as. These two groups
are very similar. They live upon the shores of densely wooded,
mountainous lands and travel little except by water. Some of the
canoes which these tribes construct are over fifty feet long and
will easily carry from fifty to one hundred persons. Such a canoe
is hewn out of a single cedar log, and presents a very graceful
appearance with its upward-curving bow. In these boats the Indians
take trips of hundreds of miles.

[Illustration: FIG. 64.--FLATHEAD INDIAN WOMAN, VANCOUVER ISLAND]

A ride in one of the large canoes is an interesting experience.
When a party starts out to visit the neighboring villages, carrying
invitations to a festival, the men are gayly dressed, and shout and
sing in unison as they ply their paddles. The great canoe jumps
up and onward like a living thing at every stroke of the paddles,
which are dipped into the water all at once as the rowers keep
time to their songs. But this enthusiasm quickly disappears if
a head wind comes up, and the party goes ashore to wait for the
breeze to turn in a more favorable direction.

These Indians, as might be supposed, live largely upon fish. Berries
are abundant during the summer and are also much used for food.
The clothing of the Indians was originally a sort of blanket made
of the woven fibres of cedar bark, or more rarely, of the skins of
animals, although among the northern tribes skins were used almost
exclusively. Matting made of the cedar bark is still in common use
in their houses.

[Illustration: FIG. 65.--INDIAN HOUSES, FORT RUPERT, VANCOUVER ISLAND]

Among the Vancouver Island Indians, a few have peculiarly flattened
foreheads (Fig. 64). This deformity is produced by binding a piece
of board upon the forehead in babyhood and leaving it there while
the head is growing.

The villages are located in some protected spot where the canoes
can lie in safety. The buildings are strung along the shore close
under the edge of the thick forest and just above the reach of
the waves at high tide. They are very solidly constructed, for
these Indians do not move about as much as those farther south
where the forests are less dense. Figure 65 shows the framework of
a partially built house, while another stands at one side completed.
Large posts are set in the ground at the corners and ends of the
building; cross logs are then placed upon the middle posts, and
upon these a huge log is placed for a ridge-pole. This is sometimes
two feet