Chapter XXIII: Appendix: D

_POVERTY OF THE PEOPLE_

To gauge as accurately as possible the condition of the people, we prepared as full a census of them—of their belongings, their families, and their accomplishments—as we could. In this, during three years, I have had the assistance of four medical men besides myself, of the resident missionaries on the coast, and of the Moravian brethren further north.

We find the people, as a rule, very poor, often reduced to the verge of starvation. The causes we believe to be (1) depletion of fisheries and fur-bearing animals, and bad seasons. (2) Inability to replenish traps, guns, nets, boats, etc., when worn out. (3) Inability to secure proper clothing and supplies of food when once they become overwhelmed in debt. These causes have led to (4) loss of energy, apathy, and even despair.

There are some families still comfortably off, but these are impoverished by their own generosity, which impels them continually to assist their poorer brethren. Where they are still well off, it is generally because they have a number of grown-up unmarried sons, or are in some harbour well separated from other settlers. This last fact is more patent as one travels north. The census papers are in my possession now. I will quote here some bad cases.

Two families here quite destitute. R—— R—— and L—— R——. There was neither tea, molasses, nor flour in either house, and their clothing was literally dropping to pieces, while one boy was barefoot and the others had boots tied on to their feet by string to keep the pieces together. If ever hunger wrote its name clearly on people’s faces it was written on these people’s, the children being pale and bloodless, the woman haggard and careworn. The mother told me, in most pathetic way, “Even the berries will be covered deep in snow soon, and then we have only starvation to look to.” They had _no flour to face the winter_, and apparently no means of obtaining any. Neither family had seal nets, salmon nets, or cod nets, or could pay for twine to braid any, and both men showed me their powder-horns and shot-bags empty, or nearly so. I found on returning to the launch, the captain had given his bag of biscuits away to these people.

W. T. G.

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A—— P——. Seven children, very poor and ill-clad; very poor supply of food, miserable hut, no nets. The lay reader[22] found three inches of snow blow in and remain on the floor of the only room one night in winter he slept here. He found one counterpane and a pair of man’s trousers almost all the clothing the children had, including the eldest, a girl of fourteen. These had to stay indoors, of course, all winter.

[Footnote 22: Mr. Dicks, of Cartwright.]

W. T. G.

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S—— B——. Seven children. Very poor, very naked, short of food, no apparatus to kill fish except a few hooks. Miserable one-roomed hut.

W. T. G.

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E—— O——. Wife and two undergrown boys; father has consumption. All very badly clothed; not a single flannel garment among them. No blankets; bedclothes in rags. One trout net; caught only enough fish for their consumption. Nine quintals last year, with which cleared part of his debt, and got one barrel of flour and two pounds of tea for his “winter diet.” Shot some birds and one seal. Now there is nothing but three pounds of broken biscuits in the house.

ELIOT CURWEN.