﻿INDIAN 
  VILLAGES 
  OF 
  ALASKA 
  KRIEGER 
  487 
  

  

  or 
  "town-on-the-point." 
  J. 
  K. 
  Swanton 
  thinks 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  uncer- 
  

   tainty 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  Kasaan 
  and 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Howkan 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  

   coast 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  were 
  occupied 
  as 
  towns 
  by 
  the 
  Tlingit 
  before 
  they 
  

   were 
  settled 
  by 
  the 
  Kaigani. 
  It 
  is 
  certain, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  in- 
  

   vaders 
  destroyed 
  the 
  Tlingit 
  village 
  of 
  Sukkwan 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast. 
  

   It 
  is 
  also 
  certain 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  about 
  this 
  time 
  that 
  there 
  occurred 
  the 
  

   general 
  exodus 
  of 
  the 
  Tlingit 
  clan 
  of 
  Teqoedi 
  from 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  

   Island 
  to 
  Cape 
  Fox 
  and 
  Tongas. 
  

  

  The 
  narrative 
  of 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  the 
  Kaigani 
  Haida 
  to 
  Kasaan 
  is 
  an 
  

   involved 
  one 
  and 
  includes 
  a 
  story 
  of 
  family 
  dissension 
  culminating 
  

   in 
  the 
  murder 
  of 
  one 
  chief 
  by 
  his 
  own 
  brother, 
  who 
  was 
  also 
  his 
  

   rival. 
  The 
  murder 
  caused 
  the 
  villagers 
  to 
  take 
  sides 
  and 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  

   removal 
  of 
  the 
  slayer 
  and 
  his 
  adherents 
  from 
  their 
  ancestral 
  homes 
  

   in 
  the 
  Queen 
  Charlotte 
  Islands 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  ultimate 
  

   settlement 
  of 
  Kasaan. 
  One 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Kaigani 
  moved 
  up 
  the 
  

   west 
  coast 
  of 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Island, 
  while 
  another 
  smaller 
  group 
  

   journeyed 
  up 
  the 
  east 
  coast. 
  

  

  House 
  architecture. 
  — 
  Family 
  life 
  among 
  the 
  Haida 
  was 
  communal 
  

   and 
  consequently 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  large 
  houses, 
  large 
  enough 
  

   to 
  shelter 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  generations 
  and 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  social 
  classes. 
  

   The 
  chieftain 
  of 
  a 
  clan 
  and 
  his 
  immediate 
  family 
  were 
  always 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  with 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  lesser 
  rank 
  and 
  with 
  slaves. 
  The 
  house 
  

   floor 
  was 
  arranged 
  in 
  concentric 
  platforms, 
  each 
  succeeding 
  platform 
  

   being 
  built 
  on 
  a 
  level 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  one 
  beneath, 
  beginning 
  

   at 
  the 
  centrally 
  located 
  deeply 
  excavated 
  fireplace 
  and 
  pit, 
  until 
  

   the 
  outer 
  platform 
  or 
  the 
  one 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  was 
  

   reached. 
  This 
  platform 
  was 
  flush 
  with 
  the 
  ground 
  level 
  on 
  the 
  

   outside. 
  Long 
  and 
  thick 
  retaining 
  slabs 
  of 
  hewn 
  cedar 
  formed 
  the 
  

   retaining 
  walls 
  of 
  each 
  platform, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  a 
  support 
  

   or 
  back 
  rest 
  for 
  those 
  occupying 
  the 
  platform 
  tier 
  just 
  beneath. 
  

  

  A 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  was 
  assigned 
  to 
  different 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  

   large 
  family. 
  The 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  family, 
  who 
  was 
  often 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  

   the 
  clan 
  as 
  well, 
  together 
  with 
  his 
  wife, 
  occupied 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  honor 
  

   on 
  the 
  platform 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  carved 
  house 
  posts 
  at 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  

   house. 
  The 
  slaves 
  gathered 
  and 
  slept 
  at 
  the 
  front 
  or 
  least 
  desirable 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  nearest 
  the 
  only 
  exit. 
  

  

  The 
  fire 
  burned 
  at 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  on 
  the 
  lowest 
  of 
  the 
  

   excavated 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  floor. 
  In 
  one 
  house 
  at 
  Tongas 
  nine 
  dis- 
  

   tinct 
  floor 
  levels 
  are 
  excavated 
  ; 
  ordinaril}'^ 
  there 
  are 
  but 
  three. 
  The 
  

   fireplace 
  is 
  a 
  squared 
  section 
  of 
  bared 
  earth 
  or 
  stone 
  surrounded 
  

   with 
  a 
  hewn 
  log 
  or 
  with 
  stones. 
  Members 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  slept 
  on 
  

   the 
  fireplace 
  floor 
  level 
  during 
  tlie 
  cold 
  or 
  inclement 
  weather. 
  They 
  

   lay 
  either 
  on 
  the 
  bare 
  floor 
  or 
  on 
  mats 
  of 
  woven 
  cedar 
  bark, 
  with 
  their 
  

   feet 
  toward 
  the 
  fire. 
  

  

  