FLATHEADS, signifying certain North American Indians who artificially compress the heads of their children, as the Chinese compress the feet, by various mechanical contrivances. The deformity is much like that observed in ancient Peruvian heads. The forehead is flattened, and the upper and middle parts of the face are pushed back so that the orbits are directed upwards; the head is sa distorted that the top is trans formed into nearly a horizontal plane, the width of the skull and the face are much increased, and the sides are unsymmetrical. The tribes addicted to this practice com prise all those in the north-western section of British America, in Oregon, and Wash ington territory. A newly-born infant has a pad of grass or a flat board over the fore head, often so that the child is entirely blinded, which is retained until, the required shape is produced. But, according to Pickering, the victims outgroW the deformity, so that at adult age it is seldom observable. No doubt the custom originated in some con nection with religious observance, for slaves are not permitted to practice it. It is somewhat remarkable, so travelers and inquirers testify, that the intellect is not at all affected by this practice; that the flat-beaded tribes are perhaps rather superior in shrewdness to Indians who have normal heads. The Chinooks, along Fuca sound in
British Columbia, are the best known of the Flat-head tribes. It is somewhat singular that the term " flat-heads" is persistently applied to a tribe who do not use the practice at all—the Selish, residing on tributaries of Clarke's river. This small band was con verted to Christianity about 1840 by father De Smet. At that time they were in a wretchedly poor condition, but he inspired them with hope, and they rapidly improved, Making progress in the cultivation of the soil, and adopting the dress and to some extent the ways of white people. Of late years, however, their situation has become unfavor able. Treaties have been made with them, usually to the advantage..of the " white brother," and they have been moved from place to place, have lost by wars with other tribes, and seem doomed tb early extinction.