280 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



An illustration still more abhorrent to our feelings 

 of the alien character of the father is given by 

 Mr. J. C. Callbreath as occurring within his own 

 experience among the Tahl-tan of British Columbia. 

 " Kinship," he says, "so far as marriage or inheritance 

 of property goes, is with the mother exclusively ; and 

 the father is not considered a relative by blood. At 

 his death his children inherit none of his property, 

 which all goes to the relatives on his mother's side. 

 Even though a man's father or his children may be 

 starving, they would get none of his property at his 

 death. I have known an instance where a rich Indian 

 would not go out, or even contribute to send others 

 out, to search for his aged and blind father who was 

 lost and starving in the mountains. Not counting his 

 father as a relative, he said : ' Let his people go and 

 search for him.' Yet this man was an over-average 

 good Indian." 1 The Haida of Queen Charlotte 

 Islands are divided into two strictly exogamic clans, 

 the Raven and the Eagle. Marriage within the clan 

 was viewed " almost as incest is by us. On the other 

 hand, the members of the opposite clan were frequently 

 considered downright enemies. Even husbands and 

 wives did not hesitate to betray each other to death in 

 the interests of their own families. At times it almost 

 appears as if each marriage were an alliance between 

 opposite tribes ; a man begetting offspring rather for 

 his wife than for himself, and being inclined to see his 

 real descendants rather in his sister's children than in 

 his own. They it was who succeeded to his position 

 and carried down his family line." 



1 Quoted by Dr. Dawson, Ann. Rep. Geolog. Survey Canada, 1887, 

 p. 7 of offprint. * S wanton, Jesup Exped. v. 62. 



