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State of p u trid ity ; and of other vile habits, may readily be
imagined.
As a Tekeenica is seldom out of sight of his canoe or a wigwam,
a slight idea of these—his only constructions—should
he given with this sketch.
The canoe is made of several large pieces of bark, sewed
together ; its shape is nearly that which would he taken by the
strong bai-k of the trunk of a tree (twelve to twenty feet in
length, and a foot, or two feet, in diameter), separated from
the solid wood, in one piece. I f this piece of bark were drawn
together at the ends, and kept open by sticks in the middle,
it would look rather like a Fuegian canoe.
A Tekeenica wigwam is of a conical form, made of a
number of large poles, or young trees, placed touching one
another in a circle, with the small ends meeting. Sometimes,
hunches of grass or pieces of bark are thrown upon the side
which is exposed to the prevailing winds. No Fuegians, except
the Tekeenica, make their huts in this manner.
The country of this people may be briefly described by saying
that deep but narrow arms of the sea intersect high mountainous
islands, many of whose summits are covered with snow,
while the lee or eastern sides of their steep and rocky shores are
more than partially covered with evergreen woods.
Between projecting rocky points are sandy or stony beaches,
fronting very small spaces of level land, on which the huts of
the natives are generally placed. Almost throughout the year,
cloudy weather, rain, and much wind prevail; indeed, really
fine days are very rare. Being so near the level of that great
climate agent, the ocean, frost and snow are far less frequent
than might he expected in a high latitude, among snow-covered
mountains, of which the sight alone inclines one to shiver.
The men of the Alikhoolip tribe are the stoutest and hardiest,
and the women the least iU-looking of the Fuegians.
Though not very dissimilar, they are superior to the Tekemica;
hut they are inferior to the Yacana, and far below the natives of
Patagoifia. Their canoes are rather better than those of the
Tekeenica, made, however, in the same manner.
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