Metlakahtla and the North Pacific Mission of the Church Missionary Society Part 7

Each company has in it, besides ordinary members, one chief, two constables, one elder, and three councillors, who are all expected to unite in preserving the peace and order of the village. The ten chiefs all spoke in the market-house on New Year's-day, and in sensible language promised to follow the teaching they had received, and to unite in promoting what is good. After the meeting all adjourned to the green in front of the church, and joined in singing 'G.o.d save the Queen,' in English, before dispersing to their homes. The rest of the day was spent in New Year's greetings.

"Wednesday Evening was occupied by the usual week-day service, and Thursday and Friday evenings were devoted to the exhibition in the school-room, first to the women and then to the men, of a large magic lantern, with oxygen light, and also a microscope, showing living insects and sea-water animalcules, as well as various slides.

"The above is but an imperfect sketch of the efforts made by Mr.

Duncan for the welfare and happiness of his village,"

IX.

OUTLYING STATIONS--I. KINCOLITH.

A glance at the map will show that both Metlakahtla and Fort Simpson are situated on a peninsula which juts forth from the coast between the estuaries of two rivers, the _Skeena_ to the south, and the _Na.s.s_ to the North. The mouth of the Na.s.s River is one of the great fishing resorts of the Indians. From long distances the tribes of both the mainland and the adjacent islands flock thither every year in March and April, the season when the oolikan, a small fish about the size of a smelt, is caught.

As many as five thousand Indians gather together on these occasions, and encamp for miles along both banks of the river. Having put up their temporary bark huts, they dig pits to store the fish in, and then quietly await their arrival. Meanwhile, hardly a sign of life is to be seen on land or water. The towering mountains, that rise almost from the banks, are covered deep with snow, and the river is fast bound in ice to the depth of six or eight feet. Slowly the ice begins to break higher up, and the tides, rising and falling, bear away immense quant.i.ties. At length a few seagulls appear in the western sky, and the cry echoes from camp to camp that the fish are at hand.

Immense shoals of oolikan come in from the Pacific, followed by larger fish such as the halibut, the cod, the porpoise, and the finned-back -whale. Over the fish hover the sea-birds--"an immense cloud of innumerable gulls," wrote Bishop Hills after a visit to the place, "so many and so thick that as they moved to and fro, up and down, the sight resembled a heavy fall of snow." Over the gulls, again, soar the eagles watching for their prey. The Indians go forth to meet the fish with the cry, "You fish, you fish! you are all chiefs; you are, you are all chiefs." The nets haul in bushels at a time, and hundreds of tons are collected. "The Indians dry some in the sun, and _press_ a much larger quant.i.ty for the sake of the oil or grease, which has a considerable market value as being superior to cod-liver oil, and which they use as b.u.t.ter with their dried salmon. The season is most important to the Indians; the supply lasts them till the season for salmon, which is later, and which supplies their staple food, their bread." "What a beautiful provision for this people," writes one of the Missionaries, "just at that season of the year when their winter stock has run out! G.o.d can indeed furnish a table in the wilderness."

It was in the spring of 1860, that Mr. Duncan first visited the Na.s.s River. He received a most encouraging welcome from the Nishkah Indians --one of the Tsimshean tribes--dwelling on its banks. The account is a particularly interesting one:--

"_April 19th, 1860_.--About 4 p.m. we arrived in sight of the three lower villages of the Nishkah Indians, and these, with two upper villages, const.i.tute the proper inhabitants of the river. On approaching the princ.i.p.al village we were met by a man who had been sent to invite us to the chief's house. Numbers of Indians stood on the bank. When we stopped, several rushed into the water: some seized my luggage, and one took me on his back. In a few minutes we were safely housed. Smiling faces and kind words greeted me on every side. My friend Kahdoonahah, the chief who had invited me to his house, was dancing for joy at my arrival. He had put his house in order, made up a large fire in the centre, placed two big iron kettles on it, and had invited a number of his friends to come and feast with me. About thirty of us, all males, sat round the fire. Boiled fresh salmon was first served out. All the guests were furnished with large horn or wooden spoons: I preferred to use my own. My plate was first filled with choice bits, and afterwards large wooden dishesful were carried round, and one placed before every two persons. This done, boiled rice, mixed with mola.s.ses, was served us. Fresh spoons and dishes were used. While the dishes were being filled, each person had a large spoonful handed him to be going on with. After the feast I had considerable conversation, and concluded by requesting that all the chiefs and chief men of the three tribes should meet me on the morrow, when I would endeavour to give them the good news from G.o.d's book. Kahdoonahah, suggested that there might be some difficulty to get all the chiefs to a.s.semble, unless something was provided for them to eat He therefore promised to send out and invite them all to his house, and give them a feast for the occasion.

"It was now evening, and the guests went home. Kahdoonahah then brought in an old man to sing to me. The old man very solemnly sat down before me, fixed his eyes upon the ground, and began beating time by striking his foot with his hand. He was a.s.sisted by Kahdoonahah, who not only sang, but kept up a thumping noise with a large stick. A few boys also clapped their hands in proper time. After they had sung two or three songs I told them we would have a change. I drew my few boys around me. One of them immediately warned the chief and his company that we were going to sing songs to G.o.d, which were the same as prayers, and therefore they must be very reverent. We sang several little hymns, some of which I translated. The party soon increased, and sat very attentively.

"_April 20_.--After breakfast two men entered the house, and stood just within the door. Looking at me, one of them shouted out, 'Woah shimauket, woah shimauket, woah shimauket, woah.' After repeating this twice, they went away. This was an invitation from a chief who wanted me and my crew to breakfast with him. I took two of my party, and set off. When I was entering the chief's house, he stood up, and, beckoning me to a seat, cried out loudly, 'Yeah shimauket, yeah shimauket, yeah shimauket, yeah.' As soon as I was seated, he stopped, and sat down. These words, rendered into English, are, 'Welcome chief, welcome chief, welcome chief, welcome!' We feasted on boiled salmon, and rice, and sugar, and mola.s.ses, after which the chief presented me with five marten skins and a large salmon. When I returned to Kahdoonahah's house, he had got three large iron kettles on the fire for the feast; and I was informed that an old chief had given me a large black bear's skin. The drum began to beat, and a general bustle prevailed around me. I sat down to collect my thoughts, and to lift up my heart to G.o.d to prepare me for the important meeting about to take place, at which the blessed Gospel was to be proclaimed to these poor tribes of Indians for the first time.

"About twelve o'clock they began to a.s.semble. Each took a place corresponding to his rank. We soon mustered about sixty chiefs and headmen. Between one and two p.m. we began to feast, which consisted, as usual, of salmon and rice, and mola.s.ses. I had heard Kahdoonahah say that they intended to perform before me their '_Ahlied;_' but I requested him to have no playing, as I wanted to speak very solemnly to them. He promised me they would do nothing bad; but now that the feasting was over, much to my sorrow, he put on his dancing mask and robes. The leading singers stepped out, and soon all were engaged in a spirited chant. They kept excellent time by clapping their hands and beating a drum. (I found out afterwards that they had been singing my praises and asking me to pity them and to do them good.) The chief Kahdoonahah danced with all his might during the singing. He wore a cap, which had a mask in front, set with mother-of-pearl, and trimmed with porcupine's quills. The quills enabled him to hold a quant.i.ty of white bird's down on the top of his head, which he ejected while dancing, by jerking his head forward: thus he soon appeared as if in a shower of snow. In the middle of the dance a man approached me with a handful of down, and blew it over my head, thus symbolically uniting me in friendship with all the chiefs present, and the tribes they severally represented.

"After the dance and singing were over, I felt exceedingly anxious about addressing them; but circ.u.mstances seemed so unfavourable on account of the excitement, that my heart began to sink. What made the matter worse, too, was a chief, who had lately been shot in the arm for overstepping his rank, began talking very pa.s.sionately. This aroused me. I saw at once that I must speak, or probably the meeting might conclude in confusion. I stood up, and requested them to cease talking, as I wished them to rest their hearts, and listen to the great message I had come to deliver. Instantly the chief ceased talking, and every countenance became fixed attentively towards me. I began, and the Lord helped me much. I was enabled to speak with more freedom and animation than I had ever done before in the Indian tongue. Much to my encouragement the Indians unanimously responded at the finish of every clause. The most solemn occasion of this kind was when I introduced the name of the Saviour. At once every tongue uttered Jesus, and, for some time, kept repeating that blessed name, which I hope they will not forget.'

"After I had finished my address I asked them to declare to me their thoughts upon what they had heard, and also if they desired to be further instructed in G.o.d's word. Immediately a universal cry arose of, 'Good is your speech. Good, good, good news! We greatly desire to learn the book. We wish our children to learn.'"

In the autumn of the same year, Mr. Duncan again visited the Na.s.s River, and ascended to the upper villages. Everywhere he found a readiness, sometimes most touchingly expressed, to receive Christian instruction. At one interesting gathering, a Nishkah chief named Agwilakkah. after hearing the Gospel message for the first time, stood up before all, stretched forth his hands towards heaven, and lifting up his eyes, solemnly said:--

"_Pity us, Great Father in heaven, pity us! Give us Thy good! book to do us good and clear away our sins. This chief_ [pointing to Mr.

Duncan] _has come to tell us about Thee. It is good, Great Father. We want to hear. Who ever came to tell our fathers Thy will? No, no. But this chief has pitied us and come. He has Thy book. We will hear. We will receive Thy word. We will obey._"

Four years, however, pa.s.sed away before regular Missionary operations could be extended to the Na.s.s River. In 1864, a Christian Tsimshean, travelling up the river as a fur-trader, told the Indians he met with of the Saviour he had himself found, and on his return to the coast seven young men of the Nishkah tribe accompanied him, that they might visit Metlakahtla and hear the Missionary for themselves. They stayed there for a few days, listening eagerly to Mr. Duncan's instructions.

When they left, they begged for some fragment of G.o.d's Word to take back to their tribe; and Mr. Duncan wrote out for each, on a piece of paper, the words in Tsimshean, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

In this case the living voice was not long in following the written message. On July 2nd, 1864, the Rev. R. R. A. Doolan arrived at Metlakahtla from England, and, at Mr. Duncan's suggestion, he at once went on to the Na.s.s River to establish a permanent Mission.

With prayerful energy the young Missionary, inexperienced and ignorant of the language, flung himself into the conflict with heathenism. A sore conflict it was. Ardent spirits had come up the river; drunkenness was fast spreading among the Indians; and quarrelling and murders were of frequent occurrence. On one occasion, after a whisky feast, the Indians on opposite sides of the river set to work firing across the stream at one another, in pure wantonness.

Several were wounded, women as well as men; and next day Mr. Doolan was called upon to attend to their injuries. Again and again was his own life in imminent danger. One day an Indian rushed out of a hut he was pa.s.sing, gun in hand, and fired at him twice. Both times the gun missed fire! "I was so close to him," wrote Mr. Doolan, "that I saw the fire from the flint."

If Divine providence was thus exhibited in the preservation of the missionary's life, Divine grace was soon to be not less signally manifested in a blessing on his labours. A boy named Tacomash was the first fruits gathered in. He and another boy came from a village twenty -five miles off to live at the Mission-house, and attend school. After a few weeks he went home to see his father, and was attacked with bronchitis. Mr. Doolan, hearing of this, hastened off to see him. "The journey," he says, "was a most painful one. I wore two pairs of moca.s.sins, but the ice soon cut through both. I was ten hours walking the twenty-five miles. I found the poor lad very weak, and suffering much. He had steadfastly resisted the medicine-men from rattling over him, saying G.o.d would be angry with him if he allowed them." Tacomash got better, and returned to the station; and shortly after Mr. Doolan writes, "To-day I was rejoiced to hear Tacomash praying to G.o.d. He was among the trees, and did not know anyone heard him. He asked Jesus to pity him, and make his heart strong." Soon, however, the lad became ill again, and died trusting in the Saviour. On his death-bed he was baptized at his own earnest desire, and named Samuel Walker.

On Mr. Doolan's retirement from the Mission in 1867, the work on the Na.s.s River was taken up by the Rev. R. Tomlinson, who had just arrived.

By Mr. Doolan's efforts some fifty Indians had been influenced to abandon their heathen customs and to desire to live together as a Christian community; and a settlement similar to Metlakahtla was now planned. This settlement received the name of Kincolith; and here Mr.

Tomlinson earnestly laboured from 1867 to 1878, when he left to go forward into the regions beyond.

The work proved to be one requiring much patience and courage. For two or three years it was much r.e.t.a.r.ded by hostilities between two tribes.

But Mr. Tomlinson was encouraged by the zeal and intrepidity of his wife, who accompanied him on his visits to the combatants, and everywhere disarmed opposition by her presence. Subsequently the trading store, which had been established on the Metlakahtla plan, turned out a failure, and the Indian settlers, about sixty in number, depressed by the losses they incurred, showed signs of wavering, and of returning to their heathen friends, who were manifesting the most bitter antagonism to the Mission. But towards the close of 1870, by the mercy of G.o.d, the tide seemed to turn, and when Archdeacon Woods visited the station at the Bishop of Columbia's request, in October, 1871, he found a peaceful Community, an attentive congregation, and several candidates for baptism, of whom he admitted twenty adults (with seven children) to the Church, making, with nine previously baptized, thirty-six altogether.

From that time the Kincolith Mission, though not exhibiting rapid success, has been steadily growing, and not a few of the Nishkah Indians who were accustomed to attend Mr. Doolan's services, but had fallen back, have joined the community, and some have been baptized. The store was re-opened in 1874 with improved prospects. A dispensary was established by Mr. Tomlinson, and has been highly appreciated by the Indians. A saw mill has been erected, which not only supplies material for building new houses, but also gives employment to those of the settlers who are neither fur-hunters nor skilled workmen. The annual fishing seasons have been a time of distinct blessing, the Christian Indians holding services for their heathen fellow-countrymen in the various camps, and many of the heathen joining them in resting from the fishing operations on the Lord's Day. Year by year the number of settlers has increased, and now exceeds two hundred, of whom three -fourths are baptized.

One chief, who joined on New Year's-day, 1877, was well known as the fiercest savage on the river. He was baptized by Bishop Bompas in March, 1878, taking, like Legaic at Metlakahtla, the name of Paul. He was very penitent for his past life, and was earnestly trying to follow good ways, when illness and death overtook him. Just before he died, he gave very clear testimony that he had found pardon and peace in Jesus.

At the funeral service the people sang Sankey's hymn, "There will be no more parting there." His son, a young man of twenty, has since been baptized, also by the name of Paul, and has been married to the Christian daughter of another leading chief--a girl named Rhoda.

As already mentioned, Mr. Tomlinson has now moved forward into the interior to carry the Gospel to the Kitiksheans and other tribes up the Na.s.s and Skeena Rivers and among the Cascade Mountains, and has established a station near a place known as the Skeena Forks, where three branches of that river unite. At Kittackdamix also, at the end of the navigation on the Na.s.s, a native Christian teacher has been stationed, towards whose expenses the Kincolith Christians contributed L12 in money and kind. A site has been selected there for another Christian village, and several Indian families propose settling on the spot. The Kincolith station is now under the charge of Mr. H. Schutt, a schoolmaster sent out in 1876.

Mr. Tomlinson, like Mr. Duncan, has lately been appointed a magistrate. He writes:--"The proposal was made to me quite unexpectedly by the head of the Government, and I did not feel justified in declining the offer. Already good begins to result from it. The hearts of the well-disposed are strengthened, while the ill-disposed whites are restrained from molesting the native settlers."

X.

OUTLYING MISSIONS--II. QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS.

On the group of islands named after George the Third's Queen, dwell the finest and the fiercest of the coast tribes. The Hydahs are a manly, tall, handsome people, and comparatively fair in their complexion; but they are a cruel and vindictive race, and were long the terror of the North Pacific coast. They even ventured to attack English ships, and in 1854 they plundered an American vessel, detaining the captain and crew in captivity until they were ransomed by the Hudson's Bay Company. No tribe, moreover, has been more fearfully demoralised by the proximity of the white man's "civilization." Drunkenness and the grossest vices have spread disease and death among them.

But the Hydahs have not failed to recognise the advantages that Christianity has conferred upon their neighbours on the mainland.

Trading expeditions up the coast took them occasionally to Metlakahtla, and the peace and prosperity they saw there deeply impressed their minds. A striking instance of the moral influence of the Christian settlement occured in 1873. Many years before, a young Tsimshean woman had been captured by a party of Hydahs, and carried as a slave to Queen Charlotte Islands, where, after a while, a son was born to her. Five and twenty years pa.s.sed away, and then she was restored by her owner, for a consideration, to her relatives at Fort Simpson. The Hydahs seem to have thought this a good opportunity to make friends with their old enemies, and they sent a deputation to Metlakahtla with her son, now a grown man, to give him up as a voluntary peace-offering. "We had,"

wrote Mr. Duncan, "a solemn peace-making at the Mission-house. Several excellent speeches were made, and a doc.u.ment was drawn up and signed by the relatives of the young man, expressive of their reconciliation with their ancient foes."

The princ.i.p.al trading post, Ma.s.sett, is on the northern coast of the northern island, Graham Island. Here Mr. and Mrs. Collison, with their two little children, landed on November 1st, 1876--

"On our arrival I had intended to have wintered in one of the Indian houses, as the winter season was too far advanced for building, but Mr.

Offut, the officer in charge of the H. B. Co.'s post on the island, kindly offered us a small house, in which goods had been stored, and as it was within 100 yards of the Indian encampment, I gladly accepted the offer. This I immediately put under repair, covering it with barks outside, and putting up a stove inside. The house was very small, measuring eighteen feet by twelve, and, in order to secure a little privacy, I part.i.tioned off eight feet, leaving for all purposes an apartment ten feet by twelve. This has usually been well filled with Indians, sitting almost on each other, and as we were both to entertain such numbers at meals, we have often had to remain without food all day. Of course this, with many other difficulties, will be overcome by a command of their language, but any attempt to carry out order without a fair knowledge of their tongue might only insult and estrange them."

To the privations thus endured were soon added those attendant on sickness First, their eldest child was attacked by fever, and for some weeks his life was despaired of, and then Mr. Collison himself was struck down and brought nigh unto death Both, we need not say, were tenderly nursed by the wife and mother, and both, by the mercy of G.o.d, were raised up again.

In the same letter Mr. Collison describes a remarkable peculiarity of the Hydah villages--

"In approaching a Hydah village from a distance one is reminded of a harbour with a number of ships at anchor, owing to the great number of poles of all sizes erected in front of every house. These are carved very well, with all kinds of figures, many of them unintelligible to visitors or strangers, but fraught with meaning to the people themselves. In fact, they have a legend in connection with almost every figure. It is in the erection of these that so much property is given away. They value them very highly, as was instanced lately on the occasion of the Governor-General's visit. He was most anxious to purchase one, but they would not consent to it at any price."

Patiently and prayerfully for the next two years and a half, with one or two intervals for visits to Metlakahtla, did Mr. Collison labour among the Hydahs, on the same lines as Mr. Duncan had done originally among the Tsimsheans; first, diligently trying to pick up their language, and making himself known as their friend; then opening a school; then seeking to win them from some of their most degrading customs. Very quickly he gained a remarkable influence over them, and though the medicine-men were, of course, bitterly hostile, greater was He who was with the Missionary than those that were with his opponents; and the tokens of the working of the Holy Ghost were manifested sooner than even an ardent faith might have antic.i.p.ated.

During the winter of 1877-8, school was conducted daily, women and children attending in the morning, and men in the evening, and the Sunday services were generally attended by three hundred and fifty Indians. Gambling, heathen dances, and the manufacture of "fire-water"

from mola.s.ses, began gradually to diminish; and Mr. Collison's growing influence was well tested on the occasion of the death of a princ.i.p.al chief:--

"I visited him during his illness, and held service in his house weekly for the five weeks preceding his death. On the morning of the day on which be died I visited him, and found him surrounded by the men of his tribe and the princ.i.p.al medicine-man, who kept up his incantations and charms to the last. He was sitting up, and appeared glad to see me, and, in answer to my inquiries, he informed me that he was very low indeed and his heart weak. I directed him to withdraw his mind from everything, and look only to Jesus, who alone could help him.

He thanked me again and again whilst I instructed him, and when I asked him if he would like me to pray with him he replied that he would very much. I then called upon all to kneel, and, with bowed head, he followed my pet.i.tions earnestly. He informed me that, had he been spared, he would have been one of the first in the way of G.o.d, but I endeavoured to show him that even then he might be so by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Afterwards I sent Mrs. Collison to prepare some food for him, and make him comfortable, and about mid day he sent for me again, but why he sent for me, or what he wanted to say to me, I never learned, as before I reached his house he expired.

"His death was announced by the firing of several cannon which they have in the village. On my entering the house, the scene which presented itself was indescribable--shrieking, dancing, tearing and burning their hair in the fire, whilst the father of the deceased, who had just been pulled out of the fire, rushed to it again and threw himself upon it. He was with difficulty removed, and I directed two men to hold him whilst I endeavoured to calm the tumult.