﻿486 
  ANNUAL 
  BEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN" 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  floating-house," 
  and 
  the 
  " 
  fort-house." 
  The 
  clan 
  whose 
  emblem 
  is 
  

   the 
  killer-whale 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  flicker-house," 
  while 
  the 
  "Sea-lion 
  

   people 
  " 
  have 
  the 
  " 
  sea-lion 
  house," 
  the 
  chieftain 
  and 
  owner 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  "dancer," 
  

  

  The 
  milage 
  of 
  Kasaan. 
  — 
  If 
  we 
  now 
  take, 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  illustration, 
  

   the 
  village 
  of 
  Kas-a-an, 
  a 
  winter 
  town 
  of 
  the 
  Haida 
  which 
  fronts 
  on 
  

   Skaul 
  arm 
  of 
  Kasaan 
  Bay, 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  

   Island, 
  similar 
  conditions 
  are 
  found. 
  Kasaan, 
  like 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   native 
  villages 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska, 
  is 
  abandoned. 
  Its 
  former 
  oc- 
  

   cupants 
  have 
  moved 
  to 
  fish-cannery 
  settlements 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  larger 
  

   towns 
  like 
  Ketchikan 
  where 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  occupations 
  and 
  industries 
  

   await 
  them. 
  Indians 
  of 
  Alaska 
  have 
  adopted 
  the 
  white 
  man's 
  ways, 
  

   and 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  wards 
  of 
  the 
  Nation 
  like 
  the 
  Indians 
  assembled 
  

   on 
  reservations 
  within 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  They 
  are 
  considered 
  citi- 
  

   zens 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  have 
  all 
  the 
  privileges 
  of 
  white 
  citizens 
  

   under 
  the 
  Territorial 
  Government 
  of 
  Alaska. 
  The 
  United 
  States 
  

   Bureau 
  of 
  Education, 
  under 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  the 
  Interior, 
  main- 
  

   tains 
  schools, 
  hospitals, 
  and 
  orphanages 
  throughout 
  the 
  territory 
  for 
  

   the 
  benefit 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  population 
  which 
  otherwise 
  is 
  left 
  entirely 
  

   to 
  its 
  own 
  resources 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Federal 
  or 
  Territorial 
  Government 
  

   is 
  concerned. 
  

  

  The 
  village 
  of 
  Kasaan 
  with 
  the 
  surrounding 
  forested 
  area 
  includ- 
  

   ing 
  about 
  40 
  acres 
  has 
  been 
  set 
  aside 
  as 
  the 
  national 
  monument 
  of 
  

   Old 
  Kasaan 
  by 
  Executive 
  order 
  in 
  1907. 
  This 
  order 
  was 
  amplified 
  

   by 
  the 
  presidential 
  proclamation 
  of 
  October 
  25, 
  1916. 
  The 
  abandoned 
  

   village 
  to-day 
  consists 
  of 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  houses 
  and 
  memorial 
  col- 
  

   umns. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  columns 
  or 
  totem 
  poles, 
  profusely 
  decorated 
  

   with 
  carvings 
  of 
  animal 
  and 
  human 
  figures 
  representing 
  the 
  family 
  

   crests 
  are 
  still 
  standing. 
  The 
  village 
  itself 
  is 
  overgrown 
  with 
  alders 
  

   and 
  dense 
  masses 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  berry. 
  The 
  small 
  black 
  bear 
  comes 
  

   to 
  the 
  village 
  site 
  and 
  adjoining 
  grasslands 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  to 
  

   feed 
  on 
  the 
  succulent 
  grasses 
  and 
  tender 
  undergrowth. 
  Later, 
  in 
  the 
  

   fall 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  it 
  comes 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  shallow 
  streams 
  near 
  by 
  to 
  

   fish, 
  and 
  deer 
  come 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  hills 
  to 
  feed 
  in 
  the 
  clearing. 
  As 
  

   the 
  island 
  is 
  uninhabited 
  for 
  many 
  miles 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Kasaan, 
  

   other 
  varieties 
  of 
  game 
  are 
  also 
  abundant. 
  

  

  The 
  view 
  from 
  the 
  village 
  site 
  is 
  beautiful, 
  including 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  

   the 
  distant 
  islands 
  with 
  their 
  hills 
  and 
  occasional 
  snow-capped 
  

   mountains, 
  and 
  the 
  intervening 
  water 
  channels 
  and 
  inlets. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  

   that 
  when 
  the 
  Kaigani 
  Haida 
  first 
  migrated 
  up 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  

   Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Island, 
  the 
  spot 
  was 
  chosen 
  as 
  the 
  site 
  for 
  their 
  

   winter 
  village 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  " 
  only 
  place 
  that 
  looked 
  good." 
  The 
  

   name 
  Kasaan 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  signify, 
  therefore, 
  " 
  pretty-place," 
  although 
  

   in 
  Tlingit 
  speech 
  the 
  term 
  may 
  be 
  translated 
  as 
  " 
  town-on-the-rock 
  " 
  

  

  