502 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. .vxx. ::i 



"Eagles are not eaten, for they eat corpses. 



"Supernatural devilfish are not eaten, for they eat unclean 



things. 

 " Fish with head at each end are not eaten, for they are terrible 



monsters. 

 "Lizards are not eaten, for they are ugly. 

 "Cranes are not eaten, for they eat unclean things. 

 "Weasels are not eaten, for they eat mice. 

 "Supernatural halibut are not eaten, for they ate princes of 



the Eagle group (see p. 271). 

 "Jellyfish are not eaten, for they are poisonous. 

 "Monster crayfish are not eaten, for they sting. 

 "This is all I remember about crests that are not eaten." 

 I conclude from these remarks that these taboos have nothing to 

 do with the idea of respect to be paid to the totem animal. 



Leonhard Adam ' interprets the present lack of respect shown to 

 the totem as a decline of totemism since Mayne's time. This view 

 is quite untenable, since neither the tales nor the views surviving 

 among the older generation give it any support. 



It seems to me fairly clear, from all the evidence that has been 

 given, that the crests are primarily symbols without any deep religious 

 significance. 



Furthermore, most of the crests are not species of animals, plants 

 or heavenly bodies, but highly specialized forms in which these beings 

 are used as crests. This is expressed in the lists that will be found 

 below, in which we find, for instance, "the beaver," but also "the 

 food of the copper beaver." Nothing shows the correctness of this 

 view more clearly than the fact that crests of this kind may be taken 

 away from a clan in war. Mr. Tate tells the following incident of 

 this kind : 



"Dzeba'sa., the head chief of the GispawadwE'da of Git-qxa'la, 

 owned the crest 'scalp with fins' (n!a'°gEm sa-go'lik), which was 

 worn as a cap. In a war Chief Nes-lo'°s of the Ganha'da killed one of 

 the G'it-qxS'la chiefs and cut off his head, keeping the scalp on it. 

 With it he obtained the war-song belonging to it; and since that time 

 both have been the property of Nes-l5'°s. 



"The crests were not the property of the whole clan, but the 

 head chiefs had the right to use all the crests of the whole exo- 

 gamic group. These head chiefs were Dzeba'sa of the Git-qxa'fa 

 (GispawadwE'da), LEge'°x of the Gi-spa-x-la'°ts (Eagle group), 

 Nes-ho'°t of the GidzExla'°l (Ganha'da), and Nes-lagunus of the 

 Git-la'n (Wolf group)." 



If a subordinate chief used a crest name or other clan property 

 without the consent of the head chief, trouble arose. The offense 



i Leonhard Adam, ]>. 209. 



