The Tsilhqot'in and Their Neighbours According to James Teit, 1909

The neighbors of the tribe on the north are their congeners, the Carrier; on the east, the Shuswap; southeast, the Lillooet; and southwest and west, a number of coast tribes, -- the Sishiatl, Comox, Kwakiutl, and Bella Coola....

The population of the whole tribe at the present day is probably about 550 souls. The returns of the Indian Department for 1903 give the population of the whole tribe at the present day as about that number. Of these, the Anahem band has 223 souls; the Toozey band, 63; the Stony band, 108. The number of the Alexandria band is given as 65, of whom probably about 40 or less are Chilcotin, the remainder being Carrier, Shuswap, and persons of mixed parentage. It seems that the other bands of the tribe are not under any agency, but their number is probably about 100 or slightly over. According to white and Indian testimony, the tribe at one time must have had nearly three times its present number. They were decimated by small-pox in 1862, and afterwards for many years gradually decreased. At present, most of the bands seem to be about holding their own....

Until forty years ago the Chilcotin had more frequent intercourse with the Bella Coola than any other tribe. They also had considerable intercourse with the Shuswap of Chilcotin Cañon, and with the nearest bands of Carrier inhabiting the country, from the Salmon [Dean] River east to the sources of the Black-water. These people belong to the sept of the Lower Carrier called Nutca'tenne by Father Morice. The tribe also had some intercourse with the Comox and Kwakiutl of the coast, and with the Lillooet. Intermarriage was rather frequent with the upper bands of the Bella Coola, and not infrequent with the above-mentioned Nutca'tenne, especially with those living at Klooshkis [Kluskus] Lake and Elkatsho [Ulkatcho], the latter of whom were themselves much mixed with Bella Coola. Intermarriage with the Bella Coola seems to have been fairly common in this region when Mackenzie passed through in 1793. Also at one time many intermarriages took place with the Shuswap of the Cañon, who, in 1855 are said to have been nearly half Chilcotin in blood. Intermarriage with other tribes than those above mentioned appears to have been rather rare. A very few marriages with the Lillooet are on record, and women of that tribe have occasionally been held as slaves by Chilcotin to whom they bore children....

The Chilcotin had a bad reputation at one time, and were noted as a rather turbulent and roguish people, inclined to take advantage of strangers, and hard to deal with. There is no doubt they were of a bolder and more restless disposition than the Carrier. Like the latter, they are very receptive, but until very lately were not considered so progressive, honest, cleanly and industrious as the Shuswap. The Chilcotin language is most closely related to that of the Lower Carrier.