FACULTY IN ABOEIGINAL RACES. 83 



carvings in walnis ivoiy, among- the Thliukit Indians, who, as he conceives, obtained both 

 the story, and the design for their ivory-carvings, from the liaidas. This appears to receive 

 confirmation from the peculiar style of art common to both. 



But the decorations of the Haida lodge-poles admit at times of a ranch more homely 

 interpretation. Mr. James Gr. Swan, the author of an article on " The Haida Indians," in 

 Yol. XXI of the "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge," in a communication to the 

 West Shore, an Oregon journal, thus describes an Indian lodge and house-pole which 

 attracted his notice, owing to its carved figures, in round hat and other European costume, 

 surmounting the two corner posts of the lodge. He accordingly made a carefvil drawing 

 of the whole, which, as he says, " is interestiirg as illustrative of the grim humor of an 

 Indian in trying to be avenged for what he considered an act of injustice a number of 

 years ago. Bear Skin, a somewhat noted Haida chief, belonging to Skidegate village, 

 Queen Charlotte Islands, was in Victoria, when for some offence he was fined and impris- 

 oned by Judge Pemberton, the police magistrate. Bear Skin felt very much insulted ; 

 and in order to get even with the magistrate he carved the two figures, which are said to 

 be good likenesses of the Judge, who in this dual capacity mounts guard at each corner of 

 the front of the chief's residence. The gigantic face on the front of the house, and the two 

 bears on the two mortuary columns, seem to be grinning with fi(>ndish delight, while the 

 raven on top of one of the columns has cocked his eye so as to have a fair look at the 

 effigies beneath him. Bear Skin is dead, but the images still remain. It has been 

 suggested that they be removed to Yictoria, and be placed over the entrance to the police 

 barracks, to keep watch and ward like Gog and Magog at the gates of old London city." 

 But, on the other hand, a symbolical meaning appears to be most frequently embodied in 

 the Haida devices ; of which Mr. Swan reproduces various illustrations, accompanied with 

 native interpretations of them. One drawing, for example, represents a grouping of con- 

 ventional patterns such as are common on the Haida blankets of goats' hair, and in which 

 the untutored student can discern little more than confused scroll-work, with here and 

 there an enormous eye, rows of teeth, and a symmetrical repetition of the design on either 

 side of the central device. Yet, according to Kitelswa, the native Haida interpreter, " it 

 rei^resents cirrus clouds, or, as sailors term them, ' mares' tails and mackerel sky,' the sure 

 precursors of a change of weather. The centre figure is T'kul, the wind spirit. On the 

 right and left are his feet, which are indicated by long streaming clouds ; above are his 

 wings, and on each side are the different winds, each designated by an eye, and repre- 

 sented by the patches of cirrus clouds. When T'kul determines which wind is to blow, 

 he gives the word and the other winds retire. The change in the weather is usually 

 followed by rain, which is indicated by the tears which stream from the eyes of T'kul." 

 The difficiilty with which the inexperienced observer has to contend, in any attempt 

 to interpret such native conventional art, finds apt illustration in Mr. Swan's account of 

 an elaborately sculptured lodge-pole of which he made a drawing at Kioosta village, on 

 Graham Island, one of the Queen Charlotte group. "When describing it in minute detail, 

 he says : " I could make out all the figures but the butterfly, which I thoirght at first 

 was an elephant with its trunk coiled up ; but on inc^uiry of old Edinso, the chief who 

 was conveying me in his canoe from Massett to Skidegate, he told me it was a butterfly, 

 and pointed out one which had just lit near by on a flower. ' The same characteristics have 

 already been referred to in describing the claystoue carvings of the Chimpseyaus. They 



