﻿INDIAN" 
  VILLAGES 
  OF 
  ALASKA 
  KRIEGER 
  489 
  

  

  smoke 
  hole 
  was 
  the 
  sole 
  opening 
  to 
  the 
  house, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  

   a 
  small 
  door, 
  which 
  in 
  many 
  houses 
  was 
  through 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  totem 
  

   pole. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  windows. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  old 
  accounts, 
  the 
  erection 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  communal 
  house 
  

   was 
  attended 
  with 
  intense 
  rivalry. 
  The 
  entire 
  procedure, 
  together 
  

   with 
  the 
  festivities 
  that 
  followed 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  task, 
  Avas 
  the 
  

   cause 
  of 
  much 
  bad 
  blood 
  between 
  neighboring 
  villages. 
  

  

  Totenvism 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska. 
  — 
  A 
  totem, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  defini- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  J. 
  G. 
  Frazer, 
  is 
  a 
  group 
  or 
  species 
  of 
  material 
  0))jects 
  which 
  

   primitive 
  man 
  regards 
  with 
  superstitious 
  feeling 
  and 
  respect 
  in 
  the 
  

   belief 
  that 
  there 
  exists 
  between 
  him 
  and 
  every 
  example 
  of 
  that 
  species 
  

   a 
  close 
  and 
  peculiar 
  relationship. 
  This 
  definition 
  is 
  generalized 
  and 
  

   may 
  be 
  applied 
  to 
  many 
  varying 
  forms 
  of 
  totemism 
  observed 
  through- 
  

   out 
  the 
  world. 
  The 
  term 
  " 
  totem 
  " 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  language 
  of 
  

   the 
  Algonquin 
  Ind 
  ans, 
  where 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  totemism 
  VN'as 
  first 
  observed. 
  

   It 
  is 
  obviously 
  impossible 
  to 
  connect 
  totemic 
  manifestations 
  occurring 
  

   in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  among 
  primitive 
  tribes 
  of 
  all 
  races. 
  

   It 
  is 
  rather 
  the 
  naturalistic 
  view 
  of 
  primitive 
  man, 
  according 
  to 
  

   which 
  he 
  regards 
  himself 
  as 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  world 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  

   finds 
  himself, 
  that 
  leads 
  to 
  totemic 
  expression. 
  

  

  The 
  totemic 
  expressions 
  of 
  the 
  northwest 
  coast 
  tribes 
  are 
  probably 
  

   traceable 
  to 
  the 
  gradual 
  acquisition 
  of 
  numerous 
  personal 
  charms 
  and 
  

   fetishes 
  belonging 
  to 
  representatives 
  of 
  a 
  clan 
  as 
  a 
  unit. 
  Such 
  per- 
  

   sonal 
  fetishes 
  as 
  are 
  accepted 
  by 
  the 
  clan 
  become 
  conventionalized; 
  

   they 
  are 
  also 
  tempered 
  and 
  directed 
  by 
  the 
  peculiar 
  physical 
  and 
  cul- 
  

   tural 
  environment. 
  

  

  A 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  borrowing 
  from 
  neighboring 
  Salish 
  and 
  Atha- 
  

   pascan 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  by 
  the 
  coast 
  tribes 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  interior 
  

   tribes 
  from 
  the 
  Tlingit 
  or 
  Haida 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  ancient 
  wide 
  

   distribution 
  of 
  certain 
  stone 
  and 
  other 
  cultural 
  objects, 
  as 
  the 
  carved 
  

   stone 
  boATls 
  with 
  carved 
  figurine 
  heads 
  at 
  the 
  sides; 
  the 
  peculiar 
  stone 
  

   ax, 
  adze, 
  jade 
  tools; 
  and 
  the 
  realistically 
  carved 
  human 
  and 
  animal 
  

   figures 
  in 
  stone, 
  wooel, 
  horn, 
  and 
  bone. 
  Realistic 
  sculpture 
  of 
  human 
  

   and 
  animal 
  figures 
  was 
  formerly 
  practiced 
  by 
  tribes 
  from 
  the 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia 
  coast 
  northward. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  in 
  this 
  connection 
  

   that 
  carved 
  human 
  figurines 
  in 
  wood 
  and 
  carved 
  images 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  

   of 
  land 
  mammals 
  are 
  commonly 
  found 
  beside 
  the 
  dead 
  houses 
  of 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  tribes 
  of 
  British 
  Columbia 
  and 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eskim»o 
  tribes 
  of 
  Alaska. 
  Not 
  merely 
  the 
  carved 
  images 
  but 
  the 
  dead 
  

   house 
  itself 
  is 
  identical 
  with 
  those 
  formerly 
  built 
  by 
  the 
  Tlingit. 
  

  

  Memorial 
  colmmis 
  and 
  totem 
  'poles. 
  — 
  The 
  erection 
  of 
  a 
  m.emorial 
  

   to 
  one's 
  maternal 
  uncle 
  of 
  necessity 
  includes 
  carved 
  representations 
  

   of 
  animals 
  and 
  events 
  illustrating 
  the 
  traditions 
  and 
  genealogy 
  of 
  the 
  

   family, 
  together 
  with 
  carved 
  images 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  animal 
  totem 
  or 
  

   crests 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  reputed 
  animal 
  progenitors 
  of 
  the 
  particular 
  

  

  