[sapir] social organization OF THE WEST COAST TRIBES 359 



and may be embraced under the general term of Kwakiutl, which 

 term, however, appHes strictly speaking only to the Indians of Fort 

 Rupert in northern Vancouver Island. The more northern of the 

 Kwakiutl tribes, such as the Bella* Bella and Kitamat, offer a contrast 

 in social organization to their southern neighbours, being more closely 

 allied in several important respects to the linguistically unrelated 

 Tsimshian. The western coast of Vancouver Island is inhabited by a 

 number of tribes grouped together under the term Nootka. The 

 Nootka language is genetically related to Kwakiutl, though only 

 fairly distantly so. Finally, in the southeastern part of Vancouver 

 Island and on the mainland opposite, there are a considerable number 

 of linguistically quite divergent but related tribes making up the bulk 

 of the Coast Salish, as far as they are represented in Canada. From 

 our present point of view the Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Bella Coola, 

 and northern Kwakiutl, are to be grouped together in contrast to the 

 southern Kwakiutl, Nootka, and Coast Salish. The former of these 

 may be considered as the more typical in regard to social organization. 

 It is interesting to observe that the broad line of division runs through 

 a linguistic group, an example of the failure of linguistic and cultural 

 classifications to coincide such as we have numerous parallels of in 

 America, and indeed all over the world. 



All these tribes are characterized by a clear development of the 

 idea of rank; indeed, it may be said that nowhere north of Mexico 

 is the distinction between those of high and those of low birth so 

 sharply drawn as in the West Coast tribes. Three classes of society 

 may be recognized — the nobility, the commoners, and the slaves. 

 It is not practicable to distinguish between chiefs and nobles, as has 

 been done for instance by Hill-Tout for the Coast Salish, as the lesser 

 chiefs or nobles grade right in continuously with the head chiefs. 

 Intermarriages between nobles and commoners or slaves, and between 

 commoners and slaves, were in theory quite impossible, and in earlier 

 days could at best have been but rare. We learn here and there from 

 their legends that individuals of low rank were sometimes raised to a 

 higher rank by marriage into a chief's family; but the very point made 

 in such cases serves to emphasize the essential differences of rank. 

 High rank is determined primarily by descent — whether in the male 

 or female line depends on the tribe. A very important factor, further- 

 more, in determining rank is wealth, as illustrated more particularly 

 by the distribution of great quantities of property at ceremonial 

 feasts generally known as potlatches. It is not enough for one of 

 high birth to rest in his hereditary glory. If he wishes to preserve 

 the respect of his fellow tribesmen, he must at frequent intervals 

 reassert his rank by displays of wealth, otherwise he incurs the risk of 



Sec. I and 11, 1915—24 



