas, Micmacs, etc., are well-known members of the stock. Of the Indians of Ontario the following belong to the Algonkian stock:

i.-Certain so-called "Algonkins," of which a few hundred survive at Golden Lake, North Renfrew, Gibson, etc.

ii. The Abittibi, Nipissing (on the Lake of this name) and a few other closely related Indians, by many classed with the "Algonkins" just mentioned.

iii.—The Indians of the region between Lake Abittibi and James' Bay-Saulteaux-Ojibwa and closely related Indians of the Cree-Montagnais division of the Algonkian stock. All the Indian population of this section of the Province is Algonkian.

iv.-The Ottawa, now on Manitoulin and Cockburn Islands and the adjacent shore of Lake Huron, with a few settled with the Ojibwa, etc., on Walpole Island, Lake St. Clair.

v.-The Potawatomis, who number altogether about 200, of whom most are settled with the Ojibwa and Ottawa on Walpole Island. There are also a few with the Ojibwa and Munsees of the Thames, in Caradoc township, Middlesex Co. There may be likewise a few among the tribes of the north shore of L. Huron.

vi.-The Ojibwa (or Chippewa) and the Mississagas, the latter existing in small numbers at Mud Lake, Rice Lake, Alnwick, Scugog, New Credit (some 800 in all), but once of much greater distribution and importance in the earlier aboriginal history of the country. The Mississagas and Chippewa or Ojibwa are very closely related and are often classed together. Besides the Chippewa of northern and western Ontario (the tribe once occupied both shores of Lakes Superior and Huron) the Ojibwa are represented by settlements in various parts of the Province (Walpole I.; River Thames with Munsees, etc.; Georgian Bay, etc.).

vii. Certain immigrant Algonkian peoples who found refuge with the Six Nations or with other Indians of the Thames-Grand River Reserves, etc., in the latter part of the 18th century. Included among such

are the Munsees of the Thames, in Caradoc township, Middlesex Co., settled with the Chippewa; some of the "Moravians" (chiefly Munsee) of Oxford township, Kent Co.; the Delawares, settled on the Six Nations Reserve (Grand River), etc.

4. Iroquoian. This stock, of great importance in the aboriginal history of the Province by reason of the long wars with the Algonkian tribes, and the remarkable extermination of the Hurons by other Iroquois in the first half of the 17th century, is represented in Ontario today by some 6,000 Indians, of whom about two-thirds reside on the Six Nations Reserve, Grand River. The Iroquoian population of the Province includes the following: "Iroquois" of Gibson (Watha), some 60 in number; Mohawk of Bay of Quinte; Oneida of Thames; Indians of Six Nations Reserve on Grand River-Cayugas, Mohawks, Onondagas, Senecas, Tuscaroras; a few Wyandots (Hurons) in Anderdon, Essex Co. In the early part of the 17th century practically all of the region between Lakes Erie and Huron, and Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay was occupied by, or roamed over by Indians of Iroquoian stock, of whom many tribes became extinct. It was formerly believed (e. g., by Dr. Brinton and Horatio Hale) that the primitive home of the Iroquoian stock was "somewhere between the Great Lakes and Labrador," but the best ethnological opinion now places it far to the south, even beyond Ohio. According to this view, the whole Iroquoian population of Canada is exotic. This is a point of great importance in connection with the aboriginal history of the country. The advent of the Iroquoian stock into Canada is, therefore, more recent than has generally been supposed.

In conclusion, it may be repeated that the Indians of Ontario show no evidences whatever of pre-Columbian white influences, all stories and speculations to the contrary notwithstanding. All that has yet appeared is Indian and Indian alone.

XVIII.

BEAR CUSTOMS OF THE CREE AND OTHER ALGONKIN INDIANS OF NORTHERN ONTARIO.

BY ALANSON SKINNER

Among all the animals with which they are familiar, there is none more impressive to the minds of the Eastern Cree than the black bear. Its courage, sagacity, and above all, its habit of walking man-like, upon its hind legs, have convinced the Indians of its supernatural propensities.

The Eastern Cree are convinced that all living animals have souls or spirits whose good will must be secured or else they will prevent their species from being captured by the hunters. Because of this belief they take pains to return the bones of the beaver to running water, and prevent them from being devoured by dogs. The heads of ducks and geese, the teeth of the caribou and moose, the claws, chins, and skulls of bears, are carefully preserved as talismans and trophies, and mystical paintings are placed on the skins of fur-bearing animals to appease their manes. But the customs concerning the capture and treatment of the bear have become much more elaborated.

If a hunter, while in the forest, comes upon a bear and wishes to slay it, he first approaches and apologizes, explaining that nothing but lack of food drives him to kill it, and begging that the bear will not be offended at him, nor permit the spirits of other bears to be angry. On killing the bear, he cuts off the middle toe and claw of the right fore foot and returns with it to his camp. When he arrives he first smokes for some time, saying nothing of what he has done, but meanwhile mentally deciding whom he shall ask to take care of, bring in, and butcher the carcass. Usually, if he is a married man, the person chosen is the wife of the hunter. When the proper time, perhaps an hour, has elapsed, he gives the announcing claw to the person whom he has picked out, and states where the bear may be found. The recipient of the claw understands what is required, and, asking no further questions, takes a companion, goes out, and brings in the carcass. The announcing claw is wrapped in cloth, beaded, or painted, or both, and kept as a memento of the occasion.

In case two or more men kill a bear, it is laid out on its back in their canoe, and carefully covered. When the hunters approach their camp or post, the burden is seen from afar, and all the Indians crowd the river bank with cries of congratulation. When the canoe grates on the beach, it is at once surrounded by the small boys, who run down and draw back the blanket or covering enough to expose the bear's head, or at least, its teeth. It is then carried up and laid out, like a man, in front of its slayer's wigwam. After the bear had been laid out, and tobacco placed in its mouth, the hunter and the chief men present smoke over it.

Nowadays, when the bear is brought in, it is laid out upon a new blanket purchased from the Hudson's Bay Company for the occasion. While the ceremony is going on, the bear must be called Kawipätc mitcem (black food). Pointing with the finger at the carcass during this ceremony is strictly tabooed.

After the hunter and chief men have smoked, the bear is butchered, and the flesh distributed to all the camp. Certain parts of the bear's flesh are at once burnt ("given to its spirit to eat"), including a small piece of its heart. The rest of the heart is at once eaten by the slayer, in order that he may acquire the cunning and courage of his victim.

Women are not allowed to eat of the bear's head or paws, nor men of its rump. The bones are never given away, unless the bear's flesh is served as a feast in the lodge of the slayer. In any event, they are carefully cleansed, saved, and hung up, or placed on a scaffold where the dogs cannot reach them. If wild animals, other than dogs, reach and devour them, no harm is done. The skull of the bear is cleaned, and the brains removed. It is dried and painted with vermillion and is placed in a safe place and kept from three to six months, when it is secretly taken by its owner and hung up on a tree in the forest.

Formerly, the Cree of Moose Fort, instead of smoking over the carcass of a dead bear, like those of the Eastmain, went through the following ceremony:

The head of the bear was first cut off and cooked, after which the men and boys of the camp sat down in a circle about it. A large stone pipe was laid beside the head and a plug of tobacco placed upon it. Then the man who had killed the bear arose from his place in the circle and filled the pipe with the tobacco, after which it was lighted and passed about the circle from left to right, the slayer smoking first. Each person had the alternative of smoking the pipe for several moments or merely taking a single puff before passing it on. After this the bear's head was passed about and everyone strove to bite out a piece of its flesh without

touching it with his hands. (1) The same ceremony was sometimes also gone through after the slaying of a caribou.

Another bear ceremony observed by the Moose Cree was as follows: The bear's intestines were removed, slightly cooked and smoked, after the passing of the head. They were then coiled up on a plate and passed about the circle by the slayer and offered to all the men present, each of whom bit off a piece. Women were allowed to be present at this part of the function but were not allowed to partake of the meat. This ceremony was quite recently observed.

The Cree of Rupert's House and Eastmain River Fort taboo pointing at a bear with the finger even if it is a live bear in the woods, for if this was done, the bear would turn and run away, even if he did not see the offender, for his medicine would warn him of the approach of danger. At the feast, after the slaying of the bear, a certain amount of food is always set before each guest, who is obliged to finish it at one sitting. If, however, he cannot eat it all at once, he is privileged to leave it at the house of the giver of the feast until the next night, when he must finish it. The Moose and Albany Crees do not now observe the majority of the bear customs, nor have they for many years. Those at Albany have forgotten their significance.

It is permissible to speak of a bear as Muskwá (the "angry one "wrangler") in his absence only, unless one wishes to anger it, or as an expression of reproof. It must never be used before his carcass. If a hunter comes upon a bear in the woods, and is obliged to speak of it, he may call it Kawipätc mitcem (black meat, or food) because this is the bear's proper name, and it will not be offended or frightened. This name may also be used before the dead body. Under the same circumstances as above, or when it is not desirable to let it know that it is being spoken of, it may be called Tciceäk ("old porcupine") because it will not know who is being talked about. When making fun of a bear, or joking about it, it may be called Wakiuc (crooked tail). This name must never be used before the carcass, but Tukwaiâken (short tail) may be used. Pisesu or Pisistciu ("resembling a cat," or lynx) is another term applied to the bear to avoid calling him by his real name. Wakiu may be another form of Wakiuc, and Matsue may be a variant of Muskwá.

The skin of the bear is dried, but never tanned and painted. The skin of the under-lip or chin is sacred, and with a piece of bone from the tongue is saved. The bone is placed in a little pouch or bag, and (1) The writer saw an almost identical ceremony of passing the bear's head during a midnight ceremony of the Little Waters, or Seoret Medicine Society, of the Seneca Iroquois on the Cattaraugus Reserve, New York. This time a bear's head was not obtainable, and a chunk of salt pork was used.