200 YEARBOOK, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE [Vol. II. 



whom married Raven chiefs. When Labret- Woman's husband died, 

 she induced the Rose Spit chief to marry her by using certain charms, 

 and from this union originated many of the Eagle famiUes of the 

 northern, eastern and western towns of the Haida, including that whose 

 crests are seen on this pole. 



The almost total decadence of this art of carving among the North- 

 west Coast tribes and the fact that now nearly all of the important 

 totem poles have either fallen into decay or have been taken as museum 

 specimens to foreign countries, makes it extremely difficult, in fact, al- 

 most impossible, to secure a representative totem pole at the present 

 time. Milwaukee is, therefore, more than fortunate to have so fine an 

 example of this aboriginal sculptural art which is so rapidly vanishing 

 from the Northwest Coast, the only place in the world where it ever 

 flourished. 



