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Updated: June 19, 2025
C. found the natives busily engaged in boiling the blubber, which they performed in a large wooden trought by means of hot stones; the oil when extracted was secured in bladders and the guts of the whale; the blubber, from which the oil was only partially extracted by this process, was laid by in their lodges in large fliches for uce; this they usually expose to the fire on a wooden spit untill it is pretty well warmed through and then eat it either alone or with the roots of the rush, squawmash, fern wappetoe &c.
The Wappetoe, or bulb of the Sagitifolia or common arrow head, which grows in great abundance in the marshey grounds of that butifull and fertile vally on the Columbia commenceing just above the quick Sand River and extending downwards for about 70 miles. this bulb forms a principal article of trafic between the inhabitents of the vally and those of their neighbourhood or Sea coast.
C. gave them an adiquate compensation for their roots and having lighted his pipe smoaked with the men. they appeared in a great measure to get the better of their allarm and he left them and continued his rout along the south side of Image canoe Island which he found to be three islands, the one in the center concealing the apperture between the two others in such manner that from the north side of the river where we have previously passed they all appeared to form one island only. at the distance of 13 miles below the village just mentioned, and at the lower point of what we have heretofore deemed the image canoe Island, Capt C. entered the Multnomah river so called by the natives from a nation of that name who reside on wappetoe island a little below the entrance of this river?
Capt C. passed this village without halting and continued his rout untill 3 P.M. when he arrived at a large double house of the Ne-er-cho-ki-oo tribe of the Shah'ha-la nation; at this place we had seen 24 additional straw and bark huts as we passed down last fall, the inhabitants of which as I have before mentioned reside at the great rapids of the Columbia river. about this place in different directions Capt C. saw a great number of small canoes lying scattered on the bank. these small canoes are employed by the women in collecting wappetoe; with one of these a woman enters a pond where the Sagitaria Sagittifolia grows frequently to her breast in water and by means of her toes and feet breakes the bulb of this plant loos from the parent radicle and disincumbering it from the mud it immediately rises to the surface of the water when she seizes it and throws it into her canoe which she always keeps convenient to her. they will remain in the water for hours together in surch of this bulb in middle of winter. those canoes are from 10 to 14 feet in length, from 18 to 23 inches in width near the middle tapering or becoming narrower towards either extremity and 9 inches deep their form is thus. they are so light that a woman can draw them over land or take them with ease through the swamps in any direction, and are sufficient to carry a single person and several bushells of roots.
Capt. C. sat himself down near the fire and having a part of a portfire match in his pocket cut of a small peice of it and threw it in the fire; at the same time he took out his pocket compass and by means of a magnet which he had in the top of his inkstand he turned the nedle of the compass about very briskly; the match took fire and birned vehemently; the indians astonished and allarmed at these exhibitions, ran and brought several parcels of wappetoe and laid at his feet and begged that he would put out the bad fire; to this he consented; at this moment the match being exhausted was of course extenguished and he put up his compass & magnet. they were now much more complisant, tho the women and children were yet so much allarmed that they took refuge in their beads and behing the men who were seting opposite to Capt.
C. that this was a man of the Clark-a'-mas nation who are numerous and inhabit eleven vilages on either side of a river of the same name which has it's source in Mount Jefferson and after tranversing a woody and fertile country discharges itself into the Multnomah river on it's E. side at the distance of about 40 miles from it's junction with the Columbia. the Clarkamas river is navigable for canoes a great distance, from the Indian account almost to the foot of mount, Jefferson. the nation who inhabit it's borders live principally on fish with which this stream abounds and also on roots which they procure on it's borders. they sometimes also come down to the Multnomah and Columbia in surch of Wappatoe. they do not differ essentially in their language dress &c from the Quathlahpohtles and others in the vicinity of wappetoe island.
January 1st Tuesday. This morning I was awoke at an early hour by the discharge of a volley of small arms, which were fired by our party in front of our quarters to usher in the new year; this was the only mark of rispect which we had it in our power to pay this celebrated day. our repast of this day tho better than that of Christmass, consisted principally in the anticipation of the 1st day of January 1807, when in the bosom of our friends we hope to participate in the mirth and hilarity of the day, and when with the zest given by the recollection of the present, we shall completely, both mentally and corporally, enjoy the repast which the hand of civilization has prepared for us. at present we were content with eating our boiled Elk and wappetoe, and solacing our thirst with our only beverage pure water. two of our hunters who set out this morning reterned in the evening having killed two bucks elk; they presented Capt.
The root of the thistle after undergoing the prossess of sweating or baking in a kiln is sometimes eaten with the train oil also, and at other times pounded fine and mixed with could water untill reduced to the consistency of sagamity or indian mush; in this way I think it very agreeable. but the most valuable of all their roots is foreign to this neighbourhood I mean the Wappetoe, or the bulb of the Sagitifolia or common arrow head, which grows in great abundance in the marshey grounds of that beatifull and firtile valley on the Columbia commencing just above the entrance of Quicksand River, and extending downwards for about 70 Miles. this bulb forms a principal article of traffic between the inhabitants of the valley and those of this neighbourhood or sea coast.
The wind blew so hard this morning that we delayed untill 8 A.M. we gave a medal of small size to a man by the name of Wal-lal'-le, a principal man among the Cathlahmahs, he appeared very thankfull for the honour conferred on him and presented us a large sturgeon. we continued our rout up the river to an old village on the Stard. side where we halted for dinner. we met on the way the principal Cheif of the Cathlahmahs, Sah-hah-woh-cap, who had been up the river on a trading voyage. he gave us some Wappetoe and fish; we also purchased some of the latter. soon after we halted for dinner the two Wackiacums who have been pursuing us since yesterday morning with two dogs for sale, arrived. they wish tobacco in exchange for their dogs which we are not disposed to give as our stock is now reduced to a very few carrots. our men who have been accustomed to the use of this article Tobaco and to whom we are now obliged to deny the uce of this article appear to suffer much for the want of it. they substitute the bark of the wild crab which they chew; it is very bitter, and they assure me they find it a good substitute for tobacco. the smokers substitute the inner bark of the red willow and the sacacommis. here our hunters joined us having killed three Eagles and a large goose.
C. ascended this river ten miles to a large wood house on the East side of the river, near which he encamped for the evening; the house being infested with such swarms of flees that they could not remain in it. this his guide informed him was the house of the Cush-hooks nation who reside just below the falls of the Multnomah river and who occasionally reside at this place for the purpose of collecting wappetoe. at present this house appeared to have been lately abandoned by the natives who had left therein exposed to every visiter various articles such as small canoes, mats, bladders of train oil, baskets, bowls and trenchers. this is a strong evidence of the honesty of the natives with rispect to the property of each other, but they have given us several evidences that they do not pay the same rispect to the property of white men. his guide further informed him that there were a number of small houses belonging to the last mentioned nation situated on two bayous which make out of the river a little above this large hose on the East side; that the inhabitants of these as well as those of the large house had gone up to the falls of the Multnomah river for the purpose of taking fish. these falls are situated at the distance of 2 days travel from the junction of the Multnomah and Columbia rivers agreeably to the Indian account which we have estimated at 60 miles or 20 m. above the entrance of Clarkamus river.
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