^jf£i/77gf C^i/oc/e^y 





/'enoijioi' I // John 



fVu/fije/j/j 

 T/jomaj Jojep/> /Vepfi/Of 



Common Spo//?/ 



J/art 



Malecite Canoe Details and Decorations. 



with the rounded side down and just touching one 

 another at the top, having a small circle in the center 

 of each, represents "clouds passing over the moon." 

 A similar series of half-circles without the center 

 circles might mean the canoe was launched during a 

 new moon; the number of half-circles shown would 

 indicate the month. 



Yet there is not full agreement among Indians 

 about the meaning of decorative forms; the crooked 

 or zigzag line might also mean camps or the crooked 

 score stick used in a Malecite game. The circle 

 could mean sun or moon or month. A half-moon 

 form might also be "a woman's earring," or a new 

 moon. A circle with a very small one inside might be 

 a "brooch," as well as "money." Right triangles, 

 in a closely spaced series along the gunwales, appar- 

 ently meant "door cloth," or tent door ("what you 

 lift with your hand"). Shown on pages 84 and 85 are 

 some Indian marks on the wulegessis, based upon the 

 statements of old Malecites or upon their sketches. 



After the Malecite had become Roman Catholic, 

 a fish on the middle panel of a canoe meant that 

 it had been launched on Friday. Pictures on a 

 canoe sometimes indicated a mythological story; 



a picture of a rabbit sitting and smoking a pipe on 

 one side of the canoe and a lynx on the other would be 

 such a case. In Malecite mythology the rabbit was 

 the ancestor of the tribe. He was also a great magi- 

 cian. The lyn.x was the mortal enemy of the rabbit, 

 but in the mythological tales he was always overcome 

 and defeated by the rabbit's magic. Hence, the idea 

 conveyed is that "though the lynx is near, the rabbit 

 sits calmly smoking his pipe and as he knows he can 

 overcome his enemy," or, in short, "self-confidence." 

 The Indian's mark on his canoe or weapons is not 

 a signature to be read by anyone. The mark may, of 

 course, be identified as to what it represents, but unless 

 it is known as the mark used by a certain man it 

 cannot be "read." Any mark could be used by an 

 Indian, either because it had some connection with 

 his activities or habits, or because he "likes it." 

 The stone tobacco pipe used by Peter Polchies (see 

 p. 85) as his mark had no known connection with 

 this Indian's habits or activities. However, his son, 

 of the same name and well known also as "Doctor 

 Polchies," took the same mark, but in his case it had 

 a personal meaning since he was noted locally for 

 his skill in making stone pipes. Another case was 



83 



