OUTFITTING INDIANS.
In these days of keen opposition it is only at the remote inland
posts that we can supply the Indians with system; that is, as to
amount of debt and a fixed time for sending them to the hunting
grounds.
Taking Long Lake Post, north of Lake Superior, as a sample to
illustrate our manner in rigging out hunters, I will say we appoint
the 15th of September as the first day of supplies. On that day,
early in the morning, the chief and his wife are called into the
store, all others are excluded; this is done for two reasons--first,
the Indian himself does not like the others to know what they take,
or the amount of their debt; and, secondly, we find that when others,
who are only onlookers are in the shop, they distract the attention
of the Indian, who is taking the outfit and delay us in our work. The
first thing done after the door is closed and locked is to talk over
the pros and cons with the Indian as to where he is going to hunt,
and his prospects, and from this an amount agreed upon as to the
extent of his new debt.
This settled, we suggest that, first of all, necessary articles
should be marked down; these we mention one by one and he replies if
he has such already, good enough for another year, or if we are to
mark down the article. The first essention, of course, is ammunition;
so many pounds of shot and powder and so many boxes of percussion
caps. Next on the list of his wants would be an axe, or axes, an ice
chisel, steel traps, twine for a fish net, a few fish hooks, two or
three mill-saw files (to sharpen his ice-chisel and axes) matches, a
couple of bottles of pain-killer and the same of castor oil, and some
thread and needles, (glovers and round).
Then comes the imported provisions. To an ordinary family of a man,
his wife and two or three children, he will take 200 pounds flour, 50
pounds compound lard, 10 pounds tea, the same of tobacco, 2-pound
cart of soda, 25 pounds sugar, another perhaps 12 or 15 pounds pork.
This latter must be pure fat, meatless and boneless.
When we get this far in his supplies, a pause is called and he asks
us to add up how much the foregoing comes to. Say this amounts to
$100 and the amount agreed upon is $200, he thus understands he has
$100 yet to get, or as much as whatever the balance may be. Then he
begins over again by taking heavy Hudson's Bay blankets; these we
keep in all sizes from one to cover an infant up to what we call four
point, this latter is large enough for a double bed and big enough
for the man and woman to tuck themselves comfortably in. Of blankets
he may take two or three.
The next on the list is heavy strouds, blue for the woman and white
for the man's leggings; following this will be a warm cloth skirt for
his wife and enough Estoffe du pays for his pants a pair of ready
made mole skin pants for ice walking during the excessive cold of
January and February, several yards of English flannel, colors
according to their taste; we keep in stock, white, crimson, yellow,
sky blue, navy, and bright green; this is for underwear for the
family, two pairs of heavy wool socks for the man and two pairs long
wool for his wife. A half dozen red, spotted handkerchiefs, these are
put to several usages, such as tying up the hair, as a muffler about
the neck, tying up their little belongings and many other usages
apart from what a white man would apply a handkerchief.
Several yards also are taken of a strong cotton for dress use, or
outside skirts; this is imported by us direct and goes under the name
of "Stripped Yarmouth Druggets." It is very durable and stands the
rough wear and tear of the bush. Should his proposed hunting grounds
be remote from a deer country he would take dressed leather for mits
and moccasins, parchment deerskin for his snow shoes. Snow shoes, of
course, each one of his family must have, and supplying himself with
this leather, makes quite a hole in the amount of his debt.
Here again another addition of figures is made; perhaps a few dollars
yet remain to complete the agreed upon sum. He and his wife, on the
floor of the shop, handle each article they have received, and think
their hardest to remember some forgotten necessary article that may
have escaped their memory. We also, from long use to the Indian's
requirements, come to their assistance and sometimes suggest
something quite overlooked, but very necessary.
A further adding up is now made; they have positively all they
require for the winter months, and yet a few dollars remain to make
up the amount, and then the Indian's weakness shows itself and he
says: "Oh! well give sugar and lard for the remainder." Then he and
his wife make all the purchases up into one or two blankets; an order
on the provision store is given him and his account is made up and
given him in the following manner.
Pa-pa-nios, dr. to Hudson's Bay Co.
Long Lake Post.
XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX
Sept. 15, 1895
$200.00 M. H.
They don't generally understand figures, but they all understand that
X stands for 10. As the Indian kills his furs, he adds them to his
pack in saits often, at the same time scoring out one of the crosses
on his debt slip. After all has been cancelled, he then hunts a few
more skins to cover any misvaluation on his part, or to have
something extra to barter for finery.
After the chief leaves the shop another man and wife are called in
according to their standing in the band, and thus it goes on till we
reach the last one. Six to eight families are about all we can get
thru in a day, as there is so much time wasted in talk.
If we begin on the Monday, we generally see the grand departure take
place on the following Saturday. We only import the best of
everything and the Indian buying from our stores is assured of the
purest provisions and the strongest and most durable goods. This is
no boast for where we have no opposition the Indians and our
interests are identical, and the company's agent at such posts has
the Indians' welfare at heart.
On the frontier we are obliged by other buyers and circumstances over
which we have no control to take common out of season skins. As the
Indians find sale for skins of any kind, they hunt actually ten
months out of the twelve. At our interior posts, where our word is
law, we appoint the 25th of October to begin hunting and the 25th of
May to finish; except for bears, and these they are allowed to hunt
up to the 10th of June. What a sad sight it is for an officer coming
from some interior district to a frontier post, where he left
well-clothed contented Indians to find those swindled by the
unprincipled traders, in rags, drunken and the seeds of consumption
marked in their faces.