366 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



Another column of the Kish-hash clan illustrates 

 the story of the bear that lives in the moon and carries 

 children away from the earth. At the base is repre- 

 sented the great horned owl (gwute gwu nooks) a clan 

 crest; above, three children, and finally the bear with 

 its head through the full moon, which latter is also a 

 crest of this family. Beyond and to the right is a 

 very old and beautifully carved Kish-hash column 

 representing two owls and several small human figures 



The emblem is displayed 

 upon articles of ceremonial 

 dress and festival parapher- 

 nalia but more particularly 

 and with greatest effect 

 upon the heraldic columns 

 or totem poles that charac- 

 terize the villages of this 

 people. 



These carved columns 

 which form the most con- 

 spicuous and attractive fea- 

 ture of the old settlements 

 differ materially from those 

 of the coast tribes. They 

 never form the entrance of 

 the house as with the Haida, 

 nor are they used as mor- 

 tuary receptacles for the 

 ashes of the dead. They 

 are never placed within the 

 house forming the supports 

 for the roof beams as with 

 the Tlingit and others, nor 

 do they stand in contact 

 with or alongside of the 

 dwelling, but in every in- 

 stance they form a quite 

 regular line parallel with and 

 the distance of a broad road- 

 way in front of the houses. 

 They are less massive than 

 those of the coast, which is 

 the natural consequence of 

 the smaller tree growth of 

 the interior, but while often 

 slender they are very tall. 

 Cedar is the wood generally 

 used and much preferred 

 from its fine grain, lightness 

 and supposed durability. 

 Some columns are elabo- 



