Identifier: britishnorthamer00hill (find matches)
Title: British North America: I. The far West, the home of the Salish and Déné
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Hill-Tout, Charles, 1858-1944
Subjects: Salishan Indians Tinne Indians
Publisher: Toronto, Copp Clark Co.
Contributing Library: University of Connecticut Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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er endbent over, and fastened to the cradle, the weight ofthe child being sufficient to keep it in this position,and allow the cradle to swing gently up and down onthe least movement of the child. To keep it swinging,when the child is fractious or fretful, a string is fastenedto the cradle, and given to one of the old women ofthe household to pull from time to time, so that thechild is amused or soothed. The style of cradle varied almost with the tribe.The Thompson and other interior tribes, and alsothose of the upper delta, most commonly employeda cradle of a coffin-like shape, of spruce or cedar-rootbasketry. Examples of these cradles are shown in theaccompanying plates. In addition to these basket-workcradles, others of birch-bark were also in common use.Many of the cradles were made with a movablefitting hood, which could be pulled up over the headand face of the child, to shelter it from the sun, wind,or rain, as was needed. When the child was old enough to dispense with Plate 32
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Cradle Life among the Salish Photo by Thompson, Vancouver, B.C. To face page 244 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE 245 the cradle, the latter, with all the swaddling clothes,was taken away, and hung on some bush or tree inthe forest; it not being considered lucky to use thesame cradle twice, or for two children. To this day, insome parts of the interior nothing is more commonthan to see these cradles hanging from the bushes ortrees. After the child has passed the cradle-stage of itsexistence, its garments, except in cold weather, are ofthe scantiest description. The first event of import-ance in its young life is when its ears are pierced for theear-ornaments. A shaman is generally employed to dothis, which is effected by means of a pointed bone, theholes being stopped or plugged with splinters of pitch-pine. These are kept in the ear, and worked daily,till the holes are ready for the ear-rings. If the child be of honourable parentage, the ear-piercing is made the occasion of a great feast

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