market-house to be addressed by Mr. Duncan. After he had given them the
best advice he could, their Christmas presents were distributed to them
in the presence of all the Mission party. These consisted of 1/2lb.
sugar and six apples to each one, with copy-book and pencil, or tobacco
for the older men.
"The day after this, Mr. and Mrs. Schutt kindly entertained all the
widows of the village, about sixty in number, to a substantial dinner.
It was a pleasure to see even the old and decrepit able to sit at table
and enjoy their meal, and it made us enter fully into the idea of the
renovating influence of Christmas blessings, to think in what dark and
murderous heathenism these aged widows had been reared when young.
After dinner Mr. Duncan brought them to his Hall to listen to an
address, so that they might not return home without words of Gospel
truth and comfort to cheer them for struggling days.
"The morrow, being Sunday, was marked by the usual services; these
consist, first, of morning Sunday School at half past nine, at which
about 200 are present, both children and adults, males and females
being in separate buildings. All the elder scholars learn and repeat a
text both in English and Tsimshean, and have it explained to them, and
they are able to use intelligently their English Bibles for this
purpose. At eleven is morning service in church, attended at Christmas
time by 700 to 800. Hymns are sung, both in English and Tsimshean, and
heartily joined in by the congregation. This being the last Sunday in
the year, the service was made a specially devotional one to seek mercy
for the offences of the past twelve month.
"After morning service the adults met again in Sunday School to learn
in English and Tsimshean the text of the sermon, and have it again
explained to them by the native Sunday School teachers, who are
prepared for this duty at a meeting with Mr. Duncan on Saturday
evening. It is very interesting to see about 300 adults gathered
together in the three schools at midday, entirely in the hands of
native teachers, and with English Bibles in their hands poring
intelligently over the text, and following out again the subject of the
morning discourse. I cannot but think it would be a great gain if this
scheme of Mr. Duncan's could be largely followed in other Missions.
"Afternoon service is held in the church at three o'clock, with a
Litany, and after this, when the daylight lasts long enough, there is a
second Sunday School. The church is as full in the afternoon as in the
morning, and the punctuality of the attendance is surprising. In the
evening, at seven o'clock, service is again held in the school room,
which is crowded, and occasional meetings are held by the elder
converts for the benefit of any aged people unable to come to church.
"To return to the Christmas doings: On the Monday all the women of the
village, about 300, assembled in the market-house, and, after suitable
addresses, valuable presents were made to each, viz., 1lb. soap, 1lb.
rice, and several apples, etc. so that they return home laden and
rejoicing. Altogether about L50 must have been spent upon the Christmas
presents.
"On Monday evening, being the last night of the old year, a suitable
service was held in church, the subject being Psalm xc., 'So teach us
to number our days,' etc. On New Year's-day the festivities were
renewed. Bugle-notes and drums and fifes, and the exercises of the
volunteers, enlivened the scene. The youth of the village played
football on the sands. All the men of the village were assembled in the
market-house, and were permanently enrolled in ten companies, the
members of each company receiving rosettes of a distinguishing colour.
Each company has in it, besides ordinary members, one chief, two
constables, one elder, and three councillors, who are all expected to
unite in preserving the peace and order of the village. The ten chiefs
all spoke in the market-house on New Year's-day, and in sensible
language promised to follow the teaching they had received, and to
unite in promoting what is good. After the meeting all adjourned to the
green in front of the church, and joined in singing 'God save the
Queen,' in English, before dispersing to their homes. The rest of the
day was spent in New Year's greetings.
"Wednesday Evening was occupied by the usual week-day service, and
Thursday and Friday evenings were devoted to the exhibition in the
school-room, first to the women and then to the men, of a large magic
lantern, with oxygen light, and also a microscope, showing living
insects and sea-water animalcules, as well as various slides.
"The above is but an imperfect sketch of the efforts made by Mr.
Duncan for the welfare and happiness of his village,"
IX.
OUTLYING STATIONS--I. KINCOLITH.
A glance at the map will show that both Metlakahtla and Fort Simpson
are situated on a peninsula which juts forth from the coast between the
estuaries of two rivers, the _Skeena_ to the south, and the
_Nass_ to the North. The mouth of the Nass River is one of the
great fishing resorts of the Indians. From long distances the tribes of
both the mainland and the adjacent islands flock thither every year in
March and April, the season when the oolikan, a small fish about the
size of a smelt, is caught.
As many as five thousand Indians gather together on these occasions,
and encamp for miles along both banks of the river. Having put up their
temporary bark huts, they dig pits to store the fish in, and then
quietly await their arrival. Meanwhile, hardly a sign of life is to be
seen on land or water. The towering mountains, that rise almost from
the banks, are covered deep with snow, and the river is fast bound in
ice to the depth of six or eight feet. Slowly the ice begins to break
higher up, and the tides, rising and falling, bear away immense
quantities. At length a few seagulls appear in the western sky, and the
cry echoes from camp to camp that the fish are at hand.
Immense shoals of oolikan come in from the Pacific, followed by larger
fish such as the halibut, the cod, the porpoise, and the finned-back
-whale. Over the fish hover the sea-birds--"an immense cloud of
innumerable gulls," wrote Bishop Hills after a visit to the place, "so
many and so thick that as they moved to and fro, up and down, the sight
resembled a heavy fall of snow." Over the gulls, again, soar the eagles
watching for their prey. The Indians go forth to meet the fish with the
cry, "You fish, you fish! you are all chiefs; you are, you are all
chiefs." The nets haul in bushels at a time, and hundreds of tons are
collected. "The Indians dry some in the sun, and _press_ a much
larger quantity for the sake of the oil or grease, which has a
considerable market value as being superior to cod-liver oil, and which
they use as butter with their dried salmon. The season is most
important to the Indians; the supply lasts them till the season for
salmon, which is later, and which supplies their staple food, their
bread." "What a beautiful provision for this people," writes one of the
Missionaries, "just at that season of the year when their winter stock
has run out! God can indeed furnish a table in the wilderness."
It was in the spring of 1860, that Mr. Duncan first visited the Nass
River. He received a most encouraging welcome from the Nishkah Indians
--one of the Tsimshean tribes--dwelling on its banks. The account is a
particularly interesting one:--
"_April 19th, 1860_.--About 4 p.m. we arrived in sight of the
three lower villages of the Nishkah Indians, and these, with two upper
villages, constitute the proper inhabitants of the river. On
approaching the principal village we were met by a man who had been
sent to invite us to the chief's house. Numbers of Indians stood on the
bank. When we stopped, several rushed into the water: some seized my
luggage, and one took me on his back. In a few minutes we were safely
housed. Smiling faces and kind words greeted me on every side. My
friend Kahdoonahah, the chief who had invited me to his house, was
dancing for joy at my arrival. He had put his house in order, made up a
large fire in the centre, placed two big iron kettles on it, and had
invited a number of his friends to come and feast with me. About thirty
of us, all males, sat round the fire. Boiled fresh salmon was first
served out. All the guests were furnished with large horn or wooden
spoons: I preferred to use my own. My plate was first filled with
choice bits, and afterwards large wooden dishesful were carried round,
and one placed before every two persons. This done, boiled rice, mixed
with molasses, was served us. Fresh spoons and dishes were used. While
the dishes were being filled, each person had a large spoonful handed
him to be going on with. After the feast I had considerable
conversation, and concluded by requesting that all the chiefs and chief
men of the three tribes should meet me on the morrow, when I would
endeavour to give them the good news from God's book. Kahdoonahah,
suggested that there might be some difficulty to get all the chiefs to
assemble, unless something was provided for them to eat He therefore
promised to send out and invite them all to his house, and give them a
feast for the occasion.
"It was now evening, and the guests went home. Kahdoonahah then
brought in an old man to sing to me. The old man very solemnly sat down
before me, fixed his eyes upon the ground, and began beating time by
striking his foot with his hand. He was assisted by Kahdoonahah, who
not only sang, but kept up a thumping noise with a large stick. A few
boys also clapped their hands in proper time. After they had sung two
or three songs I told them we would have a change. I drew my few boys
around me. One of them immediately warned the chief and his company
that we were going to sing songs to God, which were the same as
prayers, and therefore they must be very reverent. We sang several
little hymns, some of which I translated. The party soon increased, and
sat very attentively.
"_April 20_.--After breakfast two men entered the house, and
stood just within the door. Looking at me, one of them shouted out,
'Woah shimauket, woah shimauket, woah shimauket, woah.' After repeating
this twice, they went away. This was an invitation from a chief who
wanted me and my crew to breakfast with him. I took two of my party,
and set off. When I was entering the chief's house, he stood up, and,
beckoning me to a seat, cried out loudly, 'Yeah shimauket, yeah
shimauket, yeah shimauket, yeah.' As soon as I was seated, he stopped,
and sat down. These words, rendered into English, are, 'Welcome chief,
welcome chief, welcome chief, welcome!' We feasted on boiled salmon,
and rice, and sugar, and molasses, after which the chief presented me
with five marten skins and a large salmon. When I returned to
Kahdoonahah's house, he had got three large iron kettles on the fire
for the feast; and I was informed that an old chief had given me a
large black bear's skin. The drum began to beat, and a general bustle
prevailed around me. I sat down to collect my thoughts, and to lift up
my heart to God to prepare me for the important meeting about to take
place, at which the blessed Gospel was to be proclaimed to these poor
tribes of Indians for the first time.
"About twelve o'clock they began to assemble. Each took a place
corresponding to his rank. We soon mustered about sixty chiefs and
headmen. Between one and two p.m. we began to feast, which consisted,
as usual, of salmon and rice, and molasses. I had heard Kahdoonahah say
that they intended to perform before me their '_Ahlied;_' but I
requested him to have no playing, as I wanted to speak very solemnly to
them. He promised me they would do nothing bad; but now that the
feasting was over, much to my sorrow, he put on his dancing mask and
robes. The leading singers stepped out, and soon all were engaged in a
spirited chant. They kept excellent time by clapping their hands and
beating a drum. (I found out afterwards that they had been singing my
praises and asking me to pity them and to do them good.) The chief
Kahdoonahah danced with all his might during the singing. He wore a
cap, which had a mask in front, set with mother-of-pearl, and trimmed
with porcupine's quills. The quills enabled him to hold a quantity of
white bird's down on the top of his head, which he ejected while
dancing, by jerking his head forward: thus he soon appeared as if in a
shower of snow. In the middle of the dance a man approached me with a
handful of down, and blew it over my head, thus symbolically uniting me
in friendship with all the chiefs present, and the tribes they
severally represented.
"After the dance and singing were over, I felt exceedingly anxious
about addressing them; but circumstances seemed so unfavourable on
account of the excitement, that my heart began to sink. What made the
matter worse, too, was a chief, who had lately been shot in the arm for
overstepping his rank, began talking very passionately. This aroused
me. I saw at once that I must speak, or probably the meeting might
conclude in confusion. I stood up, and requested them to cease talking,
as I wished them to rest their hearts, and listen to the great message
I had come to deliver. Instantly the chief ceased talking, and every
countenance became fixed attentively towards me. I began, and the Lord
helped me much. I was enabled to speak with more freedom and animation
than I had ever done before in the Indian tongue. Much to my
encouragement the Indians unanimously responded at the finish of every
clause. The most solemn occasion of this kind was when I introduced the
name of the Saviour. At once every tongue uttered Jesus, and, for some
time, kept repeating that blessed name, which I hope they will not
forget.'
"After I had finished my address I asked them to declare to me their
thoughts upon what they had heard, and also if they desired to be
further instructed in God's word. Immediately a universal cry arose of,
'Good is your speech. Good, good, good news! We greatly desire to learn
the book. We wish our children to learn.'"
In the autumn of the same year, Mr. Duncan again visited the Nass
River, and ascended to the upper villages. Everywhere he found a
readiness, sometimes most touchingly expressed, to receive Christian
instruction. At one interesting gathering, a Nishkah chief named
Agwilakkah. after hearing the Gospel message for the first time, stood
up before all, stretched forth his hands towards heaven, and lifting up
his eyes, solemnly said:--
"_Pity us, Great Father in heaven, pity us! Give us Thy good! book
to do us good and clear away our sins. This chief_ [pointing to Mr.
Duncan] _has come to tell us about Thee. It is good, Great Father. We
want to hear. Who ever came to tell our fathers Thy will? No, no. But
this chief has pitied us and come. He has Thy book. We will hear. We
will receive Thy word. We will obey._"
Four years, however, passed away before regular Missionary operations
could be extended to the Nass River. In 1864, a Christian Tsimshean,
travelling up the river as a fur-trader, told the Indians he met with
of the Saviour he had himself found, and on his return to the coast
seven young men of the Nishkah tribe accompanied him, that they might
visit Metlakahtla and hear the Missionary for themselves. They stayed
there for a few days, listening eagerly to Mr. Duncan's instructions.
When they left, they begged for some fragment of God's Word to take
back to their tribe; and Mr. Duncan wrote out for each, on a piece of
paper, the words in Tsimshean, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy
of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners."
In this case the living voice was not long in following the written
message. On July 2nd, 1864, the Rev. R. R. A. Doolan arrived at
Metlakahtla from England, and, at Mr. Duncan's suggestion, he at once
went on to the Nass River to establish a permanent Mission.
With prayerful energy the young Missionary, inexperienced and
ignorant of the language, flung himself into the conflict with
heathenism. A sore conflict it was. Ardent spirits had come up the
river; drunkenness was fast spreading among the Indians; and
quarrelling and murders were of frequent occurrence. On one occasion,
after a whisky feast, the Indians on opposite sides of the river set to
work firing across the stream at one another, in pure wantonness.
Several were wounded, women as well as men; and next day Mr. Doolan was
called upon to attend to their injuries. Again and again was his own
life in imminent danger. One day an Indian rushed out of a hut he was
passing, gun in hand, and fired at him twice. Both times the gun missed
fire! "I was so close to him," wrote Mr. Doolan, "that I saw the fire
from the flint."
If Divine providence was thus exhibited in the preservation of the
missionary's life, Divine grace was soon to be not less signally
manifested in a blessing on his labours. A boy named Tacomash was the
first fruits gathered in. He and another boy came from a village twenty
-five miles off to live at the Mission-house, and attend school. After a
few weeks he went home to see his father, and was attacked with
bronchitis. Mr. Doolan, hearing of this, hastened off to see him. "The
journey," he says, "was a most painful one. I wore two pairs of
mocassins, but the ice soon cut through both. I was ten hours walking
the twenty-five miles. I found the poor lad very weak, and suffering
much. He had steadfastly resisted the medicine-men from rattling over
him, saying God would be angry with him if he allowed them." Tacomash
got better, and returned to the station; and shortly after Mr. Doolan
writes, "To-day I was rejoiced to hear Tacomash praying to God. He was
among the trees, and did not know anyone heard him. He asked Jesus to
pity him, and make his heart strong." Soon, however, the lad became ill
again, and died trusting in the Saviour. On his death-bed he was
baptized at his own earnest desire, and named Samuel Walker.
On Mr. Doolan's retirement from the Mission in 1867, the work on the
Nass River was taken up by the Rev. R. Tomlinson, who had just arrived.
By Mr. Doolan's efforts some fifty Indians had been influenced to
abandon their heathen customs and to desire to live together as a
Christian community; and a settlement similar to Metlakahtla was now
planned. This settlement received the name of Kincolith; and here Mr.
Tomlinson earnestly laboured from 1867 to 1878, when he left to go
forward into the regions beyond.
The work proved to be one requiring much patience and courage. For two
or three years it was much retarded by hostilities between two tribes.
But Mr. Tomlinson was encouraged by the zeal and intrepidity of his
wife, who accompanied him on his visits to the combatants, and
everywhere disarmed opposition by her presence. Subsequently the
trading store, which had been established on the Metlakahtla plan,
turned out a failure, and the Indian settlers, about sixty in number,
depressed by the losses they incurred, showed signs of wavering, and of
returning to their heathen friends, who were manifesting the most
bitter antagonism to the Mission. But towards the close of 1870, by the
mercy of God, the tide seemed to turn, and when Archdeacon Woods
visited the station at the Bishop of Columbia's request, in October,
1871, he found a peaceful Community, an attentive congregation, and
several candidates for baptism, of whom he admitted twenty adults (with
seven children) to the Church, making, with nine previously baptized,
thirty-six altogether.
From that time the Kincolith Mission, though not exhibiting rapid
success, has been steadily growing, and not a few of the Nishkah Indians
who were accustomed to attend Mr. Doolan's services, but had fallen
back, have joined the community, and some have been baptized. The store
was re-opened in 1874 with improved prospects. A dispensary was
established by Mr. Tomlinson, and has been highly appreciated by the
Indians. A saw mill has been erected, which not only supplies material
for building new houses, but also gives employment to those of the
settlers who are neither fur-hunters nor skilled workmen. The annual
fishing seasons have been a time of distinct blessing, the Christian
Indians holding services for their heathen fellow-countrymen in the
various camps, and many of the heathen joining them in resting from the
fishing operations on the Lord's Day. Year by year the number of
settlers has increased, and now exceeds two hundred, of whom three
-fourths are baptized.
One chief, who joined on New Year's-day, 1877, was well known as the
fiercest savage on the river. He was baptized by Bishop Bompas in
March, 1878, taking, like Legaic at Metlakahtla, the name of Paul. He
was very penitent for his past life, and was earnestly trying to follow
good ways, when illness and death overtook him. Just before he died, he
gave very clear testimony that he had found pardon and peace in Jesus.
At the funeral service the people sang Sankey's hymn, "There will be no
more parting there." His son, a young man of twenty, has since been
baptized, also by the name of Paul, and has been married to the
Christian daughter of another leading chief--a girl named Rhoda.
As already mentioned, Mr. Tomlinson has now moved forward into the
interior to carry the Gospel to the Kitiksheans and other tribes up the
Nass and Skeena Rivers and among the Cascade Mountains, and has
established a station near a place known as the Skeena Forks, where
three branches of that river unite. At Kittackdamix also, at the end of
the navigation on the Nass, a native Christian teacher has been
stationed, towards whose expenses the Kincolith Christians contributed
L12 in money and kind. A site has been selected there for another
Christian village, and several Indian families propose settling on the
spot. The Kincolith station is now under the charge of Mr. H. Schutt, a
schoolmaster sent out in 1876.
Mr. Tomlinson, like Mr. Duncan, has lately been appointed a
magistrate. He writes:--"The proposal was made to me quite unexpectedly
by the head of the Government, and I did not feel justified in
declining the offer. Already good begins to result from it. The hearts
of the well-disposed are strengthened, while the ill-disposed whites
are restrained from molesting the native settlers."
X.
OUTLYING MISSIONS--II. QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS.
On the group of islands named after George the Third's Queen, dwell
the finest and the fiercest of the coast tribes. The Hydahs are a
manly, tall, handsome people, and comparatively fair in their
complexion; but they are a cruel and vindictive race, and were long the
terror of the North Pacific coast. They even ventured to attack English
ships, and in 1854 they plundered an American vessel, detaining the
captain and crew in captivity until they were ransomed by the Hudson's
Bay Company. No tribe, moreover, has been more fearfully demoralised by
the proximity of the white man's "civilization." Drunkenness and the
grossest vices have spread disease and death among them.
But the Hydahs have not failed to recognise the advantages that
Christianity has conferred upon their neighbours on the mainland.
Trading expeditions up the coast took them occasionally to Metlakahtla,
and the peace and prosperity they saw there deeply impressed their
minds. A striking instance of the moral influence of the Christian
settlement occured in 1873. Many years before, a young Tsimshean woman
had been captured by a party of Hydahs, and carried as a slave to Queen
Charlotte Islands, where, after a while, a son was born to her. Five
and twenty years passed away, and then she was restored by her owner,
for a consideration, to her relatives at Fort Simpson. The Hydahs seem
to have thought this a good opportunity to make friends with their old
enemies, and they sent a deputation to Metlakahtla with her son, now a
grown man, to give him up as a voluntary peace-offering. "We had,"
wrote Mr. Duncan, "a solemn peace-making at the Mission-house. Several
excellent speeches were made, and a document was drawn up and signed by
the relatives of the young man, expressive of their reconciliation with
their ancient foes."