Lewis: January 15, 1806
Heavy rain on January 15, 1806, forced Lewis to postpone sending out two hunting parties at Fort Clatsop. He completed a large coat made from seven dressed robes of tiger cat and an unidentified small squirrel-sized animal, obtained from local Indians. Lewis devoted most of the entry to describing the hunting tools used by the Chinnook, Clatsop, and Cathlamet peoples, including their poorly maintained trade muskets, finely crafted cedar and elk-sinew bows, two-piece floating arrows designed for water hunting, bear or wolf-skin quivers, deadfalls, snares, gigs, and large pits used to trap elk.
Thursday January 15th 1806. Had a large coat completed out of the skins of
the Tiger Cat and those also of a small animal about the size of a
squirrel not known to me; these skins I procured from the Indians who had
previously dressed them and formed them into robes; it took seven of these
robes to complete the coat. we had determined to send out two hunting
parties today but it rained so incessantly that we posponed it. no
occurrence worthy of relation took place today.
The implyments used by the Chinnooks Clatsops Cuthlahmahs &c in
hunting are the gun the bow & arrow, deadfalls, pitts, snares, and
spears or gigs; their guns are usually of an inferior quality being oald
refuse American & brittish Musquits which have been repared for this
trade. there are some very good peices among them, but they are invariably
in bad order; they apear not to have been long enouh accustomed to fire
arms to understand the management of them. they have no rifles. Their guns
and amunition they reserve for the Elk, deer and bear, of the two last
however there are but few in their neighbourhood. they keep their powder
in small japaned tin flasks which they obtain with their amunition from
the traders; when they happen to have no ball or shot, they substitute
gravel or peices of potmettal, and are insensible of the damage done
thereby to their guns. The bow and arrow is the most common instrument
among them, every man being furnished with them whether he has a gun or
not; this instrument is imployed indiscriminately in hunting every species
of anamal on which they subsist. Their bows are extreamly neat and very
elastic, they are about two and a half feet in length, and two inches in
width in the center, thence tapering graduly to the extremities where they
are half an inch wide they are very flat and thin, formed of the heart of
the arbor vita or white cedar, the back of the bow being thickly covered
with sinews of the Elk laid on with a gleue which they make from the
sturgeon; the string is made of sinues of the Elk also. the arrow is
formed of two parts usually tho sometime entire; those formed of two parts
are unequally divided that part on which the feathers are placed occupyes
four fifths of it’s length and is formed of light white pine reather
larger than a swan’s quill, in the lower extremity of this is a circular
mortice secured by sinues roled arround it; this mortice receives the one
end of the 2nd part which is of a smaller size than the first and about
five inches long, in the end of this the barb is fixed and confined with
sinue, this barb is either stone, iron or copper, if metal in this form
forming at it’s point a greater angle than those of any other Indians I
have observed. the shorter part of the arrow is of hearder wood as are
also the whole of the arrow when it is of one piece only. as these people
live in a country abounding in ponds lakes &c and frequently hunt in
their canoes and shoot at fowl and other anamals where the arrow missing
its object would be lost in the water they are constructed in the manner
just discribed in order to make them float should they fall in the water,
and consequently can again he recovered by the hunter; the quiver is
usually the skin of a young bear or that of a wolf invariably open at the
side in stead of the end as the quivers of other Indians generally are;
this construction appears to answer better for the canoe than if they were
open at the end only. maney of the Elk we have killed since we have been
here, have been wounded with these arrows, the short piece with the barb
remaining in the animal and grown up in the flesh.the deadfalls and
snares are employed in taking the wolf the raccoon and fox of which there
are a few only. the spear or gig is used to take the sea otter, the common
otter, spuck, and beaver. their gig consists of two points or barbs and
are the same in their construction as those discribed before as being
common among the Indians on the upper part of this river. their pits are
employed in taking the Elk, and of course are large and deep, some of them
a cube of 12 or 14 feet. these are usually placed by the side of a large
fallen tree which as well as the pit lye across the toads frequented by
the Elk. these pitts are disguised with the slender boughs of trees and
moss; the unwary Elk in passing the tree precipitates himself into the
pitt which is sufficiently deep to prevent his escape, and is thus taken.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Thursday, January 15th, 1806. A large coat was completed, made from the skins of the tiger cat and also from those of a small animal about the size of a squirrel, which is unknown to me. I obtained these skins from the Indians, who had previously dressed them and formed them into robes; it took seven of these robes to complete the coat. We had planned to send out two hunting parties today, but it rained so incessantly that we postponed it. No occurrence worthy of relating took place today.
The implements used by the Chinnooks (Chinooks), Clatsops, Cuthlahmahs (Cathlamets), etc. in hunting are the gun, the bow and arrow, deadfalls, pits, snares, and spears or gigs. Their guns are usually of an inferior quality, being old refuse American and British muskets that have been repaired for this trade. There are some very good pieces among them, but they are invariably in bad order; they appear not to have been long enough accustomed to firearms to understand how to manage them. They have no rifles. They reserve their guns and ammunition for the elk, deer, and bear, though of the last two there are only a few in their neighborhood. They keep their powder in small japanned tin flasks, which they obtain along with their ammunition from the traders. When they happen to have no ball or shot, they substitute gravel or pieces of pot metal, and are unaware of the damage done to their guns by this. The bow and arrow is the most common instrument among them, every man being furnished with them whether he has a gun or not. This instrument is used indiscriminately in hunting every species of animal on which they subsist. Their bows are extremely neat and very elastic; they are about two and a half feet in length and two inches in width at the center, then tapering gradually to the extremities, where they are half an inch wide. They are very flat and thin, formed of the heart of the arbor vitae or white cedar, with the back of the bow thickly covered with elk sinews laid on with a glue they make from sturgeon. The string is also made of elk sinews. The arrow is usually formed of two parts, though sometimes it is a single piece. Those formed of two parts are unequally divided: the part on which the feathers are placed occupies four-fifths of its length and is made of light white pine, rather larger than a swan's quill. In the lower extremity of this is a circular mortise secured by sinews rolled around it; this mortise receives the end of the second part, which is smaller than the first and about five inches long. In the end of this, the barb is fixed and secured with sinew. This barb is either stone, iron, or copper. If of metal, it is shaped so that its point forms a greater angle than those of any other Indians I have observed. The shorter part of the arrow is of harder wood, as is the whole of the arrow when it is of one piece only. As these people live in a country abounding in ponds, lakes, etc., and frequently hunt in their canoes and shoot at fowl and other animals where an arrow missing its target would be lost in the water, the arrows are constructed in the manner just described in order to make them float should they fall in the water, so that they can be recovered by the hunter. The quiver is usually the skin of a young bear or of a wolf, invariably open at the side instead of the end, as the quivers of other Indians generally are. This construction seems to work better for the canoe than if they were open only at the end. Many of the elk we have killed since we have been here have been wounded with these arrows, with the short piece bearing the barb remaining in the animal and grown over with flesh. The deadfalls and snares are used to take the wolf, the raccoon, and the fox, of which there are only a few. The spear or gig is used to take the sea otter, the common otter, spuck, and beaver. Their gig consists of two points or barbs and is the same in construction as those described earlier as being common among the Indians on the upper part of this river. Their pits are used in taking the elk, and so are large and deep, some of them a cube of 12 or 14 feet. These are usually placed beside a large fallen tree, which, like the pit, lies across the trails frequented by the elk. These pits are disguised with slender boughs of trees and moss; the unwary elk, in passing the tree, plunges into the pit, which is deep enough to prevent its escape, and is thus taken.
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