NATIVE TRIBES. . 53

source of attraction. ‘In some cases very strong caches of logs were raised on
sturdy poles; in others, food was buried in deep pits, lined with bark and covered
with heavy stones.

CRADLES AND BEDDING.

Cradles were practically the same shape among all the tribes; an oblong,
narrow trough with the lower surface convex and sometimes carved. Into this
the infant was firmly lashed by leather or cherry-bark lacings attached to the
sides. It lay on a raised bed of slats covered with softly shredded cedar bark
or dry moss. On the Coast these cradles were made of wood, with slight varia-
tions in their details. “The Mainland Salish used both wood and basket-work;
the Carrier mothers made birch-bark cradles, while the Shuswap and Chilcotin
babies reposed in beautifully coiled and imbricated basket-work specimens. The
‘Tahltan infants were the exception, being carried in leather bags with the fur
inside.

METHODS OF FIRE-MAKING.

The method of fire-making by twirling the end of a hardwood stick on a
saucer-shaped “hearth” was general, though varied in its details. Dr. C. F.
Newcombe records its use even in canoes of larger make to heat stones for
cooking-boxes.

Each tribe has a myth recording the gift of fire by a Supernatural Being, a
Culture Hero, or a kindly bird or beast. One of these current among the Interior
Salish recounts how Beaver had compassion on certain poor shivering mortals, who
knew not the comfort of the fire he had seen elsewhere; so he enlisted the assis-
tance of Brother Eagle and by a cleverly concerted trick, they stole and carried
off a portion of this precious fire, hidden between two large clam-shells. Not
content with conferring this benefit on his human friends, Beaver next taught
them how to make their own fire in future by the method just described, further
instructing them how to preserve it in such wise that hunters and travellers
could always enjoy its warmth and comfort. The first step was to make a rope
4 or 5 feet long with dry cedar bark and to enclose it in a covering of a less
inflammable wood. ‘This rope, having the inner coil set alight from the home
fire, would smoulder slowly for two or three days and provide an easy means of
making a fire whenever the owner, who wore it coiled round his shoulders,
desired to camp when on a journey.