﻿488 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN" 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  The 
  houses 
  at 
  Kasaan 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  an 
  irreguftir 
  row 
  facing 
  the 
  

   shelving 
  beach. 
  The 
  memorial 
  or 
  totem 
  poles 
  at 
  the 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  

   houses 
  are 
  in 
  some 
  instances 
  at 
  the 
  water's 
  edge 
  at 
  high 
  tide, 
  and 
  

   the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  salt 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  such 
  poles 
  is 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  

   ])reserve 
  them 
  from 
  decay. 
  Those 
  farther 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  beach 
  

   are 
  much 
  rotted 
  at 
  the 
  base. 
  

  

  The 
  framework 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  and 
  roof 
  rests 
  upon 
  four 
  posts 
  com- 
  

   monly 
  hollowed 
  at 
  their 
  back. 
  Upon 
  the 
  main 
  house 
  posts 
  rest 
  two 
  

   large 
  unhewn 
  log 
  plates 
  extending 
  the 
  full 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  with- 
  

   out 
  any 
  other 
  support 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  end 
  posts. 
  All 
  material 
  of 
  

   which 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  constructed, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  posts, 
  plates, 
  purlines, 
  

   cedars 
  for 
  making 
  the 
  slab 
  siding 
  and 
  end 
  walls, 
  and 
  split 
  slab 
  

   " 
  shakes 
  " 
  for 
  the 
  roof 
  was 
  towed 
  to 
  the 
  village 
  site. 
  Skids 
  were 
  

   used 
  to 
  haul 
  the 
  material 
  near 
  the 
  proposed 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  

   Suitable 
  cedar 
  and 
  spruce 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  grows 
  only 
  in 
  certain 
  

   favored 
  places 
  where 
  soil 
  deposits 
  are 
  thick 
  enough 
  above 
  the 
  rock 
  

   substratum 
  to 
  support 
  their 
  growtli. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  smooth 
  finishing 
  

   and 
  assembling 
  is 
  undertaken 
  at 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  to 
  be 
  erected. 
  

  

  Erection 
  of 
  a 
  house 
  or 
  totem 
  pole 
  was 
  the 
  occasion 
  for 
  much 
  jolli- 
  

   fication 
  by 
  the 
  Indian, 
  calling 
  to 
  mind 
  those 
  social 
  gatherings 
  which 
  

   formerly 
  attended 
  barn 
  raisings 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  The 
  day 
  the 
  

   house 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  erected 
  was 
  made 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  neighbor- 
  

   ing 
  villages 
  in 
  advance. 
  Rivalry 
  sometimes 
  developed 
  between 
  com- 
  

   peting 
  clans, 
  each 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  assigned 
  a 
  different 
  log 
  plate 
  to 
  

   place 
  into 
  position. 
  The 
  top 
  purlines, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  huge 
  log 
  

   plates, 
  form 
  the 
  supports 
  for 
  the 
  roof, 
  which 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  split 
  

   slabs 
  of 
  wood 
  and 
  bark, 
  secured 
  by 
  superimposed 
  crosspieces 
  and 
  

   stones. 
  In 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  newer 
  houses 
  at 
  Kasaan 
  large 
  spikes 
  of 
  cop- 
  

   per 
  firmly 
  secure 
  the 
  spliced 
  beams 
  and 
  girders 
  that 
  extend 
  from 
  

   one 
  longitudinal 
  plate 
  to 
  the 
  other. 
  Usually 
  there 
  are 
  only 
  wooden 
  

   pins 
  pegged 
  in 
  at 
  strategic 
  points. 
  The 
  method 
  relied 
  on 
  most 
  for 
  

   holding 
  the 
  framework 
  together 
  was 
  dovetailing 
  and 
  interlocking 
  

   mortises 
  at 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  juncture 
  of 
  all 
  beams 
  and 
  girder 
  plates. 
  

   Mere 
  weight 
  sufficed 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  two 
  main 
  log 
  plates 
  in 
  position. 
  

  

  Every 
  native 
  house 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  formerly 
  had 
  a 
  smoke 
  hole 
  

   at 
  the 
  exact 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  gabled 
  roof. 
  This 
  was 
  left 
  open 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  

   except 
  during 
  cold 
  and 
  inclement 
  weather. 
  It 
  was 
  surmounted 
  by 
  a 
  

   shutter, 
  which 
  was 
  closed 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  wind, 
  but 
  could 
  be 
  

   opened 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  blew 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  side. 
  An 
  axle 
  beam 
  in 
  

   line 
  with 
  the 
  peak 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  permitted 
  this 
  shifting 
  of 
  the 
  shutter. 
  

   When 
  the 
  wind 
  changed 
  and 
  blew 
  down 
  the 
  smoke 
  hole 
  a 
  rope 
  was 
  

   pulled 
  and 
  the 
  shutter 
  revolved 
  to 
  a 
  position 
  against 
  the 
  wind. 
  As 
  

   the 
  rectangular 
  native 
  house 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  always 
  faced 
  the 
  

   beach, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  wind 
  blows 
  practically 
  always 
  up 
  or 
  down 
  channel, 
  

   such 
  a 
  shutter, 
  movable 
  only 
  in 
  two 
  directions, 
  was 
  satisfactory. 
  The 
  

  

  