﻿INDIAN 
  VILLAGES 
  OF 
  ALASKA 
  KEIEGER 
  491 
  

  

  The 
  giving 
  of 
  a 
  potlatch 
  by 
  an 
  Indian 
  establishes 
  his 
  right 
  in 
  the 
  

   community 
  to 
  a 
  totem 
  pole. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  property 
  distributed 
  

   among 
  the 
  clansmen 
  who 
  erected 
  the 
  pole 
  depends 
  upon 
  its 
  size, 
  and 
  

   the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  pole, 
  in 
  turn, 
  is 
  determined 
  by 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  animal 
  

   crests 
  or 
  totems 
  and 
  the 
  rank 
  of 
  the 
  maternal 
  uncle 
  which 
  the 
  builder 
  

   of 
  the 
  totem 
  pole 
  is 
  to 
  inherit. 
  An 
  Indian 
  would 
  be 
  laughed 
  at 
  by 
  

   his 
  fellow 
  clansmen 
  if 
  he 
  erected 
  a 
  large 
  pole 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  possess 
  

   adequate 
  means 
  to 
  distribute 
  sufficiently 
  substantial 
  gifts 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  

   of 
  the 
  raising 
  of 
  the 
  pole 
  or 
  if 
  he 
  assumed 
  animal 
  crests 
  which 
  were 
  

   not 
  traditionally 
  his 
  to 
  assume. 
  

  

  Fmnily 
  emblems 
  or 
  totemic 
  crests. 
  — 
  Any 
  unusual 
  experience 
  in 
  the 
  

   life 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  may 
  be 
  incorporated 
  in 
  the 
  carvings 
  on 
  the 
  

   totem 
  pole. 
  One 
  pole 
  at 
  Tongas 
  has 
  the 
  carved 
  figure 
  of 
  a 
  ship 
  under 
  

   full 
  sail. 
  This 
  pole 
  belonged 
  to 
  a 
  woman 
  who 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  her 
  

   village 
  to 
  see 
  such 
  a 
  vessel. 
  

  

  A 
  carved 
  figure 
  on 
  another 
  pole 
  also 
  at 
  Tongas 
  represents 
  the 
  

   experience 
  of 
  an 
  Indian 
  who 
  once 
  acted 
  as 
  host 
  to 
  a 
  former 
  Secretary 
  

   of 
  the 
  Interior 
  who 
  was 
  visiting 
  Alaska. 
  The 
  Secretary 
  was 
  asked 
  

   to 
  sit 
  on 
  a 
  pile 
  of 
  fine 
  furs 
  in 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  the 
  Indian. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  

   of 
  the 
  interview 
  he 
  was 
  told 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  forgetting 
  his 
  furs. 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  

   the 
  custom 
  of 
  our 
  people," 
  said 
  the 
  Indian, 
  " 
  that 
  what 
  a 
  visitor 
  

   sits 
  upon 
  is 
  his." 
  When 
  the 
  Indian's 
  totem 
  pole 
  was 
  erected 
  later 
  

   by 
  his 
  nephew, 
  the 
  former 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Interior 
  was 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  on 
  it 
  dressed 
  in 
  a 
  frock 
  coat, 
  stovepipe 
  hat, 
  and 
  checked 
  

   trousers. 
  

  

  The 
  story 
  is 
  told 
  of 
  another 
  pole, 
  also 
  located 
  at 
  Tongas. 
  This 
  

   pole 
  belonged 
  to 
  an 
  Indian 
  of 
  the 
  Bear 
  clan 
  (Teqoedi) 
  ; 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  

   family 
  protective 
  or 
  totemic 
  animal 
  crest 
  was 
  the 
  bear. 
  This 
  Indian 
  

   had 
  at 
  a 
  former 
  time 
  given 
  a 
  potlatch 
  or 
  feast 
  to 
  a 
  rival 
  chief 
  whose 
  

   crest 
  was 
  the 
  killer 
  whale. 
  The 
  rival 
  chief 
  lived 
  at 
  AVrangell 
  and 
  

   later, 
  through 
  drunkenness, 
  lost 
  all 
  his 
  property 
  so 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  

   not 
  give 
  a 
  potlatch 
  in 
  return, 
  which 
  was 
  the 
  customary 
  thing 
  for 
  him 
  

   to 
  do. 
  This 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  of 
  the 
  Bear 
  clan 
  was 
  incor- 
  

   porated 
  on 
  a 
  pole 
  erected 
  by 
  his 
  nephews 
  by 
  carvings 
  of 
  the 
  uncle's 
  

   bear 
  totem 
  biting 
  the 
  dorsal 
  fin 
  of 
  a 
  killer 
  Avhale. 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  totem 
  is 
  crowned 
  with 
  a 
  hat, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  rings 
  on 
  

   top 
  of 
  the 
  hat 
  indicate 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  important 
  feasts 
  the 
  owner 
  

   has 
  given. 
  No 
  clan, 
  or 
  member 
  of 
  a 
  clan, 
  may 
  adopt 
  the 
  totem 
  of 
  

   another 
  clan 
  with 
  impunity. 
  Once 
  a 
  clan 
  at 
  Sitka 
  (the 
  Luknaxadi) 
  

   began 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  frog 
  totem 
  which 
  was 
  claimed 
  by 
  the 
  Kiksadi. 
  This 
  

   was 
  resented 
  by 
  the 
  latter. 
  

  

  