Krause, in a short note, speaks of a female slave of a Tsimshian chief. Niblack states that the Tsimshians acted as [[50]]middlemen in the slave trade. Boas describes the legends of the Tsimshians; in these legends slaves and their occupations are frequently spoken of. Kane, in his census of Indian tribes states that among the Tsimshians there were slaves.[28]. Hence we may infer that slavery formerly existed among them.
Boas, speaking of the Kwakiutl Indians, writes: “All the tribes of the Pacific Coast are divided into a nobility, common people and slaves. The last of these may be left out of consideration, as they do not form part and parcel of the clan, but are captives made in war, or purchases, and may change ownership as any other piece of property”[29]. From this statement it appears that the Kwakiutl kept slaves.
Krause says of the Bilballas; “The chief possessed numerous wives and many slaves; also were these Indians much given to slave-stealing and the slave trade”[30]. As the Bilballas are reckoned by Bancroft among the Haidas, amongst whom, according to him, “slavery is universal”, we may suppose, that slaves were kept by them for their own use, not for export only.
The many details, given in the works of Sproat and Brown, prove that slavery existed among the Ahts of Vancouver Island[31].
The Nootkas, among whom, according to Bancroft, “slavery is practised by all the tribes”, seem to be the same as the Ahts[32].
Bancroft informs us that “slaves are held by all the tribes” about Puget Sound, and gives several details of their slave system[33].
Slavery also existed among the Fish Indians of British Columbia[34].
3. Tinneh group.
According to Kane, who was well acquainted with this group, “slavery in its most cruel form exists among the Indians of [[51]]the whole coast, from California to Behring’s Straits, the stronger tribes making slaves of all the others they can conquer. In the interior, where there is but little warfare, slavery does not exist.” Niblack, however, states that slavery existed among the interior Tinneh but they “had no hereditary slaves, getting their supply from the coast”[35].
Of the Kutchins or Loucheux Jones says: “Slavery is practised among them. Any poor creature who has no friends is made a slave”[36]. Hardisty gives more details; he tells us: “As a rule slavery does not exist, but the orphan and the friendless are kept in servitude and treated so harshly as to be really little better than slaves, until such time as they get big enough and bold enough to assert their independence, when they are allowed to shift for themselves”[37]. Such ill-treated children, who when full-grown are “allowed to shift for themselves”, certainly are not slaves. Therefore we may safely infer, that slavery did not exist here, the more so, as the other authors[38] make no mention of slaves.