REPORT OF MR W. E. CORMACK'S JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF THE RED INDIANS
IN NEWFOUNDLAND
By W. E. Cormack
Read before the Boeothick Institution at St John's, Newfoundland
Pursuant to special summons, a meeting of this Institution was held at
St John's on the 12th day of January 1828; the Honourable A.W.
Desbarres, Vice-Patron, in the chair. The Honourable Chairman stated,
that the primary motive which led to the formation of the Institution,
was the desire of opening a communication with, and promoting the
civilization of, the Red Indians of Newfoundland; and of procuring, if
possible, an authentic history of that unhappy race of people, in
order that their language, customs and pursuits, might be contrasted
with those of other tribes of Indians and nations; - that, in following
up the chief object of the institution, it was anticipated that much
information would be obtained respecting the natural productions of
the island; the interior of which is less known than any other of the
British possessions abroad. Their excellent President, keeping all
these objects in view, had permitted nothing worthy of research to
escape his scrutiny, and consequently a very wide field of information
was now introduced to their notice, all apparently highly interesting
and useful to society, if properly cultivated. He was aware of their
very natural anxiety to hear from the president an outline of his
recent expedition, and he would occupy their attention farther, only
by observing, that the purposes of the present meeting would be best
accomplished by taking into consideration the different subjects
recommended to them in the president's report, and passing such
resolutions as might be considered necessary to govern the future
proceedings of the Institution.
The President, W.E. Cormack, Esq. then laid the following Statement
before the meeting.
Having so recently returned, I will now only lay before you a brief
outline of my expedition in search of the Boeothicks or Red Indians,
confining my remarks exclusively to its primary object. A detailed
report of the journey will be prepared, and submitted to the
Institution, whenever I shall have leisure to arrange the other
interesting materials which have been collected.
My party consisted of three Indians, whom I procured from among the
other different tribes, viz. an intelligent and able man of the
Abenakie tribe, from Canada; an elderly Mountaineer from Labrador; and
an adventurous young Micmack, a native of this island, together with
myself. It was difficult to obtain men fit for the purpose, and the
trouble attending on this prevented my entering on the expedition a
month earlier in the season. It was my intention to have commenced our
search at White Bay, which is nearer the northern extremity of the
island than where we did, and to have travelled southward; but the
weather not permitting to carry my party thither by water, after
several days delay, I unwillingly changed my line of route.
On the 31st of October 1828 [Sic: 30th of October 1827] last, we
entered the country at the mouth of the River Exploits, on the north
side, at what is called the Northern Arm. We took a north-westerly
direction to lead us to Hall's Bay, which place we reached through an
almost uninterrupted forest, over a hilly country, in eight days. This
tract comprehends the country interior from New Bay, Badger Bay, Seal
Bay, &c.; these being minor bays, included in Green or Notre Dame Bay,
at the north-east part of the island, and well known to have been
always heretofore the summer residence of the Red Indians.
On the fourth day after our departure, at the east end of Badger
Bay-Great Lake, at a portage known by the name of the Indian Path,
we found traces made by the Red Indians, evidently in the spring or
summer of the preceding year. Their party had had two canoes; and here
was a canoe-rest, on which the daubs of red-ochre, and the roots of
trees used to fasten or tie it together appeared fresh. A canoe-rest
is simply a few beams, supported horizontally, about five feet from
the ground, by perpendicular posts. A party with two canoes, when
descending from the interior to the sea-coast, through such a part of
the country as this, where there are troublesome portages, leave one
canoe resting, bottom up, on this kind of frame, to protect it from
injury by the weather, until their return. Among other things which
lay strewed about here, were a spear-shaft, eight feet in length,
recently made and ochred; parts of old canoes, fragments of their
skin-dresses, &c. For some distance around, the trunks of many of the
birch, and of that species of spruce pine called here the Var (Pinus
balsamifera), had been rinded; these people using the inner part of
the bark of that kind of tree for food. Some of the cuts in the trees
with the axe were evidently made the preceding year. Besides these, we
were elated by other encouraging signs. The traces left by the Red
Indians are so peculiar, that we were confident those we saw here were
made by them.
This spot has been a favourite place of settlement with these people.
It is situated at the commencement of a portage, which forms a
communication by a path between the sea-coast at Badger Bay, about
eight miles to the north-east, and a chain of lakes extending westerly
and southerly from hence, and discharging themselves by a rivulet into
the River Exploits, about thirty miles from its mouth. A path also
leads from this place to the lakes, near New Bay, to the eastward.
Here are the remains of one of their villages, where the vestiges of
eight or ten winter mamateeks or wigwams, each intended to contain
from six to eighteen or twenty people, are distinctly seen close
together. Besides these, there are the remains of a number of summer
wigwams. Every winter wigwam has close by it a small square-mouthed or
oblong pit, dug into the earth, about four feet deep, to preserve
their stores, &c. in.
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