3

Owing to these differences in origin and speech, and also
to differences in environment and in the amount of contact
with Pacific Coast tribes, there was no uniform culture through-
out the Cordillera area such as prevailed in the other regions

of Canada.

A Fraser River chief.

FOOD

The Cordillera Indians could not rely on salmon as much
as the coast natives, because most of the shoals that reached
their area were so exhausted by the long journey upstream as
to be practically inedible. Char and other lake fish partly
remedied this deficiency, but fully 50 per cent of the food supply
came. from land game, principally from the various species of
the deer family. In the southern arid region, where game was
less plentiful, the Indians gathered large quantities of camas