File:Wonderland; or, Alaska and the inland passage (1886) (14574486699).jpg

Identifier: wonderlandoralas00hyde (find matches)
Title: Wonderland; or, Alaska and the inland passage
Year: 1886 (1880s)
Authors: Hyde, John, 1848-1929 Schwatka, Frederick, 1849-1892
Subjects: Northern Pacific Railroad Company
Publisher: (Chicago, Rand, McNally & co., printers)
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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ser thanthat of blood. If the fathers and mothers tribes be at war, the children musttake the maternal side, even if against their father. * * * jj-j veryrare cases a woman has two husbands ; oftener we find a man with two wives,even three ; but more frequently met than either is the consecutive wife. THRO UGH WONDERLAND. 83 The Chilkats are comparatively an industrious people. On the mainlandwe have none of the deer which so densely populate the islands, owing, it issaid, to the presence of bears and wolves ; but we have the white mountaingoat, which, while it is lamb, is delicious meat. From its black horns thefinest carved spoons are made, and its pelt, when washed and combed, forms anecessary part of the Indians bedding and household furniture. The comb-ings are made by the women into rolls similar to those made by machinery athome. Then, with a great basket of these white rolls on one side, and a basketon the other to receive the yarn, a woman sits on the floor, and, on her bared
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knee, with her palm, rolls it into cord. This they dye in most brilliant colorsmade of roots, grasses and moss, and of different kinds of bark. It is of this yarn that the famous Chilkat dancing-blanket is made. This isdone by the women with great nicety and care. The warp, all white, is hungfrom a handsomely carved upright frame. Into it the bright colors arewrought by means of ivory shuttles. The work is protected during the tediouscourse of its manufacture by a covering resembling oiled silk, made from thedressed intestines of the bear. Bright striped stockings of this yarn are alsoknitted on little needles whittled from wood. An illustration of a dancing-blanket is given on page 8i. These are madeby several of the Tlinkit tribes ; but the Chilkats so predominate in the manufact- 84 THROUGH WONDERLAND. ure, both in numbers and excellence, that you seldom hear them mentioned inAlaska, except as Chilkat blankets. Nearly all of the Tlinkit tribes, as the touristwill have seen by this

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