﻿INDIAN 
  VILLAGES 
  OF 
  ALASKA 
  KRIEGER 
  493 
  

  

  slits. 
  The 
  forehead 
  rises 
  in 
  a 
  triangular-shaped 
  lobe, 
  while 
  the 
  down- 
  

   ward 
  curved 
  mouth 
  is 
  drawn 
  back, 
  exposing 
  sharp, 
  triangular 
  teeth. 
  

   Fish 
  are 
  always 
  distinguished 
  by 
  their 
  fins. 
  

  

  The 
  killer 
  whale 
  is 
  characterized 
  by 
  a 
  blowhole, 
  a 
  large 
  mouth 
  set 
  

   with 
  teeth, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  dorsal 
  fin. 
  The 
  sculpin 
  has 
  two 
  spines 
  over 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  and 
  a 
  continuous 
  dorsal 
  fin. 
  

  

  Animals 
  are 
  indicated 
  by 
  erect 
  ear 
  bosses 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  

   head 
  carving. 
  The 
  beaver 
  usually 
  has 
  a 
  stick 
  in 
  its 
  mouth, 
  also 
  hold- 
  

   ing 
  it 
  betv»^een 
  its 
  paws. 
  The 
  large 
  projecting 
  incisor 
  teeth 
  and 
  scaly 
  

   flat 
  tail 
  are 
  further 
  characteristics. 
  Certain 
  mythical 
  water 
  mon- 
  

   sters 
  may 
  take 
  on 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  forms; 
  they 
  are 
  often 
  difficult 
  to 
  dis- 
  

   tinguish 
  from 
  animal 
  figures, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  beaver 
  or 
  the 
  bear, 
  while 
  

   they 
  are 
  represented 
  as 
  having 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  killer 
  whale, 
  including 
  

   gills 
  and 
  dorsal 
  fins. 
  

  

  "Wlien 
  carving 
  in 
  the 
  round, 
  the 
  principle 
  of 
  dissection 
  is 
  intro- 
  

   duced 
  hj 
  the 
  native 
  artist. 
  This 
  is 
  carried 
  out 
  on 
  totem 
  poles 
  and 
  on 
  

   many 
  other 
  objects. 
  On 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  carved 
  object 
  appear 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  animal 
  totem 
  that 
  are 
  most 
  characteristic 
  arranged 
  as 
  space 
  

   and 
  requirements 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  tlie 
  object, 
  as 
  a 
  food 
  dish 
  or 
  for 
  

   some 
  other 
  purpose, 
  permit. 
  An 
  animal 
  in 
  such 
  case 
  appears 
  as 
  

   though 
  it 
  were 
  split 
  longitudinally, 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  profiles 
  are 
  joined 
  

   at 
  the 
  front 
  and 
  rear, 
  thus 
  forming 
  head 
  and 
  tail. 
  

  

  Decline 
  of 
  northwest 
  coast 
  Indian 
  art. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  art 
  of 
  the 
  north- 
  

   west 
  coast 
  Indian 
  tribes 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished 
  four 
  essential 
  elements 
  

   or 
  fields 
  of 
  application. 
  First, 
  painting 
  and 
  ornamentation; 
  second, 
  

   conventional 
  design 
  ; 
  third, 
  realistic 
  design 
  ; 
  and, 
  fourth, 
  architecture. 
  

   As 
  it 
  is 
  essentially 
  tribal 
  mythology 
  and 
  clan 
  totems 
  that 
  are 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  it 
  becomes 
  no 
  longer 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  a 
  primitive 
  art. 
  The 
  well- 
  

   developed 
  mythology 
  and 
  totemic 
  lore 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  tribes 
  of 
  south- 
  

   east 
  Alaska 
  indicate 
  a 
  degree 
  of 
  social 
  organization 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  Maya, 
  Inca, 
  and 
  Aztec. 
  The 
  early 
  stages 
  of 
  development 
  must 
  

   have 
  passed 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  man 
  to 
  the 
  North 
  

   Pacific. 
  His 
  coming, 
  or 
  rather 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  iron 
  and 
  steel 
  tools, 
  

   facilitated 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  totemic 
  and 
  mythological 
  carvings 
  for 
  

   a 
  time 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  interfere 
  with 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  totemic 
  me- 
  

   morial 
  and 
  mortuary 
  columns. 
  De 
  la 
  Perouse 
  in 
  1786 
  found 
  the 
  

   Tlingit 
  in 
  possession 
  of 
  knives 
  of 
  native 
  copper, 
  and 
  also 
  of 
  soft 
  iron, 
  

   the 
  latter, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  trading 
  posts 
  of 
  the 
  interior. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  only 
  with 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  the 
  missionary 
  and 
  the 
  substitution 
  

   of 
  the 
  white 
  man's 
  burial 
  practices 
  for 
  the 
  traditionally 
  native 
  Avays 
  

   that 
  the 
  decline 
  of 
  their 
  totemic 
  art 
  began. 
  When 
  the 
  Indian 
  learned 
  

   to 
  look 
  at 
  his 
  art 
  through 
  the 
  eyes 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  race, 
  he 
  no 
  longer 
  con- 
  

   structed 
  totemic 
  images 
  after 
  the 
  old 
  fashion, 
  and 
  the 
  decline 
  of 
  

  

  