﻿Il8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 74 



It is safe to say that totem-poles are peculiar. As a matter of fact 

 they represent a very highly developed, and very highly perfected, 

 art. For many generations the Indians hereabouts were developing 

 a special " knack," and special ideas, and the matter has gone so far 

 that other people (even some civilized artists) seem to have a hard 

 time even in copying their handiwork. 



In looking over these monuments, one is impressed by the fact that 

 there has been a gradual change in artistic style even on the part of 

 the Indians themselves. Unfortunately, this cliange is in the wrong 

 direction. The older monuments are much more interesting, and are 

 better executed, than tlie later ones. In other words, the Indians 

 themselves are forgetting their art. This matter is worth illustrating 

 l)y photographs (figs. 113, 114). ]\Ionuments carved within the last 

 40 years look (usually) rather staring and stiff, compared to the ones 

 executed previously. With the increasing decay of the old land- 

 marks, a unique style of work bids fair to pass as completely out of 

 existence as though it had never been. 



This art consists almost solely in the representation of animals. In 

 the second place, the carvings refer almost always to the parts which 

 these animals played as actors in certain interesting old myths. The 

 carving is meaningless, unless one understands the allusions. Per- 

 sonal experiences are sometimes portrayed. This matter, also, can be 

 very simply illustrated. In the third place, in making a representation 

 of an animal the Indian has special stylistic devices. He puts in what 

 he knows should be there (inchiding at times things not visible at all). 

 Finally, he often simplifies and distorts (according to certain defi- 

 nite rules), in the interest of getting in what he regards as im- 

 portant. He actually loves artistic complexity. All of these tenden- 

 cies prevent us from readily appreciating what is in many cases a 

 genuine artistic masterpiece. These points may well be explained 

 separately. 



The significance of the poles can scarcely be understood without 

 taking into consideration the form of society which these Indians had 

 developed. All of tlie tribes of the Northwest Coast are divided into 

 what are usuall\- called " clans." This word is borrowed from the 

 Scotch, and is a very poor term to describe the social groups of the 

 Northwest Coast Indians, for here each group looks upon itself as 

 related by blood to some particular animal. /V tremendous mass of 

 ideas and usages has grown up, involving kinship, rules of marriage, 

 property, religious ceremonies, and descent, all centered al)out these 



