Traits of American Indian Life and Character

Book excerpt: This curious book, first published in 1853, offers "sketches and anecdotes illustrative of life on the wild borders of the Pacific and of the savage tribes" that did business with the Hudson's Bay Company. Canadian explorer PETER SKENE OGDEN (1794-1854), a Hudson's Bay Company trader, had a unique perspective on the peoples and the work, and this firsthand account is a valuable artifact of the settling of the North American West by Europeans. In his own inimitable and colorful style, Ogden introduces us to the native peoples of what the Europeans named British Columbia and Washington Territory, through tales including: [ "An Indian Festival" [ "The Burning of the Dead" [ "The Unfortunate Daughter" [ "The Shewappe Murder" [ "The Suicide's Cross" [ "The Death of our Favourite Donkey" [ and others. Anyone interested in the history of the western U.S. and Canada will find this a fascinating book.