ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 'J79 



anthropological investigations the important element of dissemination of 

 cultural elements. 



The decorative art of the Indians of the North PaciBc coast difl'ers 

 from the arts of otlier primitive people in that the process of conven- 

 tionalisation has not led to the development of geometric designs, but 

 that the ornaments mostly represent animals. It is generally assumed 

 that all the animal representations found on totem poles or on decorations 

 of househokl utensils and of wearing apparel represent the totems of the 

 various clans. While it is certainly true that in niost cases the artists 

 decorate the objects with the totem of the owner, there are a number 

 of cases in which th(; reason for applying certain animal designs is founded 

 ott other considerations. This is very evident in the case of tlie fish-club, 

 w^iich is used in despatching halibut and other fish Ijefore they are 

 hauled into the canoe. Almost all the clubs that 1 have seen represent 

 the sea-lion or the killer- whale - the two sea animals which an; most 

 feared by the Indians, and which kill those animals that are to be killed 

 bjr means of the club. The idea of giving the club the design of the 

 sea-lion or killer-whale is therefore ratlier to give it a form appropriate to 

 its function, and perhaps, secondarily, to give it by means of its form 

 great efficien'^;y. 



Anoth(;r instance in which a close relation exists between the function 

 .)f the (object and its design is that of the grease dish. Small grease 

 dishes have almost invariably the shape of the seal, oi- sometimes that of 

 the sea-lion ; that is, of those animals which furnish a vast amount of 

 blubber. Grease of sea animals is considered a sign of wealth. In many 

 cases abundance of food is described by saying that the sea near the 

 houses was covered with the grease of the s(jal, the sea-lion, and whales. 

 Thus the form of the seal seems to symbolise affluence. 



Other grease dishes and food dishes have Ihe form of canoes, and here, 

 I believe, a similar idea has given rise to thu form. The canoe symbolises 

 that a canoe load of food is present(;d to the guests, and that this view 

 is probably correct is imlicated by the fact that in his speeches thr; host 

 oftcm refers to the canoe filled with food whicli he gives to his guests. 

 The canoe form is often modified, and a whole series of types can be 

 established forming the transition between canoe dishes and ordinary 

 trays. Dishes of this sort always bear a conventionalised face at each 

 short end, while the middle part is not decorated. This is analogous to 

 the style of the decoration of the canoe. The design represents almost 

 always the hawk. I am not certain what has given origin to the 

 prevalence of this design. On the whole, the decoration of the canoe is 

 totemistic. It may be that it is only the peculiar manner in which tJre 

 beak of the hawk is represented which has given i-ise to the prevalence of 

 this decoration. The upper jaw of the hawk is always >;hown so that its 

 point reaches the lower jaw and turns back into the mouth. When 

 painted or carved in front view, the beak is indicated by a narrow wedge- 

 sliaped strip in the middle of the face, the point of which touches the 

 lower margin of the chin. The sharp bow and stern of a canoe with 

 a profile of a face on each side, when represented on a level or slightly 

 rounded sur-face, would assume the same shape. Therefore it may be 

 that originally the middle line was not the beak of the hawk, but the 

 foreshoi^ned bow or stf;rn of the canoe. This decoration is so uniform 

 that the explanation given here seems to be very probable. 



