Monday (Sunday) January 19th. 1806.
This morning sent out two parties of hunters, consisting of
Collins and Willard whom we sent down the bay towards point
Adams, and Labuish and Shannon whom we sent up Fort
River;[15]
the fi[r]st by land and the latter by water. we were
visited today by two Clatsop men and a woman who brought
for sale some Sea Otter skins of which we purchased one, giving
in exchange the remainder of our blue beads consisting of
6 fathoms and about the same quantity of small white beads and
a knife. we also purchased a small quantity of train oil for a
pair of Brass armbands and a hat for some fishinghooks. these
hats are of their own manufactory and are composed of Cedar
bark and bear grass interwoven with the fingers and ornimented
with various colours and figures, they are nearly waterproof,
light, and I am convinced are much more durable than either
chip or straw. These hats form a small article of traffic with
the Clatsops and Chinnooks who dispose of them to the
whites. the form of the hat is that which was in vogue in the
U
ed. States and great Britain in the years 1800 & 1801 with a
high crown reather larger at the top than where it joins the
brim; the brim narrow or about 2 or 2 ½ inches.
Several families of these people usually reside together in the
same room; they appear to be the father & mother and their
sons with their son's wives and children; their provision seems
to be in common and the greatest harmoney appears to exist
among them. The old man is not always rispected as the head
of the family, that duty most commonly devolves on one of
the young men. They have seldom more than one wife, yet
the plurality of wives is not denied them by their customs.
These families when ascociated form nations or bands of nations
each acknowledging the authority of it's own chieftain who
dose not appear to be heriditary, nor his power to extend
further than a mear repremand for any improper act of an
individual; the creation of a chief depends upon the upright
deportment of the individual & his ability and disposition to
render service to the community; and his authority or the
deference paid him is in exact equilibrio with the popularity or
voluntary esteem he has acquired among the individuals of his
band or nation. Their laws like those of all uncivilized Indians
consist of a set of customs which have grown out of their local
situations. not being able to speak their language we have not
been able to inform ourselves of the existence of any peculiar
customs among them.
