﻿468 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  The 
  traditional 
  neighboring 
  people 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  were 
  the 
  Ugalak- 
  

   miiit 
  Eskimo 
  who 
  lived 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Copper 
  River. 
  

   This 
  tribe 
  later 
  became 
  identified 
  with 
  the 
  Tlingit. 
  Athapascan 
  

   tribes 
  coming 
  down 
  the 
  Copper 
  River 
  from 
  the 
  interior 
  have 
  tended 
  

   to 
  replace 
  other 
  Eskimo 
  tribes 
  formerly 
  occupying 
  the 
  region 
  sur- 
  

   rounding 
  Cook 
  Inlet 
  and 
  Prince 
  William 
  Sound. 
  These 
  newcomers 
  

   also 
  engaged 
  in 
  trade 
  with 
  the 
  northern 
  Tlingit, 
  gradually 
  becoming 
  

   modified 
  in 
  their 
  speech 
  and 
  customs 
  to 
  resemble 
  the 
  Yakutat 
  and 
  

   Chilkat 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  Tlingit. 
  The 
  peculiar 
  coastal 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  

   northwest 
  coast 
  Indians, 
  noted 
  for 
  its 
  unique 
  house 
  architecture 
  and 
  

   wood 
  carver's 
  arts 
  associated 
  with 
  a 
  complex 
  form 
  of 
  totemism, 
  never 
  

   advanced 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  extent 
  beyond 
  the 
  inhospitable 
  coast 
  and 
  

   glacier-strewn 
  mainland 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  Mount 
  St. 
  Elias. 
  It 
  

   does 
  appear, 
  however, 
  in 
  diluted 
  form 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  

   Kuskokwim 
  River, 
  on 
  Nelson 
  Island, 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  

   abutting 
  on 
  Bering 
  Sea. 
  

  

  Indians 
  of 
  British 
  Columbia): 
  the 
  Tahltan; 
  Tsimshian; 
  Gitkson. 
  — 
  

   The 
  native 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  mainland 
  river 
  valleys 
  of 
  British 
  

   Columbia 
  is 
  separated 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  from 
  the 
  island 
  population 
  

   of 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  by 
  many 
  fjordlilce 
  submerged 
  canals, 
  open 
  

   water 
  channels, 
  and 
  coastal 
  mountain 
  ranges, 
  so 
  that 
  native 
  inter- 
  

   course 
  with 
  the 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  British 
  Columbia 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  

   was 
  gained 
  only 
  over 
  such 
  water 
  gaps 
  as 
  the 
  Taku, 
  Alsek, 
  Stikine, 
  

   Nass, 
  and 
  Skeena 
  Rivers. 
  The 
  Indian 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  Taku 
  

   and 
  Stikine 
  River 
  valleys 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  Tahltan 
  group, 
  a 
  tribe 
  be- 
  

   longing 
  to 
  the 
  Athapascan 
  stock; 
  while 
  the 
  Tsimshian-speaking 
  

   tribes 
  occupy 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  Skeena 
  and 
  Nass 
  Rivers. 
  Included 
  

   with 
  the 
  Tsimshian 
  are 
  such 
  tribes 
  as 
  the 
  Gitksan 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  

   Skeena 
  and 
  the 
  Niska 
  of 
  the 
  Nass 
  River 
  and 
  Observatory 
  Bay 
  re- 
  

   gion. 
  East 
  and 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Tsimshian 
  are 
  Athapascan 
  tribes, 
  who 
  

   are 
  primarily 
  hunters 
  rather 
  than 
  fisher 
  folk. 
  

  

  The 
  Haida 
  Indians 
  of 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Island. 
  — 
  The 
  Haida 
  (Skit- 
  

   tagetan) 
  linguistic 
  stock 
  represents 
  the 
  highest 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   typical 
  arts 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  northwest 
  coast 
  culture. 
  This 
  tribe 
  occu- 
  

   pies 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  area 
  of 
  extreme 
  southeast 
  Alaska, 
  never 
  having 
  

   penetrated 
  beyond 
  the 
  lowei" 
  or 
  southern 
  third 
  of 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  

   Island 
  and 
  the 
  adjoining 
  islands 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  west. 
  A 
  line 
  

   drawn 
  from 
  Klawak 
  or 
  Tlevak 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  

   Island 
  to 
  Tolstoi 
  Bay, 
  near 
  Kasaan 
  Bay 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  island, 
  represents 
  the 
  most 
  northerly 
  limit 
  of 
  settlements 
  by 
  

   the 
  Haida. 
  Native 
  accounts 
  and 
  traditions 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  migration 
  

   of 
  the 
  Kaigani, 
  a 
  Haida 
  family, 
  from 
  the 
  Queen 
  Charlotte 
  Islands 
  

   by 
  way 
  of 
  Howkan 
  and 
  Klawak 
  as 
  recently 
  as 
  150 
  years 
  ago. 
  

  

  