Lewis: January 4, 1806
Chief Comowool and the Clatsop visitors who had arrived the previous day departed in the evening. Lewis reflected on the local Chinook, Clatsop, and related peoples, describing them as mild and friendly but inclined to pilfer and to drive exceptionally hard bargains. He recounted trying to trade his watch, knives, and beads for an inferior sea otter skin, only to obtain it the next day for fewer beads, concluding their haggling stems from greed rather than ignorance of value. The party's supply of wapato roots ran out.
Saturday January 4th 1806. Comowooll and the Clatsops who visited us
yesterday left us in the evening. These people the Chinnooks and others
residing in this neighbourhood and speaking the same language have been
very friendly to us; they appear to be a mild inoffensive people but will
pilfer if they have an opportuny to do so where they conceive themselves
not liable to detection. they are great higlers in trade and if they
conceive you anxious to purchase will be a whole day bargaining for a
handfull of roots; this I should have thought proceeded from their want of
knowledge of the comparitive value of articles of merchandize and the fear
of being cheated, did I not find that they invariably refuse the price
first offered them and afterwards very frequently accept a smaller
quantity of the same article; in order to satisfy myself on this subject I
once offered a Chinnook my watch two knives and a considerable quantity of
beads for a small inferior sea Otter’s skin which I did not much want, he
immediately conceived it of great value, and refused to barter except I
would double the quantity of beads; the next day with a great deal of
importunity on his part I received the skin in exchange for a few strans
of the same beads he had refused the day before. I therefore believe this
trait in their character proceeds from an avaricious all grasping
disposition. in this rispect they differ from all Indians I ever became
acquainted with, for their dispositions invariably lead them to give
whatever they are possessed off no matter how usefull or valuable, for a
bauble which pleases their fancy, without consulting it’s usefullness or
value. nothing interesting occurred today, or more so, than our wappetoe
being all exhausted.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Saturday, January 4th, 1806. Comowooll and the Clatsops who visited us yesterday left us in the evening. These people, the Chinnooks (Chinooks) and others residing in this neighborhood and speaking the same language, have been very friendly to us. They appear to be a mild, inoffensive people, but they will pilfer if they have an opportunity to do so where they think they are not likely to be caught. They are great hagglers in trade, and if they think you are anxious to purchase, they will spend a whole day bargaining for a handful of roots. I would have thought this came from their lack of knowledge about the comparative value of trade goods and a fear of being cheated, except that I have found they invariably refuse the price first offered them and afterwards very frequently accept a smaller quantity of the same article.
In order to satisfy myself on this subject, I once offered a Chinnook (Chinook) my watch, two knives, and a considerable quantity of beads for a small, inferior sea otter's skin which I did not much want. He immediately decided it was of great value and refused to barter unless I would double the quantity of beads. The next day, with a great deal of pleading on his part, I received the skin in exchange for a few strands of the same beads he had refused the day before. I therefore believe this trait in their character comes from an avaricious, all-grasping disposition. In this respect they differ from all the Indians I have ever become acquainted with, for the dispositions of those others invariably lead them to give whatever they possess, no matter how useful or valuable, for a trinket that pleases their fancy, without considering its usefulness or value. Nothing interesting occurred today, except for our wappetoe being all exhausted.
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