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 TOTEM 
 LORE 
 
 -OSJl 
 
 1
 
 T 
 O 
 
 OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 THIRD EDITION 
 
 
 43 
 
 REV. H. P. CORSER 
 
 COPYRIGHTED BYTHE AUTHOR 
 Published by the Ryus Drug Co., Ketchikan, Alaska
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 TO THE 
 THIRD EDITION 
 
 The earlier editions of "Totem Lore" received such a 
 sordial welcome from tourists and others interested in Indian 
 life- that the author has been encouraged to publish a third 
 edition. 
 
 These editions have been entirely rewritten and new 
 chapters have been added. 
 
 The material in the Chilkat Blanket and the Thlinget 
 Basket has been drawn by permission largely from the two 
 large works on those subjects by Lieutenant Emmons of the 
 United States Navy. 
 
 The frontispiece is from a painting by the late T. J. 
 Richardson, the great Alaska artist. 
 
 Mr. Wm. Dickinson gives us an accurate description of 
 the so-called Seattle totem. 
 
 Mr. T. J. Fennel has transcribed and furnished har 
 monies to several of the native folk songs. 
 
 Miss K. Pritchette has furnished two illustrations for the 
 Indian myths, and several more illustrations from photo 
 graphs have been added. 
 
 The totem features may be gleaned from the table of 
 contents.
 
 Table of Contents 
 
 Page 
 
 Appendix 1 
 
 The Story of the Thlinget Indians 6 
 
 Totemism 11 
 
 The Legend of the Raven and Raven Totem 12 
 
 The Beaver Legend of Kilisnu and Kicksetti 
 
 Totem 14 
 
 The Kit Legend and Totem 16 
 
 The Legend of the Mosquito 17 
 
 Intellectual Life of the Thlinget Indians 19 
 
 Legends of Chief Shakes' Totems 26 
 
 The Ko-na-ka-det 27 
 
 Kadashan, His Totems and Legends of His 
 
 Totems 29 
 
 The Thlinget Hero, Kayak... 29 
 
 The Eagle Legend Tsimpsian 33 
 
 The Legend of the Crane 33 
 
 The Kadashan Totems 35 
 
 The Legend of the Koosh-ta-ka 35 
 
 The Chilkat Blanket , 38 
 
 The Thlinget Basket 41 
 
 Ruins of Old Indian House at Wrangell 44 
 
 The Story of the Kluc-nu-hu-di 44 
 
 The History of the Totem Pole 47 
 
 Sitka Totems 48 
 
 The Wolf 50 
 
 The Ketchikan Totems 52 
 
 Kasaan, a, Haida Town 54 
 
 The Beaver Totem 56 
 
 The Last of the Fire Builders 56 
 
 The Indian Potlach Dance 57 
 
 Alaska Indian Songs 59-60 
 
 Wrangell Drug Co 61 
 
 F. Matheson Department Store...... 62 
 
 Alaska Curio Emporium 63 
 
 Wrangell Hotel '. 64 
 
 Ketchikan's Post Card Emporium 65 
 
 E. Valentine, Jeweler 66 
 
 Ryus Drug and Jewelry Co 66 
 
 St. John's Mission School 66
 
 From a Painting by T. J. Richardson. 
 
 THE LAST OF THE FIRE BUILDERS 
 Those ancient days were great old days, 
 
 When haughty chiefs did make 
 Their feasts and men were brave enough 
 
 To die for honors sake. 
 
 See "The Last of the Fire Builders," Page 5*.
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 TOURIST GUIDE FOR SOUTH EASTERN ALASKA 
 
 Ketchikan Population about 2,000. Schools Public school with six teachers; 
 
 Industries Two cold storage plants for fish, Indian school connected with St. John's Episcopal 
 two large canneries, one saw mill, one herring Church. 
 
 KETCHIKAN AND TONGAS NARROWS 
 
 saltery, saw mill, two canneries. A center for Hospitals The Arthur Yates Memorial con- 
 shipping fresh fish, repair shops, etc. nected with St. John's Episcopal Church. 
 
 PALLS IN KET CHIKAN GLEN 
 
 Churches Episcopal, Methodist and Roman Mining Numerous mines of gold and copper 
 Catholic. in vicinity, and also a 100-acre tract of pure white
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA L\D1AXS 
 
 marble awaiting development. Their baskets are both of the straight and twist- 
 
 Interesting to Tourists Mineral cabinet across ed weave, and sell at prices from one-quarter to 
 the street from the postoffice, Kians and Johnson one-half of the price of spruce root baskets, and 
 
 WRANGELL WITH THE TI-HI-TAN TOTEM 
 
 This totem is the totem of the bark house people, a branch of the Kickuttis. 
 
 There was a fair.ily row, part moved out and lived in bark 
 
 houses. Hence the name Tihitan or bark house people. 
 
 Observe the place for the bones of the 
 
 cremated near the top of the pole. 
 
 totems, Ketchikan Glen and Salmon stream. The 
 Curio stores, where valuable specimens of Indian 
 work may be seen, and tourists are always cor- 
 
 are very practical and durable. There baskets 
 are useful for ladies work baskets, jardinieres, 
 market baskets, and catch all baskets. It mav be 
 
 KNYG BAY AND GLACIER IN STICKINE RIVER NEAR WRANGELL 
 I" tlu-m whether they expec 
 
 dially invited to am 
 to buy or not. 
 
 Cedar Bark Indian Baskets Ketchikan Indian 
 school sends out large numbers of these baskets. 
 
 said here tluit baskets are sold at the stores at 
 about the same prices that they may be secured 
 from the natives. The stores make their profit 
 by paying for them in trade.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 Between Ketchikan and Wrangell Guard Is 
 land Light House, Hadly, a mining and saw mill 
 town, and Lincoln Rock Sight House. 
 
 Wrangell Population of 1,000. 
 
 Industries Cold storage plant for fish, a co- 
 
 Catholic, and Salvation Army. Connected with 
 the Episcopal church, there is a gymnasium. 
 
 Interesting to Tourists Eleven standing totem 
 poles nearly all described in this book. Chief 
 Shakes house and Curios which is much like a 
 
 JUNEAN THE CAPITOL 
 
 operative "mild cure" establishment for salmon, 
 saw mill and box factory, shingle mill, shipping 
 point for the Stickin river, and the West Coast 
 of Prince of Wales Island. 
 
 museum. The marble altar from Alaska marble 
 in St. Philip's Episcopal church (reached by 
 small boats) La Conte glacier, Stickin river 
 scenery, "Chu-gu-ran" (mill creek falls, etc.) 
 
 TREADWELL MINE "GLORY HOLE" LOOKING EAST 
 
 Schools Public school with four teachers, a 
 Government Indian School. 
 Hospitals One private. 
 Churches Presbyterian, Episcopal, Roman 
 
 In the stores, valuable totem poles, Chilkat 
 blankets, moccasins, and Indian baskets may be 
 secured. 
 
 Between Wrangell and Junean, Wrangell nar-
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 rows, 20 miles long, Petersburg with cannery and Douglass and Junean Combined population 
 
 saw mill, and with population about 500. On estimated 10,000. Junean is the capital. 
 
 the main land near the north end of the narrows Industries Principally mining. Some of the 
 
 SKAGUAY, ALASKA 
 
 is Patterson glacier. Near Junean is Taku largest stamp mills in the world found here, 
 glacier. Here is where the old Wolf Thlingets Churches Hpiscopal. Methodist. Presbyterian, 
 
 GREEK CHURCH AT SITKA 
 
 first lived. Windom glacier is at the left on an Lutheran, Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic and 
 
 Salvation Army,
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 Schools Public schools and government In 
 dian schools. Well equipped high schools are 
 found on both sides of the channel. 
 
 Hospital One St. Mary the Virgin, Roman 
 Catholic. 
 
 Interesting to Tourists The mines, and stamp 
 mills, and also art and curio stores. 
 
 Between Junean and Skaguay Lynn Canal, 
 beautiful scenery, Davidson glacier near Skag 
 uay. 
 
 Skaguay Population about 1,000. 
 
 Industries Terminal of the White pass rail 
 road. 
 
 Schools -Public schools, well equipped. 
 
 Churches The Methodist, Episcopal and 
 Roman Catholic. 
 
 Interesting to Tourists The cemetery where 
 Frank Reid, who was killed by "Soapy Smith," 
 
 is buried. Taking the trail up the mountain to 
 the right as you enter the town, a trip over the 
 White Pass and Yukon. The Curio stores. 
 
 Sitka The Old Capitol. Population about 1,000. 
 
 Industries Saw mill and fishing. 
 
 Schools Public school. The government In 
 dian school, and the Industrial Indian Training 
 School, maintained by the Presbyterian church. 
 
 Churches The Episcopal cathedral. The 
 Greek Catholic Cathedral with its beautiful pic 
 tures, and the Presbyterian church. 
 
 Interesting to Tourists The Old Russian 
 block house, the view from the old cemetery, 
 Mount Edgcomb in the distance, the Indian mer 
 chants, Lovers Lane with its totems, the Shel 
 don Jackson Museum, the "Blarney stone" at the 
 entrance of the mission grounds and the Curio 
 and Art stores.
 
 The Story of the Thlinget Indians 
 
 HO are the Indians that the tourists 
 sees in his visit to Southeastern 
 Alaska? The most casual observer 
 notices that they are different from 
 the Indians of the plains. Their 
 stature, their eyes, their handiwork, their car 
 riage, all indicate that they are more Asiatic than 
 Indian. Their language, students tell us, belongs 
 to a family entirely different from that of the 
 interior Indians. In fact, their language shows 
 no family connection with any other race or tribe. 
 To write their language requires the inven 
 tion of a new alphabet. Apparently a third of 
 their consonant sounds are not found in any 
 other language. The speaking is done with the 
 throat. Very little is accomplished by the lips 
 and teeth. A good student of the Thlinget must 
 learn to talk with his mouth as nearly closed as 
 possible. 
 
 The three tribes one meets in Southeastern 
 Alaska are the Tsimpsians, the Haidas, and the 
 Thlingets. 
 
 The Tsimpsians were brought into Alaska by 
 Father Duncan, of Metlakatla. In stature they 
 are shorter and thicker set than the Indians 
 to the north. When Father Duncan first met 
 them they were the wildest of the wild. Today 
 they are well advanced in civilization. In music 
 they are wonderfully successful. Their labor is 
 sought for in canneries and sawmills by those 
 who are looking for reliable men. Their legends 
 are similar to those of the Indians to the north, 
 but their language is entirely different. 
 
 The Haida Indians are found at the southern 
 end of the Prince of Wales Island. They are 
 emigrants from the Queen Charlotte Islands to 
 the south. The tourists finds their work at old 
 Kasaan. Their totem poles arc richer in figures, 
 but the carving is not so deep as among the 
 Thlingets. One or two of the Thlinget clans 
 have their sacred songs in the Haida language, 
 showing that either these clans came from the 
 Haida, or else that Haida wives have brought 
 to these clans their religious rites. 
 
 The tribe, however, that must interest the 
 tourists the most is the Thlinget. These he 
 sees at Ketchikan (Tongas people), Wrangell, 
 Petersburg, Juneau, Haines, Killisnoo and Sitka, 
 and more or less at all the cannaries where their 
 ship happens to call. Off of the regular tourist 
 route their are Thlingets at Klawock, Kake, 
 
 Hoonah, and as far north as Yackatat, and 
 Copper river. 
 
 The history of these Thlingets is an inter 
 esting problem in sociology. There is a simi 
 larity in legends, language and customs run 
 ning through all these villages, but on the other 
 hand there are differences which cannot be ex 
 plained on the theory of any common origin. 
 
 A Thlinget, by listening to the speech of a 
 stranger, can tell from what village he came. 
 In an effort to learn the language, a white man 
 who has learned the pronunciation in one village 
 finds that when he moves to another his pronun 
 ciation has to be corrected. This explains the 
 variations in orthography that exist when differ 
 ent persons have attempted to put into print the 
 spelling of Thlinget names. 
 
 Their principal legend, that of the Raven, 
 centers at the Nass River, and their tradition 
 tells us that a large mass of the Thlingets came 
 from Dall Islands which is a small island South 
 west of the Prince of Wales Island, and others 
 came from the Nass River. Those who came 
 from Dall Island settled on "Cot" Island near 
 Ketchikan, and after some migrations came to 
 old Port Tongas. Some suggest that they were 
 gradually driven north by the Tsimpsians. Back 
 of the days in which these migrations took place 
 their traditions are silent. 
 
 When this emigration took place is a matter 
 for the wildest conjecture. The Indians will tell 
 you that it all happened before the flood. To 
 make an estimate when this happened, time must 
 be allowed for the Kicksettis to have left their 
 ancestral seats, to have moved northward to 
 "Kicks" Bay (near Loring), where they appear 
 to have built a village, to have become tired of 
 that village, to have moved northward to the 
 Stikine River, to have lived long enough near the 
 head of navigation of the Stikine River to have 
 there developed additional mythology in connec 
 tion with their family, to have come back from 
 the mouth of the river, and to have lived at least 
 for twelve generations, before the present time 
 is reached. Is it too much to say that a thou 
 sand years have elapsed since the migrations 
 first began? 
 
 Those who left first had the raven as the 
 emblem of their phratry. When they came north 
 it is evident that the country was not unin 
 habited. There is the tradition of a village north 
 of the Stikine River that was blotted out by a
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIAXS 
 
 great landslide, only a few surviving. Those 
 principally went to Sitka. 
 
 There is a tradition of a time in which the 
 great glacier extended across the Stikine River, 
 that the river ran under the glacier and that 
 sorr.e venturesome old men went under the 
 glacier and came back and reported a good 
 country beyond. A portion of these people went 
 under the glacier and settled at Kake. 
 
 The story is told that fourteen generations ago 
 a branch of the Tongas people migrated to the 
 west coast of the Prince of Wales Island and 
 
 It will be noticed further that the wolf legend 
 dates back to a very primitive condition of so 
 ciety, where the man leaves his own home and 
 goes to dwell in the home of his wife. It is 
 sometimes charged that the old-time modern In 
 dian buys his wife. The gifts given toj the father 
 were only in lieu of not being compelled to go to 
 the home of his wife and to there serve for her. 
 
 All that has been given thus far dates back 
 to conditions as they were in the first twilight 
 of Thlinget history. What were some of the 
 later migrations? 
 
 BIG GLACIER STIKINE 
 
 Opposite this glacier is a hot spring. The Kit and the Raven had a contest to see who 
 could stay in the longer. The Raven flew over to this glacier and took a chunk of ice in 
 its mouth, and that enabled it to stay in the longer. This glacier has receded a mile in the 
 last thirty years. 
 
 found there the Tucina, or coast people, dwelling 
 in inverted V-shaped houses. 
 
 The largest stock of the primitive people ap 
 pear to have centered near the mouth of the 
 Taku River. The best authorities, like Lieuten 
 ant Emmons, claim that they came from the in 
 terior down the Taku River. There are tradi 
 tions which say that they came originally from 
 the mouth of the Nass River; but these tradi 
 tions are not so well supported as the former. 
 The legends of the Tanu people are like those 
 of the wolf are of a wilder, fiercer nature than 
 those of the southern Indians and they must 
 have been born in a different intellectual atmos 
 phere. 
 
 A girl belonging to a noted family of the 
 Klawock people became so insane that she made 
 a pet of an earthworm. To cover their shame, 
 the whole family moved away and settled at 
 Chilkat. They were the first to keep their fish 
 in an ice-house, and from that they took their 
 name, "Chilkat." 
 
 The family names in Yackatat indicate that 
 the people were emigrants from old Tongas. 
 
 After the Kicksetti people had gone up the Sti 
 kine River, two families migrated southward from 
 the Taku people. One family was asked where 
 they camped, and they replied "At the Signa" 
 (meaning grind-stone rock), and the others re 
 plied "Nan-yan-yi" (meaning beyond). So the
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA IXDIAXS 
 
 first family were called the Signahudi and the 
 latter Nan-yan-yi. The Nan-yan-yi soon became 
 the leading family among the Stikine people. 
 
 After the Nan-yan-yi had located themselves 
 on the stikine River, numerous other clans joined 
 themselves to those already there, until every 
 
 The Stikine people finally moved back to the 
 mouth of the Stikine River, and built their first 
 resting place on Brush Island. They evidently 
 did not stay there long. Brush Island is swept 
 by heavy winds from the interior as they violent 
 ly rush down through the Stikine gorge. They 
 
 Published by permission of J. E. Worden. 
 
 TOTEMS STANDING IN FRONT OF THE PLACE WHERE THE 
 FIRST HOUSE IN OLD WRANGELL STOOD 
 
 large tributary was claimed by some clan. On 
 one or two of the mountains old, cairns are found 
 whose existence was unknown to the oldest 
 Indians. There is one on Cone Mountain, about 
 sixty miles up the river, which the legend says 
 was put up at the time of the flood when the 
 grizzly bear led them up to the summit for safety. 
 
 moved from there to the mainland and had their 
 homes scattered along from what is now known 
 as Girard Point to Mill Creek. Mill Creek was 
 the principal town seat. It was called Chu-gas- 
 -an, or waterfall town. 
 
 The writer will here go into a more complete 
 history of the Wrangell, or Stikine, Indians, not
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 because these Indians were more important than 
 the others, but because the history of their vil 
 lage is typical of all the different primitive vil 
 lages. It will give the reader a glance at the 
 social life of those early days. 
 
 At Che-gas-an two chiefs succeeded each other. 
 Two brothers, Ko-shu and Shaddesty, were lead 
 ers of the Nan-yan-yi. The eldest, Ko-shu was 
 married to a Haida woman. He had a son who 
 quarreled with his young uncle, Shaddesty, and 
 cut his face. Ko-shu offered to settle for his 
 son's misdemeanor by paying twenty slaves. 
 The Wrangell people were very rich. Their 
 hunting ground was rich in game, and tribes like 
 the Haida would war with the southern tribes, 
 capture slaves, bring them north and trade with 
 the Wrangell people for furs. 
 
 Shaddesty refused the twenty slaves and de 
 manded his uncle's grizzly bear dancing hat. 
 This Ko-shu refused, and, to keep peace, moved 
 out, took his family, slaves and all his belong 
 ings, and sought a location for a new town. 
 
 He traveled around Wrangell Island until he 
 came to a place about twenty miles below the 
 present site of Wrangell, and there found a 
 cluster of trees similar to those along the Stikine 
 River. This was considered a good omen. He 
 decided to stop there and build, and so, seven 
 generations ago, the first house in Kots- 
 lit-an, now known as old Wrangell, was built. 
 
 A noted carver belonging to the Eagle clan 
 of Chilkat was hired to furnish the decorative 
 work. When everything was ready a great feast 
 was held, and twenty slaves were sacrificed to 
 do what was known as clearing the place. Soon 
 after, all the Stikine people followed. More 
 popular trees were cut down and other large 
 communal houses were erected, and another great 
 feast was held, in which two hundred slaves were 
 sacrificed to clear the place. It was the popular 
 trees that gave the town its name. The word 
 Kots-lit means popular tree town. 
 
 Soon after Ko-shu died, a great feast was 
 given to provide for him royal attendance in 
 the next world. His head was preserved in a 
 beautifully carved box and his body was cre 
 mated. The theory of cremation was that the 
 man who was cremated passed his eternity near 
 a warm fire, while the person who was not was 
 continually, through eternity, anxious to get near 
 fire, but unable. 
 
 The tribe was matronymic. Ko-shu's sister's 
 son inherited his uncle's place. The town pros 
 pered. The people grew rich. Slaves beca e 
 as numerous as in the days of old Rome, when 
 they were sold at a dollar each. The town grew 
 
 until upwards of a hundred communal houses 
 were built. In an evil day some Tsimpsians 
 came up to trade. The box that contained the 
 head of Ko-shu disappeared, and it was charged 
 that the Tsimpsians had stolen it. The next 
 year, when the Tsimpsians came up to trade, 
 some were captured and made slaves. Of course, 
 this meant war. The Nan-yan-yi had a great 
 Indian doctor who possessed the spirit of the 
 grindstone, who told them to prepare for a great 
 war. The next spring the people of the village, 
 instead of separating, kept together. They were 
 all at the mouth of the Stikine when the Tsimp- 
 sian hosts came to meet them. 
 
 Their canoes advanced side by side and seemed 
 to the Wrangell people to stretch out for miles. 
 The conflict was short and decisive. The 
 Tsimpsians were completely defeated. Large 
 numbers of their canoes were broken up and all 
 were captured and some of the chief men were 
 made slaves, and the rest returned home. 
 Among the canoes captured was the "Kit." Up 
 to this time the tribe had not yet the right to 
 have the "Kit" or whale-killer painted upon their 
 canoe. The right to use certain symbols was 
 looked upon as among the most valuable posses 
 sions. It not only gave dignity and honor, but 
 it also pleased the spirits to see these symbols, 
 and it brought good luck to those who had the 
 right to use them. 
 
 The next year peace was made, and in the 
 treaty the chief obtained the right to use the 
 "Kit" and also the right to assume the name of 
 Shakes. Shakes is a Tsimpsian word and means 
 the splasher of the whale. This Shakes had a 
 nephew, Koshu, who succeeded him. Koshu's 
 reign was short. He died of smallpox and Ka- 
 Shishk, his brother, reigned in his stead. This 
 Shakes tried to be a true father to his people. 
 One night he disguised himself as kings are wont 
 to do and went around to hear what the people 
 had to say. He heard them complain about the 
 hard times that had come through the wars of 
 their chief. No one dared to be alone. Enemies 
 were continually skulking about, seeking revenge. 
 
 The chief took pity on his people and gave 
 them a party and took them up the Stikine River. 
 On his return a tree fell on him and killed him. 
 A great feast was given for him and many slaves 
 were sacrificed. His nephew rigned in his stead. 
 
 This Shakes was the first Wrangell Indian to 
 see a whiteman. Captain Haines was the first 
 to call. His account of the visit to Wrangell 
 would indicate that in those days .there were 
 seven or eight times as rrany people in old 
 Wrangell as in modern Wrangell.
 
 10 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA IXDIAXS 
 
 Soon after, Baron Wrangell established a fort 
 on the present site of Wrangell. Nothing is left 
 of it today but some stumps a few inches high of 
 the old stockade. The Shakes' people were anx 
 ious to make friends with and be under the pro 
 tection of this new power. So they moved up 
 and built their homes on an island (at high tide) 
 near to the old Russian fort. 
 
 The history of the Indians since the days of 
 the Russian occupation is so interwoven with 
 that of the white people, that it is practically a 
 part of it. The old petty wars have gradually 
 fallen into desuetude. One, however, happened 
 soon after the white man came. It was between 
 the Sitka and the Wrangell people. There was 
 
 While the Wrangell people were there in one 
 house, the Sitkas fell on them and slaughtered 
 them. The Wrangell people vowed vengeance. 
 All the leading men set out for Victoria to secure 
 firearms. On their way they were overtaken by 
 small-pox and many of them died. This was 
 looked upon as a judgment of God, bidding them 
 to stop their quarrel. But even to this day, 
 though these events happened three or four gen 
 erations ago, there is a strong aversion existing 
 between the people of the two villages. 
 
 The early legends tell of a time when a man 
 went to live in the home of his wife. This cus 
 tom was replaced by the man praying the father 
 for the privilege of bringing his wife to his own 
 
 Permission of T. E. \Yorden. 
 
 THE KIT CANOE 
 
 This canoe is the war canoe of the Shakes family. The right to use the symbol of the 
 Kit was secured over a hundred years ago in a war with the Tsimpsians. 
 
 a Helen at the beginning of the trouble. A Sitka 
 Indian was married to a Wrangell woman. A 
 Wrangell Indian stole her away. The Sitka 
 Indian killed him. The clansmen of the 
 Wrangell Indian organized for vengeance and 
 killed the clansmen of the Sitka Indian. The 
 clansmen of the Wrangell Indian, through the 
 assistance of the Shakes' people, procured fire 
 arms and fortified the r selves on a small island 
 near Wrangell, and succeeded in repelling the 
 attack of the Sitka people. 
 
 Next, all the Sitka came down to attack tlie 
 Wrangell people and were defeated. A peace 
 was declared, but the Sitka were not satisfied 
 with the terms of the treaty. They held a big 
 potlatch and invited some Wrangell people. 
 
 home. Today, among the Indians in most every 
 instance, it is a Christian marriage. 
 
 The laws of inheritance kept property within 
 the clan. It went to the sister's son. A man's 
 children were no relation to him. They be 
 longed to his wife's clan. There is today a con 
 flict between the Indians' and the white man's 
 law of inheritance. Much trouble has been 
 caused on account of the uncertainty. The 
 courts, of course, insist on the white man's laws, 
 and the old Indians oppose them. There should 
 be legislation which would define the legal status 
 of the Indian. Today, under the law, they are 
 neither white nor Indian. They are literally men 
 without a country. 
 
 In spite, however, of all difficulties, the Indians
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 11 
 
 are advancing. The oldest Indians have literal 
 ly come up from the stone age, and when one 
 considers this is it surprising that many have 
 
 failed to learn the whole lesson of civilization. 
 What many have learned, however, is a miracle 
 of modern missions. 
 
 Totemism 
 
 HE word "Totem" is derived from 
 the Chippewa "Oboteman." Among 
 primitive people, everywhere each 
 family had, as it supposed, its 
 primitive guardian spirit. 
 
 This spirit was only concerned with the blood 
 relations of the family on its mothers side. 
 
 This idea was common among nearly all the 
 American Indians. It was strange to say also 
 found among the Egyptians. Each Egyptian 
 canton had its totem. 
 
 Among the Alaska Indians, the spirit was 
 usually the spirit of some bird, beast or even of 
 an inanimate object like a grind stone rock, or 
 mountain. Yet it was not the spirit of some 
 thing that we see today, but it was the spirit of 
 some anti-diluvian animal which was different 
 from the animals of the present day, or of some 
 object that existed in the pre-historic ages. 
 
 The family which had a member that in some 
 way got in touch with one of these spirits was 
 considered fortunate even though the incident 
 itself was more or less discreditable. 
 
 When a man who had had the help of one of 
 the spirits died, the members of the same clan 
 would begin to fast, and it was expected that 
 the one who fasted the most conscientiously 
 would get the help of the Totem spirit and would 
 be the next Indian doctor for that family or 
 clan. 
 
 The Totem pole often contains a picture of 
 some incident of the story which grew up to ex 
 plain how the first Indian doctor obtained the 
 
 help of the spirit power. The pole stands as a 
 coat of arms of the family. 
 
 It may be placed before a house to show who 
 lived in the house, or it might contain the bones 
 of the departed. And thus show, whose bones 
 were there preserved. 
 
 It also is sometimes erected as a memorial of 
 some great potlatch feast given by the family that 
 erected the pole. 
 
 It would take from one to three years to carve 
 a pole. One man would work with two or three 
 helpers. An ordinary pole would cost from four 
 hundred to twelve hundred dollars. The more 
 it cost the morebeautiful it was supposed to be. 
 Totem poles were usually carved from yellow 
 cedar. 
 
 The origin of the Totem pole idea is lost in the 
 mythical past. Some have taken it as an evi 
 dence that the coast tribes are Asiatic in origin. 
 Some of the Asiatic Islands have Totems very 
 similar. This thing however is contradicted by 
 a legend that the first Totem pole floated ashore, 
 and that the native copied that, and then 
 elaborated the idea. 
 
 Totem poles were always first painted. Where 
 there is no paint, that is an evidence of age. 
 
 In reading poles always begin at the top and 
 read downward. Usually it is the crest of the 
 family that is at the top, but not always. At the 
 erection of a pole, a feast was given, and there 
 the workers were paid. Ropes made from the 
 bark of the red cedar, were used in the erection 
 of the pole. Further facts about the poles will 
 be gleaned as one pole after another is studied.
 
 12 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA 1\D1A.\S 
 
 The Legend of the Raven and 
 Raven Totem 
 
 was a time in which the 
 was peopled by beings 
 
 HERE 
 world 
 
 similar to those which inhabited the 
 ancient Babylonian chaos. These 
 beings wore not men. and neither 
 were they animals. 
 
 There was darkness then on the surface of the 
 earth. The Creator, the Great Raven, lived at 
 the head of the Nass River and selfishly kept the 
 sun and moon hidden from mortals. The modern 
 legends say that they were concealed in boxes. 
 The older legends speak of three bags, one con 
 taining the stars, one the moon and the third the 
 sun. 
 
 One of the mortals determined to get this 
 light for men. So he became a needle of the 
 hemlock tree growing over a pool of water where 
 the daughter of the Creator was accustomed to 
 dring. She drinks the needle with the water, 
 and so the young fellow is born again. As a 
 cunning child, he pleases the Creator. He man 
 ages to get the bag of stars to play with. He 
 throws them into the sky and they remain there. 
 But this did not give the light that he wanted. 
 Next he throws the moon, and he is still dissatis 
 fied. Next he cries for the sun. The grand 
 father reluctantly gives him that to play with. 
 He rolls it along the floor and then throws is up 
 into the sky. 
 
 When he realizes what he has done, he is 
 afraid and leaves his ancestral home. The mor 
 tals also are frightened by the light. Some jump 
 into the sea and become the fishes. Others take 
 to the mountains and become the wild animals. 
 
 The Raven then hears of a spring of fresh 
 water on Dall Island, an island west of the 
 Prince of Wales, out in the Pacific Ocean. Up 
 to this time there had been no fresh water, aside 
 from what was on Dall Island. This spring was 
 presided over by an old man, Ganook, who would 
 not allow even the Raven to have any of it. 
 Ganook is usually represented on totems as a 
 head of what might be a cross between a raven 
 and a goat. 
 
 While Ganook was sleeping the Raven played 
 a trick on him, so that he had to go down to 
 salt water for a plunge. While Ganook was 
 away the Raven rushed to the spring and drank 
 all the fresh water that he could and returned 
 
 to the house. Just then Ganook appeared at th/ 
 door. The Raven took fright and flew up 
 through the opening in the middle of the room 
 over the fire. Ganook, through the help of the 
 spirits of such openings, held him there in the 
 smoke until he was covered with soot. After 
 the Raven escaped he tried to wipe off the soot, 
 but was unable so to do. and so ever afterward 
 he was black. 
 
 The Raven then began to fly over the land. 
 Wherever he dropped plenty of water that be 
 came a river, and when he dropped a little each 
 drop became a salmon creek. 
 
 The Raven began to try to make man. He 
 tried the stones. These made men that were 
 slow. He threw them down in great disgust. 
 Then he tried making men out of the leaves of 
 the trees. These men suited him and he let them 
 live. The Haida legend differs from the Thlinget 
 in that the Raven found man in a clam shell. 
 The Thlinget legend has a similarity to the 
 legends of the interior Indians. It has been 
 stated on good authority that the legend of the 
 leaves of the trees extends as far east as among 
 the Indians of the New England states. The 
 Athabascan Indians, however, make the jaybird 
 the hero of the legend rather than the raven. 
 
 But leaves fade in autumn, drop away and die ; 
 and, therefore, men had to die, and in conse 
 quence all their old religious services were ser 
 vices for the dead. These services were conduct 
 ed at the potlatch feast. Food eaten there or 
 food burned there was given to the dead. At the 
 time of the burning of the food, the name of the 
 chief and of his retainers was called out, and 
 this was a summons to the spirits to come and 
 partake of the food. 
 
 If no blankets were given away in a potlatch 
 feast, then the dead would be cold and hungry 
 in the next world. He who had a big feast given 
 in his honor in this world would have a royal 
 place in the next world. It was, therefore, con 
 sidered as the greatest act of piety for a person 
 to help the dead in the next world. The living 
 might be neglected, but the dead, never. 
 
 The Raven, after he had created man, went 
 about to teach men how to live. He taught them 
 how to make war, different arts, and the season 
 for the potlatch. The Raven in his conduct to 
 ward the animals appears more in the light of a
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 13 
 
 trickster. This is so much so that all words 
 meaning tricks, cunning and the like have the 
 Raven as their root word. 
 
 At the time of the flood the Raven, with his 
 mother in his arms, flew up to the sky and stuck 
 his bill in the sky and remained there until the 
 flood subsided. This is given as the reason why 
 
 THE RAVEN TOTEM 
 
 The totem is surmounted by the Raven Crea 
 tor. On the older poles he is represented as a 
 man. The hat is supposed to be a copy of one 
 that the young Raven saw in the Creator's house. 
 
 The box is a chief's box, supposed to have 
 spiritual power, and was used in potlatch feasts. 
 
 THE RAVEN TOTEM 
 
 the Raven's beak is bent. There is another leg 
 end, however, which explains the same phenome 
 non by saying that the Raven once disguised 
 himself as a fish and that a fisherman caught 
 him and pulled off his nose. Afterwards by a 
 trick he found out where the nose was and by 
 another trick secured it and put it back on again, 
 but did not get it on straight. 
 
 After the flood the Raven disappears from his 
 tory. 
 
 Below is the young Raven, the Creator of 
 man. He is represented as a raven with a man 
 between the wings. This is to show that he 
 could become a raven or man at will. 
 
 Below is the daughter of the Creator and the 
 mother of the young Raven. 
 
 The lowest figure of all is Hi-yi-shon-a-gu, the 
 Indian Atlas, who holds up the earth. 
 
 Hi-yi-shon-a-gu was the first mother of the 
 Raven before his reincarnation.
 
 14 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA IXDIANS 
 
 The Beaver Legend of Kilisnu and 
 Kicksetti Totem 
 
 THE BEAVER LEGEND OF KILISNU 
 
 A great chief kept a very intelligent beaver as 
 a pet. He paid so much attention to it that the 
 rest of the tribe became very jealous of it, and 
 they teased it most unmercifully. The beaver 
 appealed to the chief for protection, but he re 
 fused to grant it. This enraged the beaver, who 
 went out into the pool of water and began to dig 
 
 hand, and with the spear showing the mark of 
 his teeth where he had been gnawing. The 
 beaver took the spear and hid it in the hollow of 
 a tree standing nearby. Some hunters shortly 
 afterwards discovered the shaving made by the 
 beaver as he gnawed away on the salmon spear, 
 and traced them to the hollow tree, and there, 
 of course, they discovered the spear. 
 
 THE KICKSETTI TOTEM AND SUN HOUSE 
 
 under the village. While he was doing this he 
 was a giant, but, outside, he was nothing but a 
 beaver. 
 
 One day he went out into the woods and made 
 a salmon spear. The beaver is usually repre 
 sented on totem poles as having this spear in his 
 
 The spear was in such an unusual place that 
 the hunters judged that there was something un 
 canny about it, and they brought it to the house 
 of the chief. The people were much excited by 
 the finding of the spear and they all thronged to 
 the chief's house, curious to find out about it.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 15 
 
 The chief in turn asked each one of his tribes 
 men about the spear, if he had made it; and one 
 after another replied that he had not. 
 
 The beaver kept saying "I made it," and at 
 this all the tribesmen began to hiss and laugh. 
 The chief even lost his patience and chided the 
 beaver for saying such a foolish thing, and said 
 to the beaver, "You lie when you say you made 
 that spear." At this the beaver said, "I will 
 prove to you that I am strong enough to handle 
 it." and then he took the spear and thrust it at 
 the chief. It entered his breast and killed him. 
 Then quickly the beaver thrust it at others who 
 were trying to prevent his escape and killed them 
 and rushed out into the pool, where he was ac 
 customed to live, and went into the chambers that 
 he had made under the village, and pulled out 
 the part of the foundation that was still left and 
 the village fell. As a consequence, the survivors 
 took the beaver as their totem. 
 
 This story illustrates what made a family aris 
 tocratic. It was not the wealth of the family, 
 or any special power it might exercise in war. It 
 was whether anything uncanny or mysterious had 
 happened to it. Had some mysterious power 
 taken part in its history. If so, the family was 
 aristrocratic. and had a right to the use of a 
 totem. 
 
 THE KICKSETTI TOTEM 
 
 The Kicksetti people derived their name from 
 Kicks Bay, where they first stopped in their mi 
 
 grations north from the mouth of the Nass River 
 to the Stikine River. 
 
 The pole is surmounted with a face which 
 represents a mountain. It is here noticed eyes 
 and faces are very liberally sprinkled over works 
 of art of the north coast Pacific Indians. Their 
 use is to show that some special intelligence or 
 spiritual power was lodged there. This mountain 
 was the camping place on the Stikine River, 
 where the legends of the tribe were supposed to 
 take place. 
 
 Below is the frog, the emblem of the tribe. 
 One of the chiefs did some mischief to the frog. 
 In consequence, he appears to have fallen into a 
 trance. When he came out of his trance he said 
 that he had been in the underworld and had been 
 taught by the frogs to treat them better, because 
 they were brothers. 
 
 Below is the old Raven, the Creator, talking 
 to the young Raven that made man. The lowest 
 figure of all is the Kilisnoo beaver. The father 
 belonged to the beaver family and the mother be 
 longed to the frog family. 
 
 The Thlinget Indians were matronymic. The 
 children always belonged to the mothers family. 
 
 The house has the symbol of the sun. The 
 story is that a branch of the family descended 
 from a nephew who was not liked by his uncle, 
 so he wandered away from home and there had 
 a dream that if he would build a house with a 
 round opening, high up in front, it would bring 
 him good luck.
 
 16 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 The Kit Legend and Totem 
 
 A man was marooned on an island by some 
 bad brothers. While wandering over the island 
 he came to a place where there was a door. He 
 rapped and the door was opened and he was 
 
 They agreed, and he healed him. The chief 
 then told him to carve two fish out of cedar and 
 place them in the water. "You get on their 
 backs. If, while there, von think onlv of vonr 
 
 THE KIT TOTEM 
 
 The opening in the back was where the bones and ashes of the 
 cremated were kept. To the right and back of the Kit Totem is the 
 Tihitan Totem, or totem of the bark-house people. There was once 
 trouble in the Kicksetti family. Part moved out and lived in a bark 
 house, and hence the name Tihitan, or bark-house people. 
 
 bidden to enter. He was now among the seals. 
 Their chief was lying down, very sick, having 
 been wounded with an arrow. They asked him 
 to heal the chief. He said to the seals: "I will 
 heal your chief if you will provide a way for me 
 to return to mv home ami familv. 1 ' 
 
 family, they will take yon to them; but, if, while 
 there, you think of your bad brothers and of 
 revenge, they will bring you back." 
 
 The man did just as he was told and found 
 that everything happened just as the seals had 
 prophesied, for when he was i>art way home he
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 17 
 
 began to think about his bad brother and the fish 
 turned to bring him back. He finally reached 
 his home. Then the fish killed the bad brothers, 
 and so their maker was revenged. After this 
 they were told not to kill any more men they 
 were only to kill whales. Hence ever since they 
 have heen called "whale-killers." 
 
 The totem of the Kit, or whale-killer, is highly 
 prized among the Thlingets, because it is such a 
 strong and brave fish in that It is able to kill 
 whales. 
 
 Note : This island was named by the Indians 
 Nar-Zeel-Naun and on the charts it is called 
 Duke Island. 
 
 The Legend of the Mosquito 
 
 There were giants in the land. One of these 
 giants Kos-sa-ka was a noted man-eater. His 
 great delight was to kill and eat them. To drink 
 their blood was to him like drinking old wine. 
 It made him feel that he was very rich. 
 
 Also, in those days, there was a young man 
 who made a business of killing giants. "Count 
 that day lost in which I don't kill a giant," was 
 the principle of his life. So he determined to 
 kill this man-eating giant. 
 
 One day he stole into the giant's house and 
 hid himself under some blankets. But the giant 
 found him. The giant said: "I'll kill hi n and 
 eat him and drink his blood." And he went out 
 to get his knife. This giant had often been shot 
 
 at, but the arrows had bounded off. That was 
 what made the giant so dangerous. 
 
 Soon the son of the giant came in and the boy 
 jumped up and pointed his arrow at the son of 
 the giant and said : "Tell me how I can kill your 
 father, or I will kill you." The boy replied : 
 "Shoot him on his instep. His heart is there.. 
 
 The giant soon came in, and our hero pointed 
 an arrow at his foot and shot him. The dying 
 giant said : "Though you burn me, I'll bite you." 
 
 Our hero burned the giant's body and threw 
 the ashes up into the air, and said. "Bite me, 
 will you?" Each particle of ashes became a 
 mosquito, and so the giant has been biting man 
 ever since.
 
 THE CHIEF OF THE FIRE SPIRITS DREW HER UP AND MARRIED HER
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 19 
 
 Intellectual Life of the Thlinget 
 
 Indians 
 
 UR museums have done splendid 
 work in picturing the life of the 
 primitive Indian before he came in 
 contact with the white man. The 
 scenes in their display cases, the 
 realistic wax figures, their arrangement, and the 
 paintings in the background leave nothing to be 
 desired to create the illustration that are actually 
 back in the old days among the primitive people. 
 But as one visits these museums the questions 
 arise: What did these people talk about? How 
 did they think? What, in brief, was their intel 
 lectual atmosphere? 
 
 It will be the endeavor in this narrative to 
 create anew the intellectual atmosphere of the 
 Alaska Thlinget Indians, to show what they 
 thought and talked about in those old days. 
 
 Let the reader imagine himself to arrive in 
 a canoe at one of the low, square hunting houses 
 found here and there along the shores of the 
 thousand channels between the many islands of 
 southeastern Alaska. Let the time be early in 
 March. The cold weather has held on a little 
 longer than usual. Just as you land an Indian, 
 stealthly paddling along the shore, comes into 
 view. He lands near where you have landed. 
 
 By chance you know his language and he 
 knows something of yours. As you begin to 
 talk with him he replies in short, expressive sen 
 tences. This leads you to believe that, naturally, 
 he is a man of very few words. A better ac 
 quaintance with him will show that your first 
 impressions were wrong. The brevity was due 
 partially to the fact that he understood your lan 
 guage imperfectly, and consequently was more or 
 less embarrassed in your presence. 
 
 You notice that the canoe that he pulls up on 
 the beach is painted black. You ask the reason. 
 In reply, he gives you a picture of society which 
 is literally without law. Every man was expect 
 ed to look out for himself. If one even by an 
 accident killed another, that had to be atoned 
 for either by payment of blankets or else by the 
 death of the man who did the killing or of one of 
 his clansmen. 
 
 But there was no power to compel this, and 
 if the clan that did the injury did not care to 
 settle, the members of the injured clan claimed 
 the right to get even the best way that they 
 
 could. This was usually by means of assassina 
 tion. The injured clansmen would lie in wait 
 for those who had not or would not pay these 
 supposed debts and try to kill them. The con 
 sequence was an Indian would paint his canoe 
 black, so that he could paddle along the shore 
 unobserved by his enemies ; and at night he did 
 not dare to sleep by his campfire, but after his 
 evening meal was cooked would take his blanket 
 and creep off into the brush where he could sleep 
 without fear of assassination. Many of the 
 houses had underground passageways, whither 
 the occupants of a house could flee in the event 
 that the house was taken by an enemy. 
 
 The first feature of their intellectual life was 
 necessitated by this condition of continual war 
 fare. It taught them to be watchful and alert, 
 and at the same time suspicious. 
 
 With the Indian are three boys, one of 
 eighteen, one of fourteen, and the third scarcely 
 twelve. The appearance of these boys suggested 
 that the man was not their father. The resem 
 blance between them and the rnan was very 
 slight and the boys were treated differently from 
 what you would expect sons to be treated. This 
 causes you to ask one of the boys if the man is 
 his father. The reply comes back, "No, he is 
 our uncle." 
 
 It was customary, you find on questioning the 
 uncle, for boys to leave their home at about 
 twelve years of age and live with their mother's 
 brother. It was to the mother's clan that the boy 
 belonged, and so the boy went to his mother's 
 brother to be educated. 
 
 The education was very practical. The boys 
 were taught how to make traps for the fishing, 
 how to hunt, and also trap the game. 
 
 This comprised more than might be ordinarily 
 supposed. Each boy was expected to learn the 
 story of Kayak, the hero hunter, who did so much 
 to free the world from monsters, and who also 
 taught the people how to make carved halibut 
 hooks, carved salmon spears and carved traps for 
 catching game. He taught just how to carve so 
 that some spiritual power would come and in 
 habit the hook or trap, and thus make it more 
 effective to attract the game to it. Wood carv 
 ing, therefore, was a part of the boy's education, 
 and he was taught to carve his figures in a pre 
 scribed way, so that there would be no doubt
 
 20 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIAXS 
 
 about the coming of the spiritual power to in 
 habit the image that he had made. 
 
 But the training that the youth received in 
 hunting and fishing was by no means confined to 
 matters of superstition. He received all kinds 
 of training in hunting and fishing. The manner 
 of making traps for both large and small game 
 was taught, as also the manufacture of contriv 
 ances for the catching of fish. 
 
 In our digression, we left the uncle and his 
 three nephews unloading a canoe. Let us re 
 turn to them. The youngest of the three, having 
 lately come to his uncle, lags behind the others 
 in doing his share of the work. The uncle urges 
 him on and with a wink and smile to the older 
 
 cold sea-water. The older boys follow. Out 
 they come and begin to whip each other with 
 the hemlock boughs which they had prepared. 
 The youngest comes out whimpering, and he 
 specially gets the lashing. Then all three boys 
 put on their clothes and hurry to the house. 
 
 The uncle turns to you and says, "That makes 
 them strong." 
 
 You ask, "How?" 
 
 He replies : "A long time ago. a very strong 
 man, Ductut 
 
 "Who was Ductut ?" you ask. 
 
 "Pretty soon I eat, and then I tell you," he 
 replies. 
 
 It is along toward evening, and they all go 
 
 BOY SCOUTS BATHING NEAR BIG GLACIER, STICKINE 
 
 brothers, says. "We must make your brother 
 strong. He is too weak." 
 
 Your curiosity is aroused, and you watch 
 further proceeding very closely. The skins that 
 are taken out of the canoe are handed to the 
 mother and daughters, who have come to get 
 them. They take them to the house, to dry and 
 to prepare them for use. 
 
 After the canoe is unloaded the uncle and 
 nephews go to a place along the bay where the 
 beach is sandy. The uncle then commands, 
 "Nephews, swim." To you it does not look pos 
 sible for a swim. There is ice in the bay and 
 you wonder what he means. 
 
 The older boys immediately prepare for a bath. 
 The youngest does not move. The uncle quickly 
 picks him up and in spite of his tears and cries, 
 pulls off his clothes and throws him into the 
 
 to the house. The meal is being served. It con 
 sists of smoked salmon, very dry and hard, and 
 of seaweed. Some is passed to you and you 
 try to eat. At first it seems impossible. The 
 food is hard and tough like sole leather. 
 
 You look at them and find the whole family 
 devoting their whole attention to eating, and 
 how they eat ! It would have delighted the eyes 
 of a most devout Fletcherite to have watched 
 them. Each mouthful of food was masticated 
 at least four hundred times before it was swal 
 lowed. 
 
 The meal is over. There are no dishes to 
 do. The remnants are thrown into the fire and 
 consumed. Then for a time they all gather 
 around the fire and sit in mute silence. 
 
 Then you ask again, "Who was this strong 
 man, Ductut?"
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 21 
 
 So comes the reply : "A great chief wanted 
 to kill the sea lions. His name was Katlwait. 
 There were no guns in those days, and so the 
 chief had to kill the sea lions by hand. He had 
 to get very strong. He went to an Indian doctor 
 and said, 'How shall I get strong?' Then the 
 Indian doctor acted all same dead. His spirit 
 went away from him. It came back and he 
 said, 'Katlwait, you and all your people, in winter 
 time every morning go and bathe in sea water, 
 and you will get the strength.' 
 
 " 'How shall we know when we are strong 
 enough to kill the sea lions?" asked Katlwait. 
 
 "The Indian doctor said, 'See the limb of that 
 tree. Pull it out. See that tree about as large 
 as your hand; twist its trunk and you will be 
 strong enough to kill the sea lions.' 
 
 "Then all the people went to bathe every morn 
 ing, and then they would try to pull the limb out 
 and twist the trunk of the tree, but no one was 
 able. 
 
 "The chief had a nephew. His name was 
 Darkurchie. He would not go and bathe when 
 the rest did. He said, 'It is too cold.' 
 
 "Katlwait, very mad, said to his wives (he had 
 two), 'Don't give Darkurchie anything to eat,' 
 and told him, 'Stay with the women,' and all the 
 people laughed at him. 
 
 "The younger wife saved some food for him 
 and gave him to eat. 
 
 By night Darkurchie, when every one slept, 
 would go out and when he had bathed would re 
 turn, and put a blanket over his head and then 
 lean over the fire to dry and warm himself. The 
 soot blackened his face. 
 
 "The chief next morning saw it, and cried 
 out, 'Our girl man has a dirty face. We will 
 call him Ductut after this,' and they all laughed 
 and called him Ductut, or Dirty Face. 
 
 "But Ductut, he smart. He said nothing. He 
 just kept on bathing. One night when he was 
 in bathing a man came to him, and wrestled 
 with him. It was hard fought. At last the man 
 threw him. 
 
 "Then the man said, 'Darkurchie, you do good 
 work. Keep on bathing. Pretty soon you throw 
 me. I am the East Wind. When you throw me 
 you will be strong enough to kill the sea lions.' 
 
 "Pretty soon the East Wind came again. 
 Darkurchie threw him. Then the East Wind 
 said, 'You will do. Pull the knot out of the 
 tree and twist the trunk of the young tree. That 
 night, he pulled the knot out and put it back 
 again, and twisted the trunk of the young tree 
 and then untwisted it so it would not look as 
 though it had been touched. 
 
 "Next morning Katlwait went into the cold 
 water and then ran to the tree. He pulled the 
 knot out just as easy as could be, and twisted 
 the trunk of the young tree just as easy be 
 cause all this had been done before. He praised 
 himself because he was so strong, but he was 
 not. He just fooled himself. Then all the 
 people took the big canoe and went with Katlwait 
 to kill the sea lions. 
 
 "Darkurchie went, too. They came to the 
 place where the sea lions were. Katlwait 
 leaped out of the canoe, and ran to meet the 
 sea lions. The sea lions broke his head on a 
 rock. 
 
 "Then Darkurchie made a speech and told how 
 he had pulled the knot out of the tree and twisted 
 the trunk of the young tree, and then he leaped 
 out and ran to the sea lions. He killed them one 
 by one, taking hold of their tails, tearing them 
 into two pieces. 
 
 "Then darkurchie became a big chief and very 
 rich. 
 
 "So always we have our boys bathe every win 
 ter in cold water to make them strong." 
 
 As soon as the native had finished his story, 
 you looked around, and noticed the oldest of 
 the boys holding up his arm and feeling of his 
 muscle and noddling his head as if to say: 
 'That is right. I have tried it and I know that 
 it is true." 
 
 The story of Darkurchie has been dwelt upon 
 at length because it occupies such a prominent 
 place in the minds of the old Indians. That 
 plunge into ice-cold water was one of thq earliest 
 recollections of his childhood. If big game were 
 secured it had to be secured in a hand-to-hand 
 contest. If he succeeded in defending himself 
 from his enemies, it was because he had per 
 sonal strength. Little else was really of any 
 worth. They had their orators and dancers, but 
 these usually were not of the higher caste. To 
 be a good fighter was the proper ambition of the 
 young man of the higher caste. All of his train 
 ing had for its purpose to make him strong and 
 a good fighter, consequently on many totem poles 
 there is a carved figure of a man tearing a sea 
 lion. The purpose of this is to illustrate the 
 story of Darkurchie, and also to teach the youth 
 the great virtue of doing everything possible to 
 acquire physical strength. 
 
 After one story is told others follow in rapid 
 succession. 
 
 One appears to be a warning to the practical 
 joker. 
 
 "One time the beaver and porcupine were great 
 friends. The porcupine oftentimes visited the
 
 22 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 beaver, and protected his home so that it would 
 not be destroyed. One day the beaver wished 
 to go to the porcupine's house. The porcupine 
 said, 'Get on my back and I will carry you.' The 
 porcupine then ran up a tree and left the beaver 
 there. The beaver kept crying, 'Come and get me 
 down,' but the porcupine made believe that he did 
 not hear. Finally the squirrel came along and 
 helped the beaver down. 
 
 "Next day the porcupine said to the beaver, 
 'Take me to your house.' The beaver answered, 
 'All right, get on my back,' and when it did the 
 beaver ran to a lake and swam to an island and 
 left the porcupine there. 
 
 "The porcupine then began to sing a song, 
 'Let it be frozen so that I can cross to wolverine 
 man's land.' The lake was then frozen over and 
 the porcupine escaped. After that the beaver and 
 the porcupine ceased to be friends." 
 
 Another version of this story makes the beaver 
 climb down out of the tree himself, which gave 
 the ragged appearance to the bark of some trees. 
 
 After the telling of this story one of the boys 
 remarked that he was glad that they were not 
 compelled to sleep in the brush that night as 
 they did the night before. Another of the boys 
 replied to this, wishing all kinds of vengeance 
 upon their enemies, who were continually trying 
 to kill them. 
 
 At this the uncle spoke up and said : "Stop, 
 my nephew, you must not speak so harshly of 
 your enemies. Remember the story of the man 
 that entertained the bears." 
 
 "What is that?" exclaimed the youngest. 
 
 "Once upon a time," the uncle replied, "a man 
 was feeling very lonely because he had lost all 
 of his relations. He first thought that he would 
 leave and go and live in some other country. 
 Then he said, 'I cannot do that, because I would 
 be taken as a wizard if I went alone to some 
 other country." 
 
 "Then he made up his mind to go out near a 
 salmon stream and wait there until some bears 
 that were wont to go that way should destroy 
 him. 
 
 "When the bears came he was very much 
 frightened. He did not wish to be torn to pieces, 
 and so he spoke very nicely to them and invited 
 them to a feast. 
 
 "The next day they came to his house and 
 he served them with all kinds of good things to 
 eat. The bears after that were very kind to that 
 man and brought him all sorts of good luck. 
 
 "From that we learn, my nephew, to speak 
 well of our enemies. Sometimes we conquer 
 them that wav." 
 
 Then the chief turned to the visitor and said, 
 "My nephews are among the dog eaters." 
 "What is that?" you ask. 
 
 The uncle replied : "A long time ago a chief's 
 son was very smart and became a great hunter. 
 One time he was out hunting and he fell from 
 the top of a mountain, and for a long time he 
 was just like one dead. 
 
 "Soon he woke up, and he was surrounded by a 
 circle of men and each one had a circle of light 
 around him, and they asked what kind of a spirit 
 he would have the spirit of a wolf or a raven. 
 He replied, 'The spirit of a wolf.' 
 
 "Then he began to dance, while all the spirits 
 of the mountains sang and kept time for him. 
 The words of their songs were, 'He steps upon 
 the high places of the earth.' 
 
 "This young man went forth and began to start 
 secret societies. One of them was the 'Dog 
 Eaters' Society.' Those who are initiated fast 
 four days and then they blacken their faces, and 
 are supposed to eat the flesh of a dog, and then 
 they at night go around and show the bones of 
 the dog in proof that they have eaten it. 
 
 "Then the spirit that makes a man smart like 
 the wolf, and keen for game as the dog, takes 
 possession of him." 
 
 After this ricital you ask him what he means 
 by spirits. 
 
 He explains : "All things have spirits. The 
 mountains and the valleys and the waters all 
 have their spirits. There is a spirit for each 
 different kind of animal and bird. The fish of 
 the sea, too, have their spirits. 
 
 "In some, bad spirits live. The rat and the 
 crab always have bad spirits in them. Some 
 times spirits from the good animals get into 
 man and he becomes very rich, or he may be 
 an Indian doctor." 
 
 You ask how a person gets good spirits. 
 
 He replies : "A man must fast and keep him 
 self pure. Sometimes he fasts one month, some 
 times two months, and then he falls down just as 
 if he were dead. Then we know the spirits have 
 come to him." 
 
 "What good are these spirits?" you ask. 
 "What do they do?" 
 
 "They help lots ; they make one rich," replied 
 the Indian. 
 
 "But how do they help?" you ask. 
 
 The Indian replied : 
 
 "One time a woman was very sick, and there 
 was an Indian to whom the spirits had come 
 and taught him a new kind of dance. He had 
 something like what 1 have seen society men 
 wear down in Victoria when they are out pa-
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 23 
 
 rading. On it was a picture we call 'Ka-nest.' 
 It was worn around the neck. This Ka-nest 
 was like the church's cross. We call the cross 
 'Ka-nest.' 
 
 "This Indian doctor would dance before the 
 sick. He would look up high when he was danc 
 ing and appear to call on someone up there; 
 then, when it seemed as though he would drop 
 dead from dancing too much, he would throw 
 the Ka-nest over the head of that sick person, 
 and that sick person would get up and be healed 
 by the dance. One time I saw one woman very 
 sick healed by this Indian doctor. 
 
 "Sometimes the Indian doctor would not be 
 able to cure the sick man and then he would 
 begin to try to find out what was causing the 
 sickness. He might find some man or some 
 woman or witch, who was using the evil spirit 
 to make the man sick. This is the very great 
 est sin. This sin is worse than stealing or mur 
 der. The man that is caught doing this is pun 
 ished hard, until he promises not to use the evil 
 spirit any more." 
 
 "Can you tell me some more stories about 
 Indian doctors?" you ask. 
 
 The Indian continues : "One time some peo 
 ple lived on the point where the Wrangell peo 
 ple now bury their dead. There was a chief, 
 who had a nephew whom he called very lazy. 
 The boy was no good, he was so lazy. 
 
 "The chief said, 'You no work, you no eat, 
 you starve.' 
 
 "So he left the boy and a very old woman at 
 home with nothing to eat, and they all went up 
 the Stikine River to get fish. 
 
 "The boy the next day went out on the beach 
 just below the point and found two dead deer 
 lying there with the meat all good. The place 
 is called in our language today 'The place where 
 two deer lay.' He brought some of the meat to 
 his aunt and they dried it for food. 
 
 "Next week the boy fell down, all same dead. 
 He woke up and went to his aunt and said, 'We 
 must clean our house real clean, for the spirits 
 are coming to help us.' 
 
 "Next day the birds began to fly around and 
 around as if they were driving something. Then 
 the boy looked out in the water and saw a great 
 shoal of salmon and halibut coming toward the 
 shore. He caught the fish and dried them, and 
 kept on doing so until he had filled his house full 
 of dried fish. 
 
 "Soon after the house was filled with fish the 
 boy saw two men in a canoe coming near the 
 town where he was. When they came still 
 nearer, he saw that they were two men from his 
 uncle. 
 
 "The fish that summer did not go up the river 
 as usual, and so the people were very hungry, 
 and the chief thought that the nephew had 
 starved to death and had sent these two men to 
 do the funeral rites. It was a very pious thing 
 to look after the dead. 
 
 "They found how rich the nephew had become. 
 They went back and told the chief about the 
 nephew and the fish. The chief and his people 
 got into their canoes and came back home. The 
 nephew forgave his uncle and fed the people. 
 
 "He was a great Indian doctor. He became 
 very rich and had lots of slaves." 
 
 After the Indian had finished these stories, he 
 said : "No more tonight. Tomorrow I will tell 
 you more." 
 
 All the people in the house begin to spread 
 their blankets for bed. The chief takes his place 
 in the back part of the building on the platform. 
 He is farthest from the front door, and the rest 
 are allotted places on the platform that goes 
 around the inside of the house. The man of the 
 lowest rank is nearest the front door. 
 
 The next evening you ask the chief to tell you 
 about the evil spirits and witchcraft. At this he 
 becomes very solemn, and the voices of all in the 
 house are hushed. 
 
 The Indian began : "Up high there is a great 
 lake of evil. From this lake come all kinds of 
 sins murder, stealing, adultery and falsehood. 
 The evil spirits help men to get hold of all there 
 and use them for the destruction of others." 
 
 "Did this ever happen?" you ask. 
 
 "One time,' replied the Indian, "a woman was 
 married to a man who would go off and bring 
 back something that he would put in a box over 
 head. He strictly charged the woman not to 
 open the box. One day the woman's curiosity 
 got the better of her, and to her horror she 
 discovered the box was full of hands, and she 
 knew by marks on the hands that they were those 
 of her uncles. 
 
 "That night, when her husband returned, she 
 said : 'I feel very lonesome. I want to go back 
 and see my people.' The husband replied : 'I 
 take you back.' 
 
 "They returned, and when she got back she 
 found that all her relatives had been killed. 
 
 "She began to cry, and while she was crying 
 a beautiful young man came to her and tried 
 to comfort her. He said : 'I can help you to 
 kill all your enemies.' 
 
 "She accepted his help, and they got into a 
 
 canoe and went back to her old husband's town, 
 
 and as they approached the town he began to 
 
 sing, 'Avenge the death.' 
 
 "When they got to the town they found that
 
 24 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA IXDIANS 
 
 a strange sickness had killed her old husband 
 and all his relatives. It was her new husband 
 that did it. He was really a rat in disguise. 
 In those old days before the flood it was quite 
 customary for an animal to disguise itself so 
 it would be taken for a man. 
 
 "Rats, we have found out, are the chief abodes 
 for the evil spirits. Crabs likewise arc homes 
 of evil spirits. Indians never cat crabs. They 
 are unclean. Devil's clubs also arc very attrac 
 tive to evil spirits. 
 
 "He may make a chain of bones to wear around 
 his neck, or he may steal the dead body of an 
 Indian doctor and keep it in his house. There 
 are many ways for a man to do wrong." 
 
 The Indian chief stopped a moment; all was 
 silence. Just then a spark was thrown off from a 
 burning log and lit on the clothes of one of the 
 chief's daughters. 
 
 She jumped up and said: "You ugly old fire. 
 You arc mean." 
 
 The chief was quite excited and exclaimed : 
 
 THE DEVIL CLUB 
 
 "One time lon-al-gic was gambling and had 
 lost all of his property. The raven came to 
 him and told him to build a bouse out of forty 
 devil's clubs and live in it, and fast many days 
 and lie would become a great gambler. He 
 did so and became a great gambler, just as the 
 raven said." 
 
 "How docs a person get the evil spirits to 
 help him?" you ask. 
 
 The Indian frowned a little and replied : 
 "The man must first have an evil mind and 
 then get dead men's hones. He usually hangs 
 around graveyards and steals them. If we see a 
 man or woman hanging around graveyards at 
 night we know he 's a wizard, 
 
 "You must not say that, daughter. One time a 
 girl said that and the chief of the (ire spirits 
 drew her up and married her, and for a long 
 time the people never saw her again. You must 
 respect the spirits." 
 
 Then the chief turned around and said : "We 
 believe in the Raven who made the world. We 
 believe in his grandson who made men, but we 
 must specially honor the spirits because they 
 are all about us and are very angry if we do not 
 use right words concerning them." 
 
 Just then an old grandmother who had been 
 lying on a blanket in a dark corner of the room 
 spoke up and said in a deep, trembling voice: 
 "Sons, there is a power above. You must/ not lie,
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 25 
 
 you must not steal, you must not kill, or he will 
 not give you good luck. Go to the woods and 
 pray to him and he will give you good luck." 
 
 Then the old woman fell back dead. Imme 
 diately there was extravagant weeping in the 
 house. It was like the wailing of hired mourn 
 ers. After the first excitement resulting from 
 the death of the old woman had subsided, the 
 chief explained what they would do with the 
 body of the old woman. 
 
 She was of high caste, and therefore special 
 honors were necessary. The funeral rites were 
 to be performed by the tyee of the opposite 
 phratry. A large number of blankets would be 
 given to those who helped. It was the highest 
 act of piety to take care of the dead. There 
 would be a funeral feast and the property given 
 away there and the food eaten there would be 
 just the same as given to the dead. 
 
 The body would be cremated, so that the old 
 woman in the next world would live in a nice 
 
 warm place, and not be struggling to get near a 
 fire. 
 
 Soon after you go outdoors with the chief. 
 The northern lights that night are specially 
 bright. Great streams of light go out in all 
 directions from the north. They play around 
 like happy spirits. The chief looks at them with 
 a glow of pleasure in his face, and exclaims : 
 "Those are the happy spirits of men killed in 
 battle fighting for their homes and families." 
 
 You ask what becomes of others when they 
 die. You receive the answer that there is a 
 great river separating us from the country of 
 the dead. A great canoe is there to carry the 
 spirits over. Sometimes a spirit becomes dis 
 satisfied and returns for reincarnation. But all 
 do not do this. 
 
 It is night again. The next day you return to 
 civilization with the impression that you have 
 been in a world of chance.
 
 26 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 Legends of Chief Shakes' Totems 
 
 The Legend of the Grizzly Bear 
 
 T the time of the flood the Shakes 
 people were camping near Cone 
 Mountain, a high peak, on the op 
 posite side of the Stikine River 
 from the Great Glacier, and a few 
 miles further inland. As the waters became higher 
 the people ascended the mountain. They found two 
 
 this mask. In their dances he, wearing the 
 mask, would appear to come out of the cave 
 and would stealthily creep up and strangle the 
 slave, who had been tied down to the ground 
 on his back for that purpose. This has been 
 done in the memory of our oldest Indians. 
 The figure marked "A" in Shakes' collection of 
 
 CHIEF SHAKES AND HIS HOUSE 
 
 grizzly bears were seeking the same place of 
 refuge. They were at first frightened, but the bears 
 appeared very friendly. They acted like guides. 
 
 As the waters receded they killed one of them 
 and made from it a mask. When one mask was 
 worn out. another was made just like it to take 
 its place, and this has been continued by the 
 Shakes family until this day. 
 
 When a slave was to be sacrificed, and at a 
 potlatch many would be, the chief would wear 
 
 curios is a mask that has been actually used for 
 that purpose. It has been in the Shakes family 
 for many generations. The Shakes people are 
 akin to the Te-quoe-di of Taku, and therefore 
 they also claim the following legend as their 
 own : 
 
 A hunter was captured by a grizzly bear, which 
 took him and threw him into his den. The she- 
 bear, instead of destroying him, concealed him, 
 and, when the grizzly came around, denied that 
 the hunter was ever thrown into the cave. The
 
 TOTEM LORE OP THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 27 
 
 male grizzly went away, never to return. The 
 hunter then married the bear and had children 
 by her, though he already had a wife and chil 
 dren living in the village. He hunted for his 
 bear wife and children. Finally he had a long 
 ing to return to his home and the bear gave him 
 permission, but warned him not to have anything 
 to do with his wife. When he reached the vil 
 lage, his wife reproached him for leaving her 
 alone for so long a time, to provide for all his 
 little children. 
 
 He began to hunt for them. He brought seals 
 
 and other food and fish for them. The bear 
 heard of this and became very jealous, and the 
 next time the hunter was found in the woods she 
 directed her cubs to fall on him and kill him, and 
 they did. 
 
 Note : The Shakes people also claim the head 
 of mountain goat as their coat of arms. Once 
 a mighty goat hunter was led up a mountain by a 
 goat that he was chasing right into the cave 
 where the goats were assembled in council. He 
 was there taught by the king of the goats not to 
 kill so many goats, because they were brothers. 
 
 The Ko-na-ka-det 
 
 HERE was a man married to a high 
 caste girl in another town. The 
 man proved himself to be a great 
 
 gambler. This gave him a very bad 
 reputation. His mother-in-law call- 
 
 had heard of a monster that was back of 
 the lake, and he took stone axes, split open 
 a tree and made a dead fall trap and with 
 it killed the monster, and then crawled into its 
 skin. 
 
 SHAKES' GRAVE TOTEMS 
 
 These totems mark the place where the uncle of the present chief was buried. Titles 
 always went to the sister's son. 
 
 cd him a worthless fellow," and finally, for 
 the sake of peace, he built himself a hut near 
 a lake, back of the village. (Chief Shakes 
 locates this lake as the one back of old 
 Wrangell, but the legend probably came from 
 a place much father north.) The young man 
 
 To his surprise he found now that he could 
 swim about in the water like a fish. In the 
 daytime he would do this and then when night 
 came he would return home. He told his wife 
 all about it and charged her not to tell his 
 mother-in-law anything about his adventures.
 
 28 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 Famine once took the village. The young 
 man, in the skin of the monster, caught a salmon 
 and left it next morning by his mother-in-law's 
 house. She brought it in. in great glee, and 
 claimed all the credit for having secured it. The 
 next day the mother-in-law brought in two sal 
 mon, and then a halibut. All the time she claim 
 ed that she had, brought the fish. The next night 
 the young man told his wife that lie was going 
 
 morning she heard the ravens call before he 
 returned. She began to cry and her friends 
 asked her why she was crying and she replied 
 that she knew that her husband was dead, be 
 cause the ravens had called. They all went to 
 the door then and saw on the beach two whales 
 and the monster between,. them, dead. The young 
 man had attempted more than be was able to per 
 form. The load bad delaved him so that he 
 
 SHAKES' COLLECTION OF CURIOS 
 
 A Kon-na-ka-det. 
 
 B The grizzly bear head. This is the most ancient curio, and is most frequen ly 
 spoken of in guide books. It was used as a mask in the dances, and has been actually 
 worn by one appointed to kill slaves at potlatches. The ears of the head are tipped with 
 native copper. 
 
 C Is the dancing costume representing the woman who was married to a grizzly bear. 
 
 D Is a whale diving Chilkat blanket. 
 
 F and H Corner posts of the house. They are dog-fish totems and so the house is 
 named the dog-fish house. These totems were brought up from old Wrangell in about the 
 year 1832. They were, in old Wrangell, originally erected ovsr the bodies of slaves buried 
 alive. 
 
 I Illustrates the propensity a family had (o add new symbols to its coat of arms. The 
 first time an ox was seen, a hat representing an ox head was made. 
 
 Most of the other curios are whale killer dancing hats. 
 
 Shakes himself is sitting among his curios. He is the nephew of the one buried at old 
 Shakes' grave. 
 
 to get a large whale, and, sure enough, the next 
 morning he brought in the whale. The mother- 
 in-law found it and claimed all the honor for the 
 whale, just as she had claimed the honor for 
 having caught the fish. She asked to be honored 
 as a great shaman and the people granted her 
 wish. The young man and his wife laughed all 
 the more at her arrogance. 
 
 He had told his wife that he must always get 
 home before the ravens called. If he did not 
 CO-TIC, she might know that he was dead, One 
 
 could not get back by the time the ravens called. 
 They found the young man in the skin of the 
 monster. The people were surprised and sup 
 posed that he had been captured by the monster. 
 Therefore they called him "Konakadet." They 
 took the body of the young man and placed it in 
 a tree near the lake back of the village, and 
 every evening the daughter went there to weep. 
 One night she saw a ripple on the water and 
 heard the voice of her husband calling to her, 
 "Get on my back and hold on tight." She did
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 29 
 
 so, and they went to the Konakadet's former 
 home. This is the reason why it is considered 
 good luck if one has seen the Konakadet, and his 
 wife and wife's children, the ''Daughters of the 
 Creek," also bring good luck. 
 
 There are several other stories of the Kona 
 kadet. There is one of how a chief's canoe was 
 overturned and all his nephews were swallowed 
 up and he only escaped. The townspeople were 
 much aroused thereby and called for vengeance. 
 The chief for a long time kept silent and finally 
 said : "My children, have patience. I believe 
 it was the Konakadet that overturned my canoe. 
 Let us invite him to a great feast and treat him 
 kindly and possibly he will bring back my sister's 
 children." They all agreed, and one of the brav 
 est of the youths went out to where the canoe 
 
 was overturned and cried out: "Ye Konakadet, 
 I call you to a feast." The water was disturbed 
 as before and the Konakadet made known that 
 he would accept the invitation. 
 
 The feast was held and the Konakadet restored 
 the children. 
 
 The Shu-stack family have a like tradition 
 about a canoe having been overturned, but good 
 luck followed as a consequence. 
 
 The dancing hat with sea lion bristles came 
 from the Konakadet. 
 
 The left-hand totem in front of Shakes' house 
 is that of the Konakadet. The dancing hat in 
 the center of the collection of Shakes' curios 
 showing a man in the monster's skin is also that 
 of the Konakadet. This, unfortunately, was des 
 troyed by fire| a few years ago. 
 
 Kadashan, His Totems and Legends 
 of His Totems 
 
 HIEF KADASHAN is the greatest 
 living Indian orator. He is the 
 great Indian authority on Indian 
 lore. More than a third of the ma 
 terial that Dr. Swanton of the 
 Smithsonian Institute secured for his report on 
 the Thlinget Indians was secured from him. 
 
 While Kadashan has been by no means al 
 ways consistent, his sympathies are decidedly 
 
 Christian. One time in a speech he said : "I see 
 the difference between God's law and man's law. 
 In the olden days, had we captured a people we 
 would have made slaves of them. The white 
 man rules over us. Instead of making slaves of 
 us, he gives us a chance to earn our living. Our 
 liberty is not taken away." 
 
 Much of the material in this book was furnish 
 ed by him. 
 
 The Thlinget 
 
 L was born at Sitka. His father's 
 house stood near the Indian River. 
 His father was Lakigina, noted for 
 his cruelty and hatred of all human 
 kind. Even the children of Lakigina 
 did not escape his thirst for blood, so strong was 
 the wolf instinct which ran through his viens. 
 His grandmother was a wolf and on his father's 
 side his ancestry went back to the fire spirit. 
 
 Lakigina had received from his grandfather 
 a coat that was made from the skin of a red cod. 
 When worn the coat was so arranged that the 
 fins made a row of teeth which, like a saw, ran up 
 and down the breast. Lakigina's way of dispos 
 ing of his children was to begin to fondle them 
 and then saw them to death by the saw on the 
 breast of his red coat. One after another was 
 finally put to death. At last the mother became 
 very despondent on account of the loss of her 
 
 Hero, Kayak 
 
 children. Then it was that the fire spirit came 
 to her and said : "Have good cheer. I will fur 
 nish you a way whereby you may save your chil 
 dren. When your husband draws near, take 
 ashes from the fire and throw on them and they 
 will appear like puppies' playing, and then he will 
 think that they are puppies and let them live. 
 When he goes out, sweep the ashes off from them 
 and they will become children again." 
 
 So it was that the mother was enabled to 
 preserve the lives of three of her children, Kayak, 
 Kettle and their sister. Kayak, when he became 
 of age, slew his father because his father had 
 killed so many of his brothers. After this Kayak, 
 at the instigation of his sister, slew a monster 
 that was troubling Sitka Bay. This, however, 
 disturbed some strange force. An Indian doctor 
 came to Kayah and revealed to him that he would 
 die should his sister ever look upon him. So, after
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA IXDIAXS 
 
 that, when his sister traveled with the two boys, 
 she wore a bonnet so that she could not look up. 
 A long time afterward, by chance, the sister did 
 look at them and the two boys were actually turn 
 ed into stone. This established the rule among the 
 Thlingets that it was a great breach of etiquette 
 for a woman to even look at men of the same 
 
 tain spirits they could render themselves in 
 visible. They saw the fisherman who was some 
 thing like an eagle, except that he only had one 
 leg. He came down to the water's edge and 
 with his charmed spear secured the salmon, and 
 then would sail up a creek to a cave of a grizzly 
 bear. 
 
 CHIEF KADASHAN 
 
 family. This was s<> much so that one could al 
 ways tell that, when a woman did not look at a 
 man, they were of the same family. 
 
 To return to our theme. Kayak's father had 
 had a charmed halibut hook, and he heard of a 
 fisherman up Yack-a-tat way who had a charmed 
 salmon spear, and he wanted it. So he and his 
 brother went to Yack-a-tat. By the help of cer- 
 
 Thc coat that tlu- fisherman wore had on it two 
 bear heads, and when he came to the cave one of 
 these heads pulled off a salmon from the string 
 of salmon that the fisherman carried and threw 
 it to the male grizzly, and the other head pulled 
 off a salmon and threw it to the female grizzly ; 
 so continued until all the salmon was given to the 
 bears. The one-legged fisherman was married
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 31 
 
 to the daughter of the grizzly bear. The next 
 day Kayak secured a fine silver salmon and, hav 
 ing clothed himself in the skin of the monster, 
 took to the water. 
 When the fisherman threw his spear Kayak 
 
 Kayak then disguised himself in the skin 
 of the fisherman, caught a string of fish 
 and went up the stream to feed the grizzly 
 bear. The she-bear suspected that Kayak was 
 not the real fisherman and fell on him, but 
 
 grabbed it and cut the string and so secured the Kayak was too strong. He slew the bear 
 
 THE ONE-LEGGED FISHERMAN THAT WAS KILLED BY KAYAK 
 The fisherman has a bear coat and is carrying a string of salmon 
 
 spear. The fisherman looked for the spear that 
 day but could not find it. The next day he came 
 to look again, and this time the wind was so that 
 he smelled Kayak hidden in a tree. He cried out 
 to Kayak, "Come down, or I will kill you. I 
 want my salmon spear." Kayak then came down 
 and he and the fisherman fought. Kayak pre 
 vailed and the fisherman was slain. 
 
 family and went out for more adventures. 
 The history of this part of the legend is pre 
 served in only two totems in Alaska. One totem 
 is standing in old Wrangell, a site twenty miles 
 south of the present Wrangell. There is a fisher 
 man with a coat having two heads and carrying 
 a string of salmon. The other totem is in the 
 present Wrangell cemetery. This is a copy of
 
 32 
 
 TOTEM LORE OP THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 the one at old Wrangell, except there is one 
 head on the coat instead of two. 
 
 Kayak now left Yackatat for new adventures. 
 One day he chased the game with such po\ver 
 that he overpowered the force of gravity and ran 
 up into the sky. He would have remained there 
 had not an Indian doctor who had the help of the 
 spirit of two or three birds gone up and brought 
 him down. There are certain fleecy clouds that 
 are called the tracks of Kayak even to this day. 
 To commemorate this event, the family that 
 claims Kayak as its hero has a carved image of a 
 bird on one of its dancing hats. 
 
 ran and overtook the swiftest arrow that they 
 could shoot. Kayak then secured the sinew of a 
 bird and with it snared the monster. 
 
 This event is commemorated in the lower part 
 of the beaver totem at Wrangell, Alaska. 
 
 Kayak next came to the Stikine River, ascend 
 ed and lived for some time among the Taltan 
 Indians. Up to this time the Indians had made 
 their traps in the usual way. They had not rea 
 lized that they would catch game much more 
 easily if they put certain carvings on them. 
 Kayak told them how to put certain carvings on 
 them so that they would prove much more at- 
 
 THE REMAINS OF KAYAK AND HIS BROTHER 
 
 Kayak next appears at Icy Hay. There was a 
 monster there that he wanted to kill. At tin- 
 head of the bay, <>n an island, there was an old 
 house and in the house there lived a little old 
 woman who bore the na v e "Little Old woman 
 Who Knew Hverything." Kayak approached her 
 and said: "Little Old Woman Who Knows 
 Everything, 1 want your canoe; 1 wish to go out 
 and kill a monster that is back of your house." 
 The little old woman replied : "My son, the 
 canoe is back of this house. Go and get it." 
 Kayak went back of the house and found there 
 what appeared to be an old. rotten canoe, all 
 covered with moss and good for nothing. He 
 picked up the canoe and immediately it became a 
 beautifully carved piece of work. When he and 
 his brother put it into the water, the canoe out- 
 
 tractive to game. So it was that they could catch 
 game easily. Their traps now were charmed. 
 
 But, unfortunately, heroes have to die, and 
 Kayak and his brother proved no exception to 
 the rule. It was a time in which the waters ot 
 the Stikine were very low, and these two brothers 
 undertook to wade across. The current was 
 swift. Curiosity and fear proved too strong for 
 their sister. She raised her head and looked at 
 them. They immediately, sad to relate, were 
 turned into stone, and these rocks can be seen in 
 the river even to this day. One of the brothers 
 had a pack on his back which contained rock 
 from which Indians make paint and this paint 
 material can still be found on one of these rocks. 
 All of which goes to prove the truthfulness of this 
 legend.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 33 
 
 The Eagle Legend- -Tsimpsian 
 
 (This Kagle is on the Kadashan Totems.) 
 
 In the days when the Thlingets lived on the 
 Nass River, a chief had a nephew who was very 
 impractical. Instead of drying salmon for the 
 winter he would kill them and leave them on the 
 beach for the eagles to eat. The uncle soon lost 
 patience with such a foolish boy and he decided 
 to leave him behind when the rest of the tribe 
 went up the Nass River for their summer's fish 
 ing. They gave him no food and consequently 
 it was expected that he would starve to death. 
 
 While the tribe was at the different salmon 
 streams along the Nass River, the fish did not 
 come as was' expected and times began to be very 
 hard. If it had not been for roots and berries there 
 would have been a famine. The chief imagined 
 that his nephew was sharing in the same mis 
 fortune that they were, and therefore thought 
 that he had died of starvation. It was a very 
 pious thing to take care of the dead. What was 
 done for the dead body determined its place in 
 the next world, so the chief sent two of his men 
 to perform the funeral rites. When they reached 
 the village they found the boy very much alive. 
 He had his house stored full of dried fish, and 
 this was how it happened : 
 
 The first night in which he was left alone he 
 heard a rapping on the door. He opened it and 
 by the door lay a huge salmon. An eagle had 
 let; it there. This was continued every night 
 
 until a bountiful supply of fish was secured. 
 
 The boy fed the men and gave them some fish 
 to take back, but charged them strictly not to 
 tell his uncle about him. The men agreed. On 
 their return they gave some fish to a little girl. 
 She was so ravenously hungry that she tried to 
 swallow to large a piece and it choked her. 
 Someone pulled it out of her mouth and it was 
 discovered that there was fish in camp. This 
 caused the chief to summon the men and to make 
 them tell where they got the fish. The two men 
 told them about the nephew and the house full 
 of fish. The chief decided to take the whole 
 tribe back to the village if perchance his nephew 
 might feed them and save the lives of his people. 
 They got into the large canoe and sailed down 
 the river. The chief placed his daughter, dressed 
 in her best blankets, in front. When the big 
 canoe approached the village the nephew stood 
 with his bow and arrow ready to shoot, but when 
 he saw the chief's daughter he relented and fed 
 the tribe. He afterwards married her and lived 
 a happy life. 
 
 The family that has the eagle crest must not 
 be confused with the family from the north who 
 call themselves Eagles and have a kind of eagle 
 for their crest. This family has for ks lengend 
 that of the one-legged fisherman referred to in 
 the Kayak legend. 
 
 The Legend of the Crane 
 
 HE legend of the crane must be 
 
 classed as one of the very primitive 
 stories. It goes back to the time 
 when a man left his own home to 
 live in the home of his wife. 
 A young man was out hunting, and in the 
 woods he came across a beautiful girl with whom 
 he fell in love. The two were married and he 
 went to live with his wife's parents. He discov 
 ered as he hunted for them and brought home 
 game, that they would not eat of it. He asked 
 her why this was. For a long time she would not 
 tell him. One day he was out hunting and in 
 putting down his spear to leap across a stream he 
 noticed that he struck something soft, but he paid 
 little attention to it. He came home and stood 
 the spear by the side of the wall. His wifes 
 parents soon came in and they said, "We smell 
 frogs. 1 wish that we had some." He said to 
 
 his wife: "What do they mean?" She replied: 
 "Our people belong to the crane people and we 
 specially like frogs and they think that they smell 
 the blood of a frog upon your spear." The young, 
 man then remembered the place where he had 
 leaped across the stream, and he concluded thai 
 he must have stuck his spear into a gigan'ic 
 frog. He went out, determined to get it. He 
 came to the place and began to dig and worked 
 until the frog was dug out. He took it home and 
 presented it to his wife's parents. They were 
 very glad when they received it and immediately 
 made preparations to give a great feast. A great 
 number of guests were invited, and the parents 
 received a great name in consequence of this. 
 They, in their gratitude, gave him, in return, 
 shoes made out of grindstone rock. With these 
 shoes he could outrun the fastest game and when 
 a monster was pursuing him he could throw them
 
 TOTEM LORE Oh' THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 at it and they would become high mountains to 
 protect him from it. This hunter became a great 
 man among his people. 
 
 The event is commemorated by the third 
 figure from the top on the smaller of the Kada- 
 
 The mother of the young raven Hi-yi-shou-a- 
 gu was much persecuted by the brothers. In her 
 despair, she went to the crane for advice. 
 
 He told her to swallow four small stones, and 
 
 THE KADASHAN TOTEMS 
 
 shan totems, and on the second figure from the 
 top on the Goon-yu totem now on exhibition by 
 the side of Mathcson's store at Wrangcll. 
 
 There is perhaps a still more primitive crane 
 legend. 
 
 she would have a child that would defend her, 
 and do wonderful things for the world. 
 
 She did so, and the young raven was born. 
 
 Note : Notice how often "the figure four" ap 
 pears in the legends.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 The Kadashan Totems 
 
 HESE totems are very old. The 
 time of their erection dates back to 
 soon after the days of the Russian 
 occupation. The right-hand one is 
 surmounted by the figure of a man. 
 This represents the Creator. In all the older 
 poles he is represented as a man, while in the 
 modern he is represented as a Raven. 
 
 Below is the carving of a Raven with a man 
 between its wings. This is the grandson that 
 made man. 
 
 Below is La-kig-i-na, the father of Kayak. 
 Kadashan describes him as "all same devil." 
 His career and character are described in the 
 Kayak legend. He wore a coat made from the 
 skin of a red codfish. The fins were so placed 
 that they ran up and down the breast, making a 
 
 saw, and when he killed people he would rip them 
 open by means of this saw. 
 
 Below him is the spirit of La-kig-i-na. The 
 lowest figure of all is the thunder bird. He 
 lives on mountains, has a lake on his back, and 
 when he gets uneasy he spills some of the water 
 and this causes the rain. Kadashan declares 
 that the thunder bird has been seen by men and 
 gives instances. 
 
 The left-hand totem is surmounted by the eagle, 
 the crest of the Kad-a-shan family. This is the 
 eagle of the Tsimpsians, and not the one be 
 longing to the tribe that formerly centered around 
 the Taku River, and has the wolf as the coat of 
 arms of its phratry. 
 
 Below is the Konakadet. Below is the crane, 
 and the lowest figure of all is the Konakadet put 
 in to make the pole higher. 
 
 The Legend of the Koosh-ta-ka 
 
 Any unusual calamity was ascribed to them. 
 Near Catalla there is a lake that has an oil well 
 in it. Sometimes the lake freezes over and the 
 
 The seat of the following legend is placed on 
 the west coast of the Prince of Wales Island, 
 not far from Klawock. Some of the more edu- 
 
 LEGEND OF THE KOOSH-TA-KA 
 
 The crested waves tossed high the big canoe. They bumped it up 
 against the pointed rock. 
 
 upward pressure of the oil cracks the ice. This 
 is charged to the Koosh-ta-ka. 
 
 The Koosh-ta-ka are the bogy men of the Thlin- 
 get people. Their existence was firmly believed in. 
 
 cated of the Indians who are familiar with the 
 
 different Koosh-ta-ka legends explain them by 
 
 supposing that at one time monkeys lived in 
 Alaska.
 
 36 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 Some boys had filled their big canoe with fish; 
 
 The autumns sun was settling in the east ; 
 They laughed and joked for all that heart could 
 
 wish 
 
 Had come to them. They played most mer 
 rily. 
 
 But as they talked, a boy looked up and said, 
 "Oh, look, the falling mist and slanting rays 
 
 Of sunlight fill the sky with fiery red." 
 
 The laughter ceased ; the boys were sore 
 amazed. 
 
 Trembling, the oldest boy exclaimed, "We'll make 
 A fire to warm ourselves and cook our fish, 
 
 And then our homeward way we'll take ; 
 
 Some strange power stoppeth here, T know not 
 what." 
 
 One took the cedar dry and fire drill, too. 
 
 And then unloosed the string upon the bow 
 And made a loop and put the fire drill through, 
 
 And others gathered wood to build the fire. 
 
 They held the drill erect and pressed it close 
 Against the cedar dry, and with the bow 
 
 They made the drill revolve. A fire arose, 
 And then upon the wood it mounted high. 
 
 The fish was cooked and all began to eat ; 
 
 Just then a frog, a slimy speckled frog, 
 Jumped down between the boys and took a seat, 
 
 As if to say, "I'll be a fellow here." 
 
 Hut, oh, the ills a thoughtless thought can do! 
 
 "A fellow here," said one, "you saucy frog 
 The fire is much the better place for you." 
 
 And so, he fire ward tossed the saucy frog. 
 
 The frog, as would a bird, did turn aside; 
 
 It glided down to earth and disappeared. 
 "A miracle, an omen bad !" they cried ; 
 "We'll haste away perchance our lives to save." 
 
 Quickly each boy then sought in their canoe 
 His place, and took his paddle, and just like 
 
 An arrow shot from cross-bow strong and true, 
 Their hurrying canoe did speed along. 
 
 The frog rushed up the mountain side and cried, 
 "Ye spirits of the rocks, 1 ask your aid; 
 With mighty power rush down the mountain side 
 And make the waves that shall destroy those 
 boys." 
 
 The Koosh-ta-ka agreed. The boys worked on, 
 Not deeming danger nigh. They paddled hard, 
 
 Hoping before the tide should backward run 
 To pass the hidden rocks of Koosh-ta-ka. 
 
 Just then ahead, between the hills devide, 
 With sentry cloudlets rushing in before, 
 
 An awesome, whirling, rushing cloud was spied ; 
 The boys by ashen fear were paralyzed. 
 
 The crested waves tossed high the big canoe ; 
 
 They bumped it up against the pointed rock, 
 Which crushed the helpless boat, and quickly 
 threw 
 
 The boys into the sea. They cried for help. 
 
 To-si-la-gut, half-man, half-otter, heard 
 
 Their cry and summoned all the Koosh-ta-ka 
 
 And made a rousing speech, and spoke the word, 
 "Arise, ye Koosh-ta-ka, and rescue them." 
 
 He pointed toward the boys. Then suddenly 
 The Koosh-ta-ka with one accord arose; 
 
 Breasting the waves they plunged into the sea 
 And brought the boys to live among the rocks. 
 
 That night, the mothers in the village near 
 Went to the water's side to meet their boys; 
 
 And so they did for many nights till fear 
 
 Did grip them hard. "Where are our boys?" 
 they cried. 
 
 Weeping, they sought Kashutz, the doctor wise, 
 
 And bringing gifts, they said, "Oh, find for us 
 
 Our boys." The seer responded : "Dry your 
 
 eyes, 
 
 And keep your gifts. I'll find for you your 
 sons." 
 
 The doctor then began to dance and clap 
 
 His hands. He sang a song with words from 
 some 
 
 Forgotten tongue. He then began to rap 
 Upon the floor. His eyes were fixed above. 
 
 A rattle of mysterious design 
 He shook most violently. Faster grew 
 
 His movements. Louder rose his voice a sign 
 Of some unearthly, ghostly spirit power. 
 
 The mothers, all like statue*, crouched around 
 Their cheeks were colorless ; with eyes out 
 stretched 
 
 And ears erect, they listened for each sound. 
 The seer fell down, as one would fall that's 
 dead.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 37 
 
 The woman knew the reason of it all 
 The seer had left his body lying there 
 
 To travel forth to seek, to find, and call 
 Their sons, as men are called when feats are 
 made. 
 
 The moments stretched like hours to each one 
 
 there ; 
 At length Kashutz awoke and said, "My 
 
 friends, 
 I've been far away, have journeyed through the 
 
 air; 
 I do not find your sons among the stars. 
 
 I'll search again." And so once more he fell 
 Asleep. This time, he said that he had asked 
 
 The ferryman who rules the Styx to tell. 
 
 He found the boys were not among the dead. 
 
 Kashutz, the doctor wise, then fell asleep 
 
 The sleep, how different, not peaceful now ; 
 He writhed, he groaned, then upward he did 
 
 leap, 
 And spoke, "My sisters, now I know the truth." 
 
 "The evil Koosh-ta-ka stirred up the storm 
 Which wrecked the big canoe. To-si-la-gut, 
 
 Once man, now otter, summoned then a swam 
 Of Koosh-ta-ka 'Be quick and save,' he urged. 
 
 "To him the evil Koosh-ta-ka gave heed, 
 
 And brought the boys to live among the rocks ;" 
 Some fainted ; anguish reigned ; all cried "A 
 
 deed 
 
 Most horrible ! Woe ! Woe ! Our sons are 
 lost !" 
 
 Quickly from lip to lip the words were passed, 
 "The boys are prisoners among the rocks, 
 
 Held there by Koosh-ta-ka." From first to last 
 In awe-struck tones, each told this awful tale. 
 
 A council then was called. Kashutz the wise, 
 The chief and all the village men were there; 
 
 Then spoke the chief, "My friends, we must 
 
 devise 
 Some way to kill these dreaded Koosh-ta-ka. 
 
 "We know now who have been our enemies ; 
 We know now where our sisters' sons have 
 
 gone; 
 The question is : 'How may we actch the 
 
 thieves?' 
 
 Speak up, my men; we want your counsel 
 shrewd." 
 
 Then spoke Kiashutz the wise, "You cannot kill 
 The otter men by ordinary means ; 
 
 You'll never get the Koosh-ta-ka until 
 You smear their rocks with pitch and burn the 
 pitch." 
 
 Immediately, like one man they rushed 
 For their canoes, took off their coverings, 
 
 Loaded them with all needful things and pushed 
 Them out upon the sea and paddled away. 
 
 They sought the forest where the pitch is found ; 
 
 They soon arrived and quickly went to work 
 To get the pitch. The forest did resound 
 
 With stroke of axe, and noise of men at work. 
 
 With pitch the great canoes were quickly filled 
 And then as quick as arrows fly, they sped 
 
 to where the otter live, and then they spilled 
 The pitch upon the rocks ; they made a fire. 
 
 Great clouds of densest smoke ascended high ; 
 
 Umbrella like, the smoke spread out, and so 
 It with its awful blackness filled the sky ; 
 
 The heat was most intense and burned the 
 rocks. 
 
 Some of the evil Koosh-ta-ka were burned ; 
 
 Others escaped. The children were destroyed ; 
 The braves, with joy. not knowing, homeward 
 turned 
 
 They thought the Koosh-ta-ka were all. de 
 stroyed. 
 
 Next day some men- went hunting and they found 
 A large white otter and they captured it, 
 
 And gave it to Kashutz, who did impound 
 It with his charms. It was the otter king. 
 
 Next day a large gray cloud came out of the 
 
 east ; 
 Singing was heard. The men were bound as 
 
 by a spell ; 
 Their eyes could see, but po-.ver to act had 
 
 ceased ; 
 
 They understood the song ihese were the 
 
 words : 
 
 "Your drum's too loud. 
 It weaves a shroud ; 
 We want our king; 
 For this we sing." 
 
 To-si-la-gut, the otter man, had called 
 The otters, saying "Come with me to save 
 
 Your king. He is by spirit power enthralled." 
 And this is why the Koosh-ta-ka had come.
 
 38 
 
 TOTEM EOKE Ol : THE ALASKA IXDIAXS 
 
 To-si-la-gut had charms of double strength. 
 
 And easily he freed the otter king; 
 The Koosh-ta-ka did celebrate. At length 
 
 To-si-la-gut with all the others left. 
 Great consternation ruled the minds of all ; 
 
 Their spirit enemies were not destroyed ; 
 They did not know what evils might befall 
 
 The king had spoken roughly to Kashutz. 
 Kashutz had nephews four. One clay a voice 
 
 Reached one of these from out the wild, which 
 
 said : 
 
 "Oh, sing your song of death ; you have no 
 choice 
 
 Death claims thee as its own prepare to die." 
 
 The nephew bragged, "I'll cheat these spooks 
 I'm strong;" 
 
 But then a feeling strange came over him; 
 His burdens lightened as he trudged along, 
 
 A strange exhilaration lifted him. 
 
 He felt no pain ; a darkness came at last, 
 And when he reached his nearest brother he 
 
 There fell down dead, and thus away he passed. 
 In quick succession die these nephews four. 
 
 But. here this tale of vengeance dire doth end; 
 
 Remembering their former punishment, 
 The Koosh-ta-ka from haunts of men did wend 
 
 Their wav to live as monkevs, far awav. 
 
 The Chilkat Blanket 
 
 HILKAT 
 
 the 
 
 dern 
 
 e for 
 
 the blanket. The firsl makers of 
 the blanket were the Tsimpsians, 
 but they had long forgotten the art 
 when the first white men care to 
 this countrv. Then the Chilkat Indians were the 
 
 Kine." The word n'eans fringe about the body. 
 
 The Thlingets attribute to the blanket a mythi 
 cal origin. The legend of the blanket is as fol 
 lows : 
 
 In the days before the Hood animals were more 
 like men. Thev could take off their skins as if 
 
 A CHILKAT BLANKET BY A COFFIN 
 
 chief manufacturers. This explains why the 
 
 when men gave to the blanket the present name. 
 
 The Thlinget name for the blanket is "Nar- 
 
 they were blankets. Then some women went out 
 to gather some wild celery. They had gathered 
 what they desired and toward evening had started
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 39 
 
 for home. Among them was the daughter of a 
 chief who slipped into the footprints of a black 
 bear. This caused her to abuse the bear family 
 in general, and, stopping to readjust her pack, 
 she fell behind and so lost sight of her compan 
 ions. At dusk she heard a footfall. A beautiful 
 young man approached her and whispered soft 
 words in her ear. He asked her to marry him 
 and she consented. She went to his home and 
 there she found out that he was a grizzly bear. 
 Soon after she made her escape and ran to the 
 seashore, saw a fisherman in a canoe and asked 
 to be rescued. Before he would rescue her he 
 
 present a Chilkat blanket, and the Raven gave 
 the blanket to mortals. 
 
 The material of the Chilkat blanket is goat's 
 wool, the inner part of the bark of the yellow 
 cedar and sinew. The yellow cedar covered with 
 goat's wool is the warp; goat's wool is the woof, 
 and the ornamental parts are sewed on with 
 sinew. 
 
 The frame upon which the blanket is woven 
 is very simple. It consists of two uprights of 
 about four feet high. These uprights are placed 
 in shoes of sufficient weight to keep them erect, 
 and they are connected at the top by a baton 
 
 FIGURE II. 
 
 made her promise to marry him and she con 
 sented. The fisherman proved to be the good 
 spirit of the sea, the Konakadet. The spirit, 
 with his new wife, descended to the spirit's 
 house under the sea. He told her that he was 
 already married to the lynox, but that he ex 
 pected to kill the lynx because she was so cruel. 
 He put his new wife in a back room and told 
 her that she should not be frightened at anything 
 she saw. One day she looked through the cracks 
 and she saw the lynx making a beautiful blanket. 
 She watched until she learned how it was made. 
 Some time after the Konakadet and his new wife 
 were in a cave and were there visited by the 
 Great Raven. They danced for each other and 
 exchanged presents. The Raven received for his 
 
 about six feet long. Stretched across the top is 
 a narrow piece of skin. From holes at regular 
 intervals in the skin, warp strings the right 
 length are suspended, and then these warp strings 
 are bound together by the woof. 
 
 It takes the wool of from three to ten moun 
 tain goats to make a blanket. The finer blan 
 kets only use a part of the wool of each goat. 
 All the weaving is done entirely by hand. Dif 
 ferent color fields are united by means of fine 
 sinew laid alongside of the outside warp strand, 
 and woven into the selvage of that section by 
 alternately closing it within the twining of a cer 
 tain number of woof threads, and then leaving it 
 free. 
 
 The general weave is the twilled diagonal.
 
 40 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 It is called Hee-kar-ree. The word means rough, 
 or uneven, like the skin on the back of the frog. 
 The warp of the blanket is never colored. The 
 three colors used for the woof are black, yellow 
 and bluish green. The coloring of the wool is 
 accomplished after the thread is spun, and for 
 each color in the old days, the woman who did 
 the work would fast a day, which was supposed 
 to give uniformity of color. There were two 
 ways of preparing the black color. One was a 
 preparation from hemlock bark and the other was 
 from a black mud near certain springs boiled 
 with the hemlock bark. The yellow is prepared 
 
 in the Northwest. The central part of the 
 blanket has the totemistic figure. The eyes, the 
 nose, the mouth, and sometimes the feet, occupy 
 their proper place, while the rest of the body is 
 often lost sight of. Many of the figures at the 
 sides have little or no meaning. They are simply 
 put in to give richness in color effect. The eye, 
 however, when placed upon an object, usually 
 signifies intelligence. It may be placed on the 
 joints of an animal, and a face may be placed on 
 the forehead. All this signifies the presence of 
 some spiritual power. 
 The weaving is always clone according to a 
 
 FIGURE III IS A FEMALE BEAR WITH CUBS, OR ACCORDING TO OTHER 
 TRADITIONS A WHALE DIVING BLANKET 
 
 from a lichen known as seliony moss. This moss 
 is found on spruce and hemlock trees growing 
 in very wet places on the mainland. The blue- 
 green is prepared from a copper ore. There is 
 also a blue claystone which produces the same 
 shades. The native colors are soft. The bright 
 colors are not characteristic of the Thlinget In 
 dian, as is sometimes supposed. 
 
 The design of a Chilkat blanket is very con 
 ventional. The figures are similar to those 
 found on their carved boxes, on their masks 
 and on the great doors which they were ac 
 customed to place before their houses during 
 the time of a great feast or potlatch. The 
 idea of the design is found among the Indians 
 
 pattern board which has been kept for genera 
 tions in the family. The weaver never varies 
 from the design on the pattern board. Many of 
 these pattern boards have been kept so long that 
 their owners have lost the significance of the 
 figures on them. This is evidenced by the fact 
 that two such students of Indian life as Profes 
 sor Swanton and Lieutenant Emmons obtained 
 from the Indians two different explanations for 
 the same figures. As, for example, the figure on 
 one blanket was represented as a whale killer 
 to one of these men, while to the other it was 
 interpreted as the Konakadet. Another blanket 
 was interpreted as a whale diving to one and to 
 the other it was explained as a wolf with young.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 41 
 
 The Chilkat blanket was used in the ceremonial 
 dances and at funerals. If it were used in a 
 dance it ceased then to be private property. It 
 belonged to the clan. At funerals it was placed 
 over the lower part of the body, and in later 
 times it was hung up by the side of the coffin. The 
 theory was that the friends of the dead who re 
 turned to take their departing brother with them 
 were made happy by seeing the bright colors of 
 the Chilkat blanket. The blanket in this picture 
 
 represents a whale diving. The face in the 
 center is the body, and the two eyes above are the 
 fins of the whale. The two end pieces, when 
 brought together as they would be when worn, 
 make another whale. Figure 2 represents whale 
 killers. Figure 3 is a female bear with cubs or 
 a whale diving : The two faces below are the 
 two eyes. The other face is the body. There 
 are many other types of blankets, but these three 
 are most often seen. 
 
 The Thlinget Basket 
 
 HE Indians in and about Yackatat 
 were the first among the Thlinget 
 Indians to practice the art of 
 basketry, and gradually from them 
 the knowledge of the art passed to 
 the south. 
 
 The mythical origin of the basket is that the 
 woman of the clouds was married to the sun. 
 Her children were of the earth, and she was 
 wondering what to do with them. One day she 
 picked up some spruce roots and carelessly began 
 to weave them into a basket. The sun. seeing 
 this, enlarged the basket so that it was large 
 enough to contain the mother and all her chil 
 dren and let them down to earth. From this the 
 people first learned the art of basket-making. 
 
 The material used in the making of baskets 
 are grasses that have long stems, and chiefly 
 spruce roots. The grasses are picked in early 
 summer before the stems have begun to get 
 woody, and are bleached to a straw yellow by 
 immersing them in boiling water. They are 
 placed on a tent cloth for drying, and so are kept 
 until they are ready for use. 
 
 The spruce roots are gathered usually from 
 the variety of spruce that has a reddish tinge 
 on the back. The roots, as soon as gathered 
 are carried home. A small fire is built and they 
 are slightly charred. They are then soaked in 
 water, then drawn through a rough stick split 
 through a greater part of its length, just above a 
 place where the two prongs are tied together by 
 a hide. The stick is held upright by being placed 
 far enough in the ground to hold it upright dur 
 ing the operation. 
 
 The barked roots are then tied up into coils 
 and are in a few days ready for splitting. The 
 root is split into three parts. The outer part is 
 the very finest and is used for the ornamental 
 work ; the middle part makes the body of the 
 basket proper, and the inner part is thrown away. 
 
 The principal colors are the red, yellow, green 
 ish-blue and black. The red is prepared by 
 soaking the bark of the alder in some alkali sub 
 stance; the yellow is prepared from a lichen some 
 times known as "deer moss." It is a moss that 
 hangs down in festoons from the trees and fur 
 nishes food for the deer in winter when the snow 
 is deep and the deer can go around on the crust. 
 The black is produced from the black mud around 
 sulphur springs, boiled with hemlock bark. The 
 greenish-blue is prepared by making an alkaline 
 solution of copper ore. 
 
 There are six characteristic kinds of weaves. 
 The first is the Wush-took-ar-kee (close to 
 gether) weave. This is the most common kind 
 and is seen in nearly all kinds of baskets. It 
 reminds one a little of the surface of a rope. 
 
 The second weave is called the Khark-ghee-sut. 
 This weave is very much like the first, only that 
 between each strand there is a single braid that 
 goes in and out around the basket. This is a 
 later weave and makes the cheaper basket. It is 
 a compromise between the better baskets of the 
 north and the plain cedar work of the south. 
 
 The third weave is very much like the first, 
 except that two woof threads are twined about a 
 pair of warp splints. This makes a rough or 
 uneven surface like the skin of a frog. 
 
 The fourth weave is called the "eye hole" 
 weave. In the weave, the warp splints are drawn 
 aside at a fixed angle. The even numbers bend 
 in one direction and the odd numbers in the op 
 posite direction, and then when the warp splints 
 cross they are bound together by the woof. 
 
 The fifth weave; is used in baskets designed for 
 heavier work. It consists of three woof elements, 
 one of which makes a part of a turn over the 
 other two. They enclose two warp splints on the 
 outside and one on the inside. This is called the 
 twisted or Uh-tahk-ka weave. 
 
 The sixth weave is a variation of the first
 
 42 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 where each alternate woof strand is for orna 
 mental purposes, of a different color. This is 
 called the strawberry weave. 
 
 The ornamental work on baskets does not make 
 a part of the basket proper. It is more like 
 embroidery. 
 
 Lieutenant Emmons enumerates twenty-three 
 different types. There is the basket with han 
 dles, designed for berry baskets: one designed 
 for packing on the back ; a large basket to re 
 ceive berries from the berry pickers : one de 
 signed for a water bucket: one as a children's 
 eating dish ; one used as a cooking basket, which 
 is called a half basket and has flaring sides. 
 
 ing. There is a double basket, the "Yun-nah-kar- 
 ra-ku." One of these baskets fits closely over 
 the other. It was used for carrying birds' down 
 and charms. There is a smaller type used for 
 carrying shot. 
 
 The preceding gives a few of the principal 
 types of baskets. There remains simply to give 
 some explanation of the decorative designs on 
 them. To do this, we will use the accompanying 
 illustration, naming the different designs on the 
 baskets. 
 
 Basket marked "A" The middle row is called 
 the "Tying Pattern." This is made up of tiny 
 rectangles placed in enchalon with the long way 
 
 I'ermission of J. E. Worden. 
 
 .Also there is a small one. usually well ornament 
 ed, used for drinking salt water. Four swallows 
 were taken out of it, very early in the morning 
 before the raven called, for four successive days. 
 This was to insure good luck in hunting. There 
 is the spoon bag with open work, used as a wall 
 pocket, and the strainer, a basket with open work, 
 and also a basket which was shaped like a basin 
 and was the Indians' work-basket. There is a 
 covered basket that has pebbles in its cover. 
 This is called the tu-dar-huck (noise inside 
 basket). There is one that is urn-shaped and 
 reminds one of a Chinese preserve jar. The 
 Indians may have gotten hold of one of these 
 preserve jars in the early days of Russian trad- 
 
 running around the basket to represent a string 
 wound around it. 
 
 Basket marked "B" The Sha-mans hat pattern. 
 This is suggested by the profile of the mountain 
 as it descends in benches from the top down to 
 the water. 
 
 Basket marked "C" The upper and lower 
 circle has the cross pattern, a pattern commonly 
 used since the coming of Christianity. The mid 
 dle row is one of the butterfly patterns. This 
 represents the halting, uncertain character of the 
 butterfly's flight. 
 
 Basket marked "D" is covered with the tatoo 
 pattern. 
 
 Basket marked "E" has for its upper and lower
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 43 
 
 circles the butterfly pattern, and for its middle 
 the waves of the sea. 
 
 Basket "L" has nearly the same as "C." 
 
 Baskets "F" have the rainbow markings. 
 
 Basket "M" has the sea wave pattern. It repre 
 sents an object rising and falling in the waves. 
 This is a very old design, dating back to a time 
 before the Thlingets came to Alaska. Basket 
 "O" has the same motif. 
 
 Basket "N" has another of the tattoo patterns 
 for its middle row. 
 
 Basket "H" has for its middle row the wood 
 worm pattern. The upper and lower rows are 
 according to the cross pattern. 
 
 Basket "I" has for upper and lower rows the 
 blanket border pattern. This pattern was cop 
 ied from the borders of the old Hudson Bay 
 blankets. The middle row is the fireweed motif. 
 The fireweed is the most common plant growing 
 along the coast. It represents the parallel 
 lanceolate leaves of the plants. 
 
 Basket "K" is the blanket border pattern with 
 tattoo markings at the top and bottom. 
 
 Basket "O" has the sea wave pattern. 
 
 Basket "P" has for the top and bottom the head 
 of salmon berry pattern. 
 
 Basket "R" is all ornamented with tattoo work. 
 
 Basket "S" is ornamented with butterfly pat 
 tern. 
 
 Basket "T" has markings that have no spe 
 cial significance. 
 
 Basket "U" is ornamented with the salmon 
 berry figure. 
 
 Basket "V" has the cross and the woodworm 
 pattern. 
 
 Basket "W" has for its decorations at the top 
 and bottom the tattoo. Next to these is the 
 blanket border decorations, and the middle row 
 represents the lanceolate leaves of the fireweed. 
 
 Basket "X" at the top and bottom has the bear 
 tracks, and the middle is the cross pattern. 
 
 Baskets "Z," "2" and "3" have at the top the 
 head of the salmon berry pattern. 
 
 Basket "4" has at the top the jaw of the whale 
 killer pattern. 
 
 Wall-pocket basket "6" has for its middle row 
 the arrow-head pattern. 
 
 There are perhaps a dozen other patterns not 
 shown here, but these comprise about all the 
 principal decorations found on baskets. The 
 only other one that is of very much importance 
 is the flying geese pattern. This is very much 
 like the salmon berry pattern, excepting that there 
 are t\vo lines meeting each other at an angle.
 
 44 
 
 TOTEM LORE (.)/' THli ALASKA L\DIA\S 
 
 Ruins of Old Indian House at Wrangell 
 
 HE first step in building an old 
 Indian house is shown by the tim 
 bers in the illustration. After this. 
 two stockades about seven feet high 
 were placed about eight feet at the 
 
 right and left of the two logs. Then the roof 
 ran from the top of the stockades up across the 
 two main cross-legs to make the ridge of the 
 house. 
 
 RUINS OF AN OLD INDIAN HOUSE, WITH WRANGELL IN THE BACKGROUND 
 
 The Story of the Kluc-nu-hu-di 
 
 HIS begins with the story of a 
 spoiled boy. He was hungry and 
 )ecause of that he went to his 
 mother and asked her for food. 
 She gave him a piece of dried sal 
 mon and he whiningly because the salmon had a 
 mouldy edge threw it into a garbage heap and 
 went out again to play with the boys. 
 
 He shot with his how and arrow and killed 
 a sea gull. He waded out after it; and suddenly 
 disappeared. 
 
 The people supposed that he was drowned. 
 They searched for the body and could not find 
 it, and gave him up as lost. 
 
 He had been pulled into the water ; but in 
 stead of drowning he found himself walking in 
 a strange country. He came to a village, where 
 the chief's house was. He became very hungry 
 and asked for food, but they gave him none. 
 
 He saw what lie thought was fish eggs, and 
 stooped down and picked some up as if lie 
 would eat. 
 
 At that, all the people began to make fun of 
 him. and they cried "Sec him eat the garbage 
 of our people." 
 
 The boy was still more worried and declared 
 be would not eat. The chief ordered that he be 
 taken to a brook where a stork was feeding, and 
 that he be made to hug the stork and hear the 
 stork sing and that would put him in good humor. 
 There were two storks there and they put him in 
 good humor ; and, when he was taken back to the 
 village, the chief gave him food. 
 
 The chief then explained why he had been 
 drawn away from home. He told him how he 
 had insulted the chiefs son dried salmon. He 
 warned him to be more careful in the future.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 45 
 
 Finally the spring time came and the salmon 
 started on their march to the land. First march 
 ed the large king salmon,, then sockege, then the 
 humpback, then the dog, and lastly of all the 
 coho salmon. 
 
 They came to the creek where some Indians 
 were fishing. The boy was now inside a coho 
 salmon. An old man shot a spear at him. He 
 dodged into the salmon's tail. The salmon was 
 pulled out. and taken to the home of the boys 
 mother. She recognized in the fish a necklace 
 belonging to her family, and she made up her 
 mind that her son was in the fish. All the best 
 medicine men were summoned, but they were 
 unable to help them. 
 
 At last, one of no reputation was summoned. 
 He ordered that every one fast for eight days 
 and at the end of eight days he danced around, 
 singing eight songs and this brought the boy to 
 life again. 
 
 The boy became a great man. There is varia 
 tion of this story of Actatsin among the Indians 
 of the West coast of the Prince of Wales Island. 
 
 In this, Actatsin is figured as a friend of a very 
 lonely boy. The boy dies, and Actatsin in great 
 grief follows to where the body of his friend is 
 exposed in a tree. He falls asleep. 
 
 He appears to awaken, and sees people carry 
 ing the body of his friend off into the sea. He 
 follows, calling on the name of his friend. 
 
 Suddenly he finds himself in a sea palace with 
 his friend as king. He lives there for a long 
 time as a special friend of his king. Finally the 
 time comes for the salmon to return to the 
 streams. Actatsin by resisting all temptation to 
 marry a salmon, returns by the same road as 
 did the first fish hero. The close of the story is 
 the same, except he becomes the founder of the 
 Red Salmon family instead of the Coho Salmon 
 family.
 
 46 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA IXDIAXS
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 47 
 
 The History of the Totem Pole 
 
 (at Seattle, Washington) 
 
 By WM. DICKERSON 
 
 The tradition goes that the Raven who has al 
 ways been recognized by the Indians as Chief of 
 the Gods and who was called Yalth (raven 
 figure No. 1), wanted to improve the condition of 
 the earth but was opposed by figure (5) Nass- 
 shig-ee-yalth, the King of Light, who had con 
 trol of the sun, moon and stars. Yalth (figure 1 
 on top of pole) had a friend in (Kithg-cum-yee) 
 Frog figure No. 3, who was an enemy of the 
 King of Light, and the Frog King Kithg-cum- 
 yee, told Yalth that Nass-shig-ee-ylth had a 
 daughter of whom he was very fond and careful, 
 and, who being a Virgin was only allowed to 
 drink from one spring, and who must be always 
 in company of her woman. So Yalth asked his 
 servant Nuck-shu-yan (figure No. 4) the Mink 
 to aid him to change his form into a spirit; this 
 the Mink did and then as a spirit Yalth took his 
 abode in this sacred spring. As usual the daugh 
 ter of the King of Light came and drank of the 
 waters and became conceived of a child. Yalth 
 who was greatly welcomed into the home of 
 Nass-shig-ee-yalth, who was now his grand 
 father. As Yalth grew to boyhood he always 
 bore in mind his mission to improve the world 
 and thought by making as much disturbance as 
 possible he would be able to accomplish his ob 
 ject, therefor he played sick and cried very much 
 and Nass-shig-ee-yalth who was much attached 
 to him gave him everything he asked for. There 
 came a day when (Yalth) cried for Light, and he 
 would not be pacified without it, so his grand 
 father ordered one of his servants to open a large 
 chest in his house and to take out a small box 
 containing Light and gave it to Yalth to play 
 with, which he did by getting under the hole in 
 the roof which served as a chimney and then he 
 opened and shot the box first making it Light and 
 dark until all the light had escaped from the 
 box, thus did Yalth made daylight and darkness. 
 
 When Yalth found all the light from the box 
 had gone up into the sky he began to cry so much 
 he made himself appear very ill, so Nass-shig- 
 ee-yalth told his servant to bring to him the box 
 containing the stars as he did not want to see his 
 only grand son die. 
 
 Then Nass-shig-ee-yalth gave the box of stars 
 to Yalth to play with but warned him not to 
 throw them up, so Yalth rolled the stars around 
 the floor until he got a chance to throw them 
 through the hole in the roof, and then when his 
 
 grandfather scolded him for letting the stars 
 out, Yalth said they had jumped out of his 
 hands. He at once began to cry again as he 
 realized the stars would not give light enough, 
 and planned to get out the sun, which he did the 
 next day after much trouble in the same manner 
 as the light and stars. 
 
 The next night on looking at the sky he saw 
 only the stars and they did not shed much light, 
 so he began to cry for the moon, the last light 
 left in the chest and after shedding many tears, 
 Nass-shig-ee-yalth gave him the moon, but sat 
 under the smoke hole so it could not get out that 
 way. 
 
 Yalth rolled the moon around the room for 
 sometime but coming to the door which he quick 
 ly opened he shoved the moon outside and at once 
 changed himself back into a Raven, took the 
 moon in his mouth and flew up into the heavens 
 (figure No. 1), and installed it as chief of the 
 night, the stars as its servants. The sun he made 
 chief of day. 
 
 After having regulated the sun, moon and stars, 
 he started flying to distant lands where he had 
 heard the people needed his help, but after fly 
 ing many days, he found himself over a great 
 ocean, very tired and hungry, looking for a place 
 to land and rest, he saw (Yagh-ee), the whale 
 (figure No. 6), who was feeding on fish which 
 Yalth could not catch ; but when the whale raised 
 his head out of the water to take a plunge, Yalth 
 slipped inside, rested and ate fish for three day 
 light and three darkness, and his spirit willed it. 
 The whale carried him many miles and on ar 
 riving at the land he wished to go threw him up* 
 on a nice sandy beach. 
 
 Figure (7) shows Yalth, chief of Gods after 
 being released from the belly of the whale land 
 ing on the new world. 
 
 Mr. Dickerson, on account of his intimate 
 knowledge of Native Life, and also because he. is 
 better informed than any other person of the 
 habits and history of the Tongass people, is bet 
 ter qualified than any one, to write about the 
 Seattle totem, because it was from Old Port 
 Tongass that the pole was taken. 
 
 His raven story differs some from that given 
 in another part of this book. This is due to the 
 fact that every different clan gives a slightly 
 different version. Editor.
 
 48 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 Sitka Totems 
 
 HE Sitka totems are all Haida. 
 They have been donated by different 
 Haida chiefs to the Sitka museum. 
 The most famous of all is the Mem 
 orial totem. It was donated by 
 
 Chief "Sunnv Heart." 
 
 It is surmounted by the "Fog woman with 
 her children." This is the legend given in the 
 chapter on the basket. The fig comes up from 
 the south in the spring time and the salmon and 
 all vegetation are among her children. 
 
 Below the fog is the wolf. It is a wolf that 
 
 THE MEMORIAL TOTEM 
 SITKA
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIAXS 
 
 49 
 
 is giving a feast and inviting Kajuk Tshalk the 
 eagle (the northern) and the bear to a great 
 feast. It is a memorial of a great potlatch feast 
 when all these families were present. 
 
 The little totem to the left is a house totem 
 of the Beaver family. It one time formed one 
 of the pillars of a house. 
 
 "D" has many of the figures of the Memorial 
 totem. 
 
 "E" is surmounted by the crow. Below is 
 the crane hero piercing a frog below is the 
 raven leaping into the mouth of the whale. The 
 lowest of all the thunder bird. 
 
 The other totems of Sitka are of far less im 
 portance and just a word in regard to each must 
 suffice. 
 
 "A" is surmounted by the figure of a Russian 
 priest. This commemorates a time when a chief 
 long ago was baptized by a Russian priest. Be 
 low are the owl, mink and beaver. 
 
 "B" is surmounted with the young Raven and 
 Creator as in the Kadashan pole. 
 
 "C" has a slave carrying a chief's hat. Below 
 a wolf is married to a member of the red salmon 
 family. 
 
 A branch of the Kicksetti people at Sitka have 
 a very interesting legend of a Ka-Kach-gook, 
 a chief with two or three helpers being carried 
 far out to sea. It tells how they drifted to an 
 island, where they killed many seal, and how, 
 after many months long after they were supposed 
 to be dead, the chief returned, bringing wonder 
 ful fur robes with him. This legend has no doubt 
 a foundation in fact, and this chief was no doubt 
 the first to find Prybiloff Islands which have 
 yielded such great fortunes in fur.
 
 50 
 
 TOTEM LORE OE THE ALASKA JXDIAXS 
 
 The Wolf 
 
 were dead 
 
 HE Wolf people were the northern 
 ancestors of the Thlinget people. 
 Possibly they migrated from the in 
 terior coming down the Taku River. 
 The legend tells about where all 
 
 ut a mother and daughter. The fire 
 
 He ordered that men should not eat these birds. 
 The illustration gives us a glimpse of Indian 
 jurisprudence. This totem is at the foot of the 
 eagle totem at Wrangell. The Eagle clan charg 
 ed that the Wolf people (Kag- wan-tans) owed 
 them a debt and would not pay. so the Eagle 
 
 THE WOLF 
 
 drill spirit caused a son to be born to the daugh 
 ter. The son was bathed in a magic spring which 
 caused it to grow up quickly. 
 
 As a youth he went out among the wolves and 
 was recognized by them as a brother. He was 
 friendly to the northern eagle. Ka-juk Tschalk. 
 
 people carved a totem of the wolf and placed it 
 down very low because they would not pay their 
 debts. 
 
 In the Thlinget category of crimes witchcraft 
 was the worst. It was the mother of all crime. 
 Then came stealing and then murder.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 51 
 
 ii 
 
 Permission by Hunt & Co.
 
 52 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA IXDIAXS 
 
 The Ketchikan Totems 
 
 HE Thlinget Indians of Ketchikan 
 
 were formerly residents of old Port 
 Tongass which is almost at the 
 southern end of Alaska. At Port 
 Tongass, there are a number of very 
 interesting totems. One has on it a carved itn- 
 mage supposed to he that of Captain Cook. The 
 founder of this family was the first one to see 
 Captain Cook. This explains, why there is an 
 
 the Kit or whale killer, and the two at the ex 
 treme left are surmounted by the Raven. 
 
 Prior to the people living at Cot Island, part 
 appear to have lived at Helm bay and part per 
 haps came from Doll Island. 
 
 The two totems at Kechikan that the ordinary 
 tourist sees are Kyan's Totem and Johnson's 
 Totem. Kyan's totem is surmounted by the 
 Crane. Below is the Thunder Bird and the 
 
 Permission of Hunt & Co. 
 
 TOTEMS OF THLINGET INDIANS ON CAT ISLAND, S. E. ALASKA, NEAR KETCIKAN 
 
 Indian family that lias the Knglish name Cook 
 among its stock of names. 
 
 The Indians migrated to Port Tongass from 
 Cot Island which is not far from the present 
 Ketchikan. The central figure of the accompany 
 ing illustration is the Grizzly Bear Totem. These 
 are very old totems and therefore simple. It was 
 impossible of course to carve complicated totems 
 with only stone axes. 
 
 The totem to the left is that of the Raven, 
 recognized by his long curved bill. The curva 
 ture of the Raven's bill, the Legend says was pro 
 duced at the time he carried his mother up to 
 the sky, and held himself up by sticking his bill 
 in until the great sea gull told him the flood 
 had subsided. 
 
 The totem still to the left is surmounted bv 
 
 Grizzley bear. The pole then reads, I belong to 
 the Crane branch of the Raven phratrie and am 
 married into the Thunder Bird branch of the 
 Bear phratrie. 
 
 Chief Johnson totem is surmounted by Ka- 
 juk, a fabled bird of the mountains. This bird 
 amuses himself by throwing rocks at ground 
 hogs. Those who find one of these are sure to 
 become very rich. 
 
 Sometimes this figure has been called the 
 eagle but even then it must not be confounded 
 with the Southern eagle which is the totem of 
 an entirely different family. Ka-juk is placed 
 high up to show the dignity of the family. 
 
 Below are the two servants of the raven. 
 These are the ones that obtained fire for mortals. 
 
 The fire was in the west. These two servants
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA IXDIAXS 
 
 53 
 
 stuck their bills into pitch and flew out to the woman with her children the salmon, 
 fire. There' is one interesting totem in the Ketchikan 
 
 On their return the fire so heated the bill that cemetery. It was carved by Wm. Dickerson, and 
 
 Permission of J. E. Worden 
 
 CHIEF JOHNSON'S TOTEM 
 
 under the weight of the burning pitch they bent, its chief carving centers about the part of the 
 and the curve was produced. legend where he flies up to heaven with his 
 
 Below is the Raven, and still below is the fog mother and others in his arms.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA IXDIAXS 
 
 Kasaan, a HaidaTown 
 
 T about the same time that the 
 Thlinget migrations northward were 
 taking place, the Haida people felt 
 the same impulse. A colony of 
 thc'in from the Masset Indians on 
 
 Queen Charlotte's Islands settled near where old 
 
 Kasaan now is. 
 What prompted them was trouble at home. 
 
 First a few set out but, on account of the rough. 
 
 wide waters of what we now call "Dixon's Kn- 
 
 trance," were compelled to turn back. But they. 
 
 as the old legend says, "found many friends and 
 
 secured a big canoe and in it they worked hard 
 
 becoming, virtually, a part of the Thlinget people. 
 These emigrants were finally divided into two 
 families, the Kosoquidi and Telequidi. The 
 sacred songs of these two clans are in the Haida- 
 Kasaan dialect. 
 
 The chief house of old Kasaan is Chief Sko- 
 wel's. It is the one that has two totem poles 
 just alike standing in the accompanying illus 
 tration on each side of the steps in front of the 
 house. They are surmounted with the figures of 
 the Raven. These are placed high up to show 
 the great dignity of the family. The carved 
 figure below is the Raven. He has the moon in 
 
 Permission of Hunt and Co., and D Nichol 
 
 A PORTION OF OLD KASAAN, A DESERTED HAIDA VILLAGE IN 1900 
 A At top creator, below young craven carrying men up to the sky at the time of the 
 flood, and the mother of the young raven. 
 
 B A fabled bird of the mountains, mosquito and bear. 
 
 C Carrying of the man in whose memory the totem is erected, the raven and the 
 strong rending the sea lions. 
 
 D See description of old Kasaan in text. 
 
 and altogether and succeeded in crossing the big 
 water where they found a good place and had 
 peace many days." 
 
 This good place was not the present old 
 Kasaan, but a place not far away. After some 
 years, for a trivial reason, they deserted their 
 first resting place for the present site of old 
 Kasaan. They called it "Beautiful Town." That 
 is what the word Kasaan means. 
 
 Of these legendary days there is a story of 
 a man digging clams who was caught there by 
 a large bivalve and held there until he was 
 drowned by the incoming tide. This so excited 
 his kinsmen that the family migrated northward 
 to the Stikine River and joined their fortunes 
 with the Thlingets. learning their language and 
 
 his mouth to commemorate the time he stole the 
 moon from the Creator to give it unto men. Be 
 low is the wife of the Raven. He, after he stole 
 the sun and moon, went out to and fro on the 
 earth, teaching men to obey certain customs. 
 He was a great joker, so much so that each 
 Thlinget word that means deceit has its root in 
 their word for the raven. The Raven, like men 
 of that character, was many times married and 
 there is a legend that goes along with each ad 
 venture. 
 
 The lowest figure of all is the whale. This 
 is the Raven's "Jonah" story. One time the 
 Raven jumped into the mouth of the whale. He 
 there made it so unpleasant for the whale that 
 the whale was glad to go ashore and die. The
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 55 
 
 Raven, however, still imprisoned in the belly of 
 the whale, began to sing and this attracted the 
 attention of some Indian braves who were pass 
 ing by. Their curiosity was aroused and they 
 began to dig into the sides of the whale. Out 
 stepped the Raven, and then, as a thank offering 
 for his rescue, he cut up the whale and divided it 
 among the people, thus making a great feast. 
 The larger of these two poles was erected in 
 1872. 
 
 The totem pole at the right of the two just 
 described is very similar to the one last men 
 tioned and was erected in honor of Chief 
 Skowel's nephew. 
 
 At the extreme right of the village is a totem 
 erected by Chief Skowel for his daughter. She 
 married a white man and so this pole is sur 
 mounted by the American eagle. 
 
 Back of and a little to the left of Chief 
 Skowel's house is a totem surmounted by the 
 fog mother and her two children, and below is 
 her husband, the sun. 
 
 To the left of Skowel's house is the house of 
 darkness. Next is Chief Sunny Heart's house. 
 It was he who gave the Memorial totem to 
 Governor Brady to be placed in the park at 
 Sitka. 
 
 The totems at the extreme left are grave 
 totems. Those who erected these totems were 
 usually first initiated into the "Dog Eaters" 
 fraternity. They first fasted four days. Then 
 they blackened their faces from the mouth and 
 ears down and displaying the bones of a dog 
 would go around from house to house. When 
 they entered a house they would sit awhile and 
 then would arise and go on to the next, pre 
 serving perfect silence all the time. Those who 
 were initiated were much respected. They had 
 a very high social standing. 
 
 One of the things that Chief Skowel's house 
 was noted for was a great peace dance. The 
 Haidas and the Tsimpsian Indians had had 
 trouble. The Kasaan people were anxious to 
 make peace. Their enemies would not listen, so 
 the Kasaan people said to their enemies, "Come 
 in." Both sides were in their canoes. The 
 Kasaan people had secured two guns. The 
 Tsimpsians had none. When they advanced 
 for the attack, the Kasaan people shot off their 
 guns. This frightened many of the Tsimpsians 
 so much that in jumping backwards they tipped 
 over their canoes. This gave the Kasaan people 
 so great an advantage that they rushed in with 
 their axes and slew so many that the waters were 
 red with blood. The Tsimpsians surrendered 
 and this was followed by the great peace dance. 
 
 By permission of J. E. Worden 
 
 THE BEAVER TOTEM 
 
 Representatives from the opposite sides were 
 lined up opposite each other. Then certain ones 
 from each side would advance to the other side 
 and pick up a chosen representative and carry 
 him bodily back to their side. This one during 
 the whole time the ceremonies were going on was 
 treated like a prince. He was not allowed to 
 walk. He was carried to symbolize the fact that, 
 when anyone from their former enemies might 
 come among them, he would be treated with the 
 utmost respect. Then each side would dance for 
 the other to work up a good feeling. Great 
 feasts were given ; and so, in like manner, one 
 ceremony followed another to show that the old- 
 time feuds were forgotten. 
 
 Old Kasaan was deserted in the year 1900 for
 
 56 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 new Kasaan, where the natives have built up a 
 modern and prosperous village. 
 
 Old Kasaan should be made a government 
 
 park, and every effort should be put forth to pre 
 serve its old totems and buildings as monuments 
 of a past civilization and culture. 
 
 The Beaver Totem 
 
 HE totem is surmounted with the 
 beaver. This is the story of the 
 beaver and the porcupine referred 
 to in the chapter on the intellectual 
 life of the Thlingets. 
 Below is the man who fought with the devil 
 fish. This is a legend from the west coast of 
 the Prince of Wales Island. It tells of a house 
 
 that was pulled into the water and how the 
 owners devoted themselves to death, jumped into 
 the mouth of the devil-fish and killed it. 
 
 Below is Ductut rending the sea lions. The 
 lower figure represents Kayak snaring a sea 
 monster with the sinew of a bird. 
 
 This is a modern pole. 
 
 The Last of the Fire Builders 
 
 OLILOQUV. (The hero of this 
 soliloquy is Tom Gonanisty. one of 
 the old time natives of Alaska. He 
 was one of those strong, faithful 
 Christian Indians that won not only 
 the respect but the affectionate regard of all who 
 knew him. both White and Indian. Over half of 
 the value of St. Philips Church, Wrangell, 
 Alaska, was contributed by native Indians, and 
 our hero was one who organized and stayed with 
 the volunteer work until the end. 
 
 When our Alaska artist, the late Mr. T. J. 
 Richardson, saw him he was so impressed with 
 his character, that he was anxious to paint his 
 picture, and Mr. Gonanisty consented. It may 
 be interesting to know that this was the very 
 last work that Mr. Richardson did. Our hero 
 was accustomed in his later years to put on his 
 old-time robes and lecture to tourists and this 
 was the garb in which he was painted. Mr. 
 Richardson painted the picture specially as a 
 frontpiece for the third edition of Totem Lore, 
 donating it to the work. 
 
 The things I wear, the things I do. 
 
 Are acted just in play 
 To show the people how we lived 
 
 In times of far away. 
 
 With bow and stick I make the fire, 
 
 I sing the songs of old, 
 I dance the dance of peace and war, 
 
 And legends old are told. 
 
 Those ancient days were great old days 
 When haughty chiefs did make 
 
 Their feasts and men were brave enough 
 To die for honors sake. 
 
 Their songs and dances stirred the heart, 
 
 They strove to be correct, 
 One chief would greet another chief . 
 
 With pomp and great respect. 
 
 But those old days are parred away. 
 There came the preacher man. 
 
 The merchant; lawyer, and the judge, 
 And the physician. 
 
 The lawyer and the judge did take 
 
 Away our laws so old, 
 The trader brought his better cloths 
 
 And them to us he sold. 
 
 The preacher man, God's man, "Saplatto" 
 
 Did open up the word, 
 And show to us a better way 
 
 Than we before had heard. 
 
 Tis all so very good, and still 
 
 Many have yet to learn, 
 The lessons of there days. In them 
 
 The wildest feelings burn. 
 
 And yet why should I doubt, why fear? 
 
 For time with God's free gift 
 Will teach and strengthen wably wills, 
 
 And lives to heaven lift.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 57 
 
 The Indian Potlach Dance 
 
 HE feast time for the Thlinget 
 Alaska Indian was the same as 
 our Xmas and New Years. 
 
 It was then that all the members 
 of the different families gathered in 
 their respective communal houses for their win 
 ter resting time. 
 
 When a feast was in preparation a runner was 
 sent out notifying the prospective guests, who 
 were always those of the opposite phratrie that 
 a feast was in preparation, and then when the 
 feast was prepared, the runner went out and an 
 nounced that all things were ready. 
 
 Where the guests coming from distant villages, 
 they were met on the beach with dancing and 
 singing. 
 
 The great drum, which was nothing but a broad 
 thin hewn cedar board, steamed so that it could 
 be bent into the form of a box, with the seams 
 sewed together with sinew, was beaten to send 
 forth its sound of welcome. 
 
 A great door was erected in front of the 
 house decorated with the coat of arms of the 
 owner of the house. The guests entered through 
 this door which was a special mark of honor. 
 
 Then came the feast and afterwards the dis 
 tribution of gifts. These gifts however were not 
 really gifts. The giver of the feast took this 
 opportunity to pay his debts. The carpenter's 
 bill for work were there settled. Funeral ex 
 penses of departed friends were settled, and all 
 other bills were paid. 
 
 If the debts were satisfactorily settled, then it 
 was the guests turn to do their part and their part 
 was to conduct the dance. The chief with all his 
 fellows put on his potlach garments. He with 
 his immediate retainers usually wore Chil-kat 
 blankets. Each dancer entered with his back to 
 the audience dancing as he backed in. The ob 
 ject of this was to display the decorations on 
 the back of the dancing robe. 
 
 One after another entered, and took his place in 
 a semi-circle about as minstrels would stand. 
 
 Then the chief led out with his dance. The 
 accompanying music is the chief's dance song 
 music and is given as an illustration of hun 
 dreds of other songs used by different tribes. 
 
 While they sang and danced some usually 
 kept time by beating the floor with their long 
 dancing sticks. 
 
 The following is the chief's song of the To- 
 quedi or Grizzley bear tribe of the Tongas 
 people. 
 
 In the words given, no effort has been made to 
 give a literal translation of their song. An at 
 tempt is made to preserve the spirit in which 
 the song was sung. 
 
 The chief steps out of the ranks with usually 
 one of his chief retains and begins to sing : 
 
 Oh, come and see, 
 Who e're ye be ; 
 Ye men so true 
 What I here do. 
 
 I'll dance and sing 
 And gladness bring. 
 And get a name 
 Of highest fame. 
 
 The spirits all. 
 On them we'll call. 
 They will appear, 
 They'll help as here. 
 
 Then came the putting on of the special danc 
 ing robes. The chief then continued (only a 
 chief, or some one who received permission from 
 the chief, was allowed to sing this song:) 
 
 The things, I wear 
 With utmost care 
 Are robes of state. 
 So think me great. 
 
 I follow ways 
 Of ancient days. 
 So up I go, 
 I look below. 
 
 And see you there 
 The things I wear. 
 Are colored bright : 
 To give delight. 
 
 Thus up I go, 
 I look below. 
 Down ev'ry where, 
 I see you there. 
 
 After this song, begins the chief's dance, and 
 as he dances, he sings the fourth song : 
 
 My hat is filled with feathers rare, 
 
 He-he, yo-ho, he-he, yo-ho. 
 And they are scattered ev'ry where, 
 
 He-he, yo-ho, he-he, yo-ho.
 
 58 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 As gently as my feathers fall. 
 
 He-he, yo-ho, he-he, yo-ho. 
 May pleasant peace upon the call. 
 
 He-he, yo-ho, he-he, yo-ho. 
 
 As feathers scattered far and wide 
 
 He-he, yo-ho, he-he, yo-ho. 
 May handsome friends with thcc abide 
 
 He-he, yo-ho, he-he, yo-ho. 
 
 It was therefore considered good luck when 
 feathers fell in on a man. 
 
 After the dancing, the dancers would leave as 
 they entered. 
 
 The third song was the bear tribe's love song. 
 It is addressed to Miss Raven because a member 
 of this clan must marry into the Raven phratrie. 
 
 The song was about as follows : 
 
 Miss Raven, please make love to me, 
 I'm sad and lonely you must see. 
 
 Take me. don't let me pass by you; 
 To you I'll be, both good and true. 
 
 The sun for me does disappear, 
 When you Miss Raven are not near. 
 
 The music on the following pages was sung 
 by "Dick" Williams, an aged singer and orator 
 among the Tongas people. The words were in 
 terpreted and the meaning of the customs ex 
 plained by Mr. Wm. Dickerson who is now a 
 volunteer interpreter in St. John's Church, Ketch- 
 ikan. Mr. Dickinson designed and carved chief 
 Johnson's pole at Ketchikan, and also a number 
 of other poles. He is therefore a competent 
 authority on Indian lore. The music was taken 
 down and the harmonies were supplied by Mr. T. 
 J. Fennel who was some time director of the 
 choir of all Saints Church, Omaha, Nebraska and 
 is now directing the choir in St. John's Church, 
 Kechikan. 
 
 Mr. Fennel is considering the publishing of 
 instrumental pieces of sheet music founded on 
 these Indian melodies. It is certainly hoped he 
 will succeed in doing so. Editor.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 59 
 
 
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 60 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA IXDIAXS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 61 
 
 WRANGELL DRUG CO. 
 
 DEALERS IN 
 
 Fancy and Staple Goods, Stationery, Notions, 
 Toilet Articles, Magazines and Periodicals 
 
 Fresh Candies Lowney's | Cigars All of the Best 
 and Society Chocolates. Brands. 
 
 INTERIOR VIEW OF STORE 
 
 WRANGELL. ALASKA 
 
 ALASKA VIEWS, POST CARDS & FOLDERS 
 "TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS- 
 
 NOTICE 
 
 We have some choice Curios: Indian Moccasins, Blankets, 
 
 Totems, Specialty of Souvenir Spoons, Nugget Jewelry 
 
 and the Finest Carved Ivory in Alaska 
 
 THANK YOU CALL AGAIN
 
 62 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 **t ****** ******&&&&*t^f^&e-t&r&fr 444444 444 444449 444 ? 4444*94944^ 
 
 F. MATHESON f 
 
 DEPARTMENT STORE I 
 
 <* Tourists will do well to defer their purchases till they reach this store. Curios, being \ii 
 
 ^ a side line with us, we do not depend on them, and are therefore able to sell at the very ^ 
 
 JJJ lowest prices: Gold Nugget and Torsil Ivory Jewelry, Bracelets, Spoons, Pennants, Cedar 
 
 * Mats., Baskets; Chilkat Blankets, $35 to $100; Seal Skin Slippers, fine finish, $1.25; Seal * 
 
 vi, Skin Fur lined, sewed with sinew, Moccasins, $3 to $3.50. 4, 
 
 -** 944 444 444 444 444 444 444 444 3 444*** **& *** *** ~~~ *** *** *** *** & E-** **& & 
 
 ************ ****************** 344 4444 444 444444 444 444444444 444*4 
 
 Special line of St. John's Mission School Baskets. These baskets are made 
 from cedar bark, and sell from 1-5 to 2-3 of the corresponding cedar bark 
 baskets. 
 
 They are suitable for ladies market baskets, jardinieres, scrap baskets, work baskets, 
 card receivers, etc. Any one making a collection should have at least one of the straight 
 weave and one of the twisted weave baskets. 
 
 KODAK FILMS AND SUPPLIES AT EASTMAN LIST PRICES 
 
 Gasoline launches, guides and camping outfits for side trips up the Stickine river, 
 or to the various glaciers and fishing streams in this interesting neighborhood. Finest big 
 game country on the continent, at head waters of the Stickine river. Information personal 
 ly or by letter based on many years experience. Raw furs bought and sold: Sables, Mink, 
 Otter and Bear. Buy here and save middle men's profits. 
 
 1 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 9 ****** ft** * *** ft** ft** ftft* ft** ft*:* ft** I
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 63 
 
 3fr-*eSiHlHIHIHie-3IHIRK %^K-;fr-a^fr-% X X X -K-SK- 
 
 BERTHELSEN & PRUEL, PROPRIETORS 
 
 KETCHIKAN, ALASKA 
 To the Tourist, whether you wish to buy or not : 
 
 Come and see the largest and best collection of Alaska Curios: Otter Baskets, made from grasses; Spruce 
 Root Baskets, made from split spruce roots; Cedar Bark Baskets, both of the straight and twisted weave; 
 Birch Bark Baskets; Moccasins at usual prices; Ivory Carved Totems, copied after well known histori 
 cal totems; Slate Totems; Nugget Jewelry of great variety; Carved Ivory Napkin Rings; Carved 
 Turks for cribbage boards; small Wood Totems in great variety; Souvenir Spoons with totemistic de 
 signs; Indian Carved Bracelets; Ancient Pots and Kettles; Rattles in Copper, such as Indian doctors 
 used. 
 
 -- 
 
 A model of an old time Indian house with totem in front and totems as corner posts. 
 
 Four very old Indian war knives, belonging at one time to old chief Kasco. The blades are of 
 native copper, and the handles are ornamental with totemistic markings. There are only three or four 
 more of these in Alska. 
 
 Tanned bear rugs. 
 
 We are also agents for St. John's Mission School Baskets. These baskets are sold for the benefit 
 of St. John's School. They are all of the cedar bark, both straight and twisted weave. They are suit 
 able for scrap baskets, work baskets, Jardinieres, card receivers, etc. 
 
 We have only given a partial catalogue of what you can see in our store. Make our store your 
 headquarters while in Ketchikan. We will be glad to correspond with any, desiring information about 
 Alaska curios. The prices at which we sell our baskets is the same that Indians charge. We make our 
 profit by buying from them in trade. 
 
 BERTHELSEN & PRUEL. 
 
 -* X )1( X X X X X )i^*r^r^f-a^^-^^-^ X X X *-*-*-*-* X X X X
 
 64 
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 SEE ALASKA PROPERLY 
 
 STOP ENROUTE AT WRANGELL 
 
 WRANGELL OFFERS 
 
 Tour Glaciers within reach by gas boat. 
 
 A Sail up the Stickine River. This is better than seeing the Alphs. 
 Fifteen Totem Poles for those interested in Indian Lore. 
 
 Deer on the Islands and Big game, Moose, Carilntt, Black Bear and Grizzley on the 
 mainland. 
 
 Stickine River Flats where the finest of wild foul, ducks, geese, etc., are obtained in 
 larger quantities. 
 
 Halibut and Varieties uf Cod are in the bay. 
 Fine Trout Streams art.- near at hand. 
 
 Splendid opportunities for the Artist, Geologist, Botanist and Zoologist to do original 
 work. 
 
 WRANGELL HOTEL 
 
 J. C. GRANT, PROP. 
 Is First Class in Every Respect 
 
 ITS RATES ARE $2.50 PER DAY AND UP. SPECIAL RATES BY THE MONTH OR 
 
 FOR THE SEASON 
 
 Mr. Grant will be glad to correspond wiith interesting parties and will assist charter 
 ing suitable gas boats and procuring suitable guides.
 
 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 65 
 
 THE SIGN OF THE TOTEM 
 
 L. D. KUBLEY. PROPRIETOR 
 
 We carry the most complete assortment of Post Cards, both printed 
 and photographic in Alaska. 
 
 COPIES OF WELL KNOWN TOTEM POLES IN IVORY. 
 
 GENUINELY INDIAN SLATE CARVED TOTEM POLES. 
 
 A LARGE AND VARIED ASSORTMENT OF MOCCASINS. 
 
 A VARIETY OF WOOD CARVED MINIATURE TOTEM POLES. 
 
 CHOICE SPRUCE ROOT INDIAN BASKETS. 
 
 SOUVENIR SPOONS. 
 
 MAIL ORDERS SOLICITED. 
 
 The totem in the cut represents Ductut, the Thlinget Strong Man, rending the sea 
 lions. The lower figure is that of the woman who took pity on him and gave him food 
 when he was hungry, whom he afterwards married. Editor.
 
 66 TOTEM LORE OF THE ALASKA INDIANS 
 
 E. VALENTINE 
 
 JUNEAN, ALASKA 
 
 OPTICAL GOODS SOUVENIR SPOONS 
 
 RYUS DRUG & JEWELRY Co. 
 
 Drugs, Jewelry 
 Stationery 
 
 PHOTO GOODS ALASKA BOOKS 
 
 CANDIES 
 
 WHY NOT HAVE AN ALASKA BOOTH 
 
 AT YOUR CHURCH FAIR? 
 
 We supply you with Baskets, Moccasins, Wall Pockets, and Totem 
 
 Poles, to be sold on commission. 
 You take no risk. We allow liberal commissions. 
 
 V ^* 
 
 - X 
 
 Address, 
 
 ST. JOHN'S MISSION SCHOOL 
 
 The Evans Printing Co., Scranton, Penna., U. S. A.
 
 A 000 633 460
 
 v o 
 
 $ CAL/Av 
 O A 
 
 
 University of California 
 
 SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 
 
 Return this material to the library 
 
 from which it was borrowed. 
 
 
 SEP 3 1994 

 
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