﻿INDIAN 
  VILLAGES 
  OF 
  ALASKA 
  KKIEGER 
  473 
  

  

  and 
  missionaries 
  have 
  greatly 
  influenced 
  the 
  style 
  of 
  totemic 
  wood 
  

   carving 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  design 
  and 
  totemic 
  emblems 
  themselves. 
  J. 
  G. 
  

   Swan 
  enumerates 
  several 
  instances 
  of 
  pseudodiffusion 
  among 
  the 
  

   Makah 
  Indians 
  of 
  Cape 
  Flattery 
  who 
  selected 
  their 
  totems 
  or 
  

   heraldic 
  crests 
  from 
  newspaper 
  illustrations. 
  

  

  Climate 
  and 
  tmnsportatio-n 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska.— 
  QvM& 
  aside 
  from 
  

   any 
  influence 
  exerted 
  by 
  other 
  tribes 
  upon 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  southeast 
  

   Alaska, 
  there 
  remains 
  the 
  tremendous 
  effect 
  of 
  environment 
  upon 
  their 
  

   daily 
  life. 
  The 
  extremely 
  moist 
  climate 
  of 
  the 
  so-called 
  Alaskan 
  

   panhandle 
  is 
  well 
  known. 
  At 
  Ketchikan, 
  near 
  the 
  southern 
  boundary 
  

   of 
  Alaska 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  port 
  of 
  call 
  out 
  of 
  Seattle, 
  the 
  average 
  number 
  

   of 
  days 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  with 
  an 
  appreciable 
  amount 
  of 
  rainfall 
  

   reaches 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  235. 
  The 
  warm 
  nortliAvest 
  Pacific 
  current 
  reaches 
  

   the 
  sliores 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska, 
  moderating 
  the 
  climate 
  far 
  above 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  mainland 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  coastal 
  mountain 
  range. 
  At 
  sea 
  level 
  snow 
  

   does 
  not 
  remain 
  long 
  before 
  thawing. 
  Fogs, 
  mists, 
  and 
  heavy 
  down- 
  

   pours 
  of 
  rain 
  are 
  frequent, 
  while 
  the 
  constant 
  trickle 
  of 
  running 
  

   water, 
  the 
  odors 
  of 
  rotting 
  vegetation, 
  and 
  the 
  clouded 
  sky 
  are 
  very 
  

   annoying. 
  The 
  river 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  mainland 
  of 
  British 
  Columbia 
  

   have 
  a 
  hot 
  summer 
  coupled 
  with 
  an 
  extremely 
  cold 
  winter. 
  The 
  

   Gitksan 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  Skeena 
  have, 
  nevertheless, 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  cul- 
  

   ture 
  complexes 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Haida 
  and 
  Tlingit 
  of 
  the 
  milder 
  and 
  

   more 
  humid 
  coast. 
  

  

  The 
  dense 
  forests 
  of 
  the 
  coastal 
  archipelago 
  and 
  the 
  mountainous 
  

   interiors 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  islands 
  compel 
  the 
  natives 
  to 
  depend 
  entirely 
  

   upon 
  their 
  canoes 
  for 
  water 
  transport 
  and 
  upon 
  the 
  sea 
  for 
  food 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  certain 
  seasons. 
  Forests 
  of 
  cedar, 
  Douglas 
  spruce, 
  and 
  hemlock 
  

   supply 
  materials 
  for 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  arts 
  and 
  crafts. 
  The 
  fond- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  Indians 
  for 
  working 
  in 
  wood 
  becomes 
  almost 
  an 
  

   obsession 
  with 
  them 
  and 
  finds 
  expression, 
  for 
  example, 
  in 
  the 
  long 
  

   dugout 
  canoes 
  hollowed 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  cedar 
  trunk. 
  Cottonwood 
  is 
  

   used 
  as 
  a 
  substitute 
  in 
  case 
  no 
  cedar 
  suitable 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  is 
  

   available. 
  

  

  Dugout 
  canoes 
  are 
  constructed 
  Avith 
  a 
  high 
  ornamental 
  prow 
  and 
  

   stern, 
  shaped 
  from 
  separate 
  slabs 
  of 
  cedar 
  wood. 
  Each 
  has 
  carved 
  

   representations 
  of 
  mythical 
  and 
  realistic 
  animal 
  forms 
  as 
  totemic 
  and 
  

   ornamental 
  embellishments. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  boats 
  were 
  formerly 
  

   fitted 
  with 
  sails 
  of 
  cedar-bark 
  matting 
  and 
  are 
  from 
  40 
  to 
  60 
  feet 
  in 
  

   length. 
  They 
  have 
  no 
  rudder, 
  but 
  are 
  steered 
  with 
  a 
  stern 
  paddle. 
  

   Natives 
  of 
  Sitka, 
  on 
  Baranoff 
  Island, 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  sailed 
  as 
  far 
  

   as 
  Port 
  Simpson 
  on 
  the 
  Skeena, 
  more 
  than 
  300 
  miles 
  distant. 
  These 
  

   huge 
  war 
  canoes 
  carried 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  50 
  men 
  in 
  the 
  crcAv 
  when 
  on 
  fish- 
  

   ing 
  or 
  warring 
  expeditions 
  requiring 
  such 
  numbers. 
  Not 
  all 
  dugouts 
  

   used 
  by 
  the 
  Tlingit 
  and 
  Haida 
  are 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  the 
  war 
  canoe, 
  but 
  the 
  

   small 
  birch-bark 
  canoe 
  of 
  the 
  Tinno 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  is 
  unknown 
  

  

  