820 REPORT — 1889. 



their totems, I shall give abstracts of some of them. The following are 

 from the Tsimshian. 



The Bear Oens. — An Indian went mountain-goat tnnting. When he 

 had reached a remote mountain range he met a black bear, who took 

 him to his home, taught him how to catch salmon and how to build boats. 

 Two years the man stayed with the bear ; then he returned to his village. 

 All people were afraid of him, for he looked just like a bear. One man, 

 however, caught him and took him home. He could not speak, and 

 could not eat anything but raw food. Then they rubbed him with magic 

 herbs, and he was retransformed into the shape of a man. Thenceforth, 

 when he was in want, he went into the woods, and his friend the bear 

 helped him. In winter, when the rivers were frozen, he caught plenty of 

 salmon. He built a house, and painted the bear on the front of it. His 

 sister made a dancing-blanket, the design of which represented a bear. 

 Therefore the descendants of his sister use the bear for their crest. 



The Whale Gens. — TsErEmsa'aks went out fishing. After he had been 

 out three days without having caught a single fish, he cast anchor at the 

 base of a steep hill. His anchor fell upon the house of the whale, who drew 

 the boat to the bottom of the sea. Two years he remained with the whale, 

 who taught him his dance, and gave him the ornaments of his house. 

 When TsErEmsa'aks returned he was grown all over with seaweed. The 

 time which he had stayed at the bottom of the sea had seemed to him two 

 days, but he had been there two years. He built a house, and painted 

 the whale upon its front. He also used the mask and the blanket of 

 the whale when dancing. Since that time the descendants of his sisters 

 use this design. 



There is another tale belonging to the Raven Gens of the Tsimshian : 

 Taqagwono'osk was the descendant of a man who had been taken to the 

 bottom of the ocean like TsErEmsa'aks. He was a great chief, and once 

 invited all chiefs of the whole earth to a great feast, which was to be cele- 

 brated at Nass River. All the monsters of the whole coast came, using 

 whales (JDelphinus orca) for their boats. They were so numerous that the 

 river was full of them. They landed and entered Taqagwono'osk's house. 

 Whenever one of them opened the door water flowed into the house. 

 Each wore his peculiar clothing. The first to enter was Kuwa'k 

 (this and the following names are those of dangerous points and 

 of rapids). He was followed by Tlkwats'a'q, KntEpwe'n, Ktlkuo'l, 

 Spaed'ana'kt, Kspaha'watlk. These last were very dangerous, and 

 used to kill everyone passing their houses. The most dangerous monsters 

 were seated in the' rear of the house, the others around the platform 

 nearer the door. The next to enter was Lak'anpEtse'qtl. He wore a 

 head-ring, which was made of twigs that passers-by used to give him in 

 order to secure his good-will. Then came WulnEbalg'atlso'ks and 

 WudE'ano'n (^great hands). Taqagwono'osk gave everyone what he 

 liked best : fat, tobacco, red paint, and eagle-down. All present promised 

 to abstain henceforth from killing people, and after their return removed 

 from the track of the canoes plying between the villages. Yaqagwono'osk 

 imitated the dresses of all his guests, and since that time he used them. 

 His descendants, therefore, have all the sea-monsters on their heraldic 

 columns. 



These legends, of which I have given a few examples, do not belong 

 to the whole gens, but to a subdivision of the same. Only the descendants 

 in the female line of the ancestor who had an adventure of the kind 



