Lewis: January 17, 1806

Saturday January 17th 1806 This morning we were visited by Comowool and 7
of the Clatsops our nearest neighbours, who left us again in the evening.
They brought with them some roots and buries for sale, of which however
they disposed of but very few as they asked for them such prices as our
stock in trade would not license us in giving. the Chief Comowool gave us
some roots and buries for which we gave him in return a mockerson awl and
some thread; the latter he wished for the purpose of making a skiming net.
one of the party was dressed in three very eligant Sea Otter skins which
we much wanted; for these we offered him many articles but he would not
dispose of them for any other consideration but blue beads, of these we
had only six fathoms left, which being 4 less than his price for each skin
he would not exchange nor would a knife or an equivalent in beads of any
other colour answer his purposes, these coarse blue beads are their
favorite merchandiz, and are called by them tia Commashuck or Chiefs
beads. the best wampum is not so much esteemed by them as the most
inferior beads. Sent Coalter out to hunt this morning, he shortly after
returned with a deer, venison is a rarity with us we have had none for
some weeks. Drewyer also set out on a hunting excertion and took one man
with him. he intends both to hunt the Elk and trap the beaver.

The Culinary articles of the Indians in our neighbourhood consist of
wooden bowls or throughs, baskets, wooden spoons and woden scures or
spits. Their wooden bowls and troughs are of different forms and sizes,
and most generally dug out of a solid piece; they are ither round or simi
globular, in the form of a canoe, cubic, and cubic at top terminating in a
globe at bottom; these are extreemly well executed and many of them neatly
carved the larger vessels with hand-holes to them; in these vessels they
boil their fish or flesh by means of hot stones which they immerce in the
water with the article to be boiled. they also render the oil of fish or
other anamals in the same manner. their baskets are formed of cedar bark
and beargrass so closely interwoven with the fingers that they are
watertight without the aid of gum or rosin; some of these are highly
ornamented with strans of beargrass which they dye of several colours and
interweave in a great variety of figures; this serves them the double
perpose of holding their water or wearing on their heads; and are of
different capacites from that of the smallest cup to five or six gallons;
they are generally of a conic form or reather the segment of a cone of
which the smaller end forms the base or bottom of the basket. these they
make very expediciously and dispose off for a mear trifle. it is for the
construction of these baskets that the beargrass becomes an article of
traffic among the natives this grass grows only on their high mountains
near the snowey region; the blade is about 3/8 of an inch wide and 2 feet
long smoth pliant and strong; the young blades which are white from not
being exposed to the sun or air, are those most commonly employed,
particularly in their neatest work. Their spoons are not remarkable nor
abundant, they are generally large and the bole brawd. their meat is
roasted with a sharp scure, one end of which is incerted in the meat with
the other is set erect in the ground. the spit for roasting fish has it’s
upper extremity split, and between it’s limbs the center of the fish is
inscerted with it’s head downwards and the tale and extremities of the
scure secured with a string, the sides of the fish, which was in the first
instance split on the back, are expanded by means of small splinters of
wood which extend crosswise the fish. a small mat of rushes or flags is
the usual plate or dish on which their fish, flesh, roots or burries are
served. they make a number of bags and baskets not watertight of cedar
bark, silk-grass, rushes, flags and common coarse sedge. in these they
secure their dryed fish, rooots, buries, &c.