THE INDIANS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST. 251 



tire the recognized head. Indeed, each household is in itself a subor- 

 dinate government. The head of it, through heredity, wealth, ability, 

 or otherwise, simply is recognized as a petty chief in the village. The 

 head chief merely overshadows in the extent of his influence the petty 

 chiefs. Often reverses of fortune turn the tables, and some decline in 

 influence while others rise. Often the alliance of the medicine men 

 is gained by purchase or by the sacrifice of private property, and the 

 chiefs and shamans combine to uphold each other in the respect and fear 

 of the community. Many bitter feuds grow out of the rivalries of house- 

 holds and gentes in the struggle for power and influence in the tribe. 

 Often a man is strong enough, like Chief Skowl of Kasa-an, to crush out 

 all opposition, or even, like Chief Skiddaus,* to extend his influence 

 beyond his own village through the ownership of valuable lands, or 

 through the necessities of war, and have his suzerainty recognized 

 by the chiefs of other villages. In a strict sense, however, the village 

 is the tribal unit. Alliances of tribes have always been only temporary, 

 and no lasting federation has ever been formed. Simpson, who visited 

 Alaska in 1841, says, of the rivalries of Chiefs Shakes and Qualkay, 

 at Fort Wrangell (Stikine), " though Shakes was the principal chief, 

 yet he had comparatively little influence ; while the second ruler in 

 the tribe (Qualkay) possessed a strong party in the village."t 



A chief, as a rule, is not treated Avith any very marked deference on 

 ordinary occasions excepting by his own household, but in ceremonies 

 a degree of state was formerly kept up, to impress visitors or strangers 

 with the importance and high rank of the dignitary. In the ceremonies 

 at the conclusion of peace between the Eussians and Indians at Sitka 

 (1804), Lisiansky states that the Indian chief who acted as an ambassa- 

 dor was either borne by his slaves upon a mat-carpet or rug, or carried 

 on the shoulders of his attendants, as become his rank, and not due to 

 any infirmity of the chief, for in the ceremonial dances which followed 

 he took a prominent part.| 



In early days the chief traded for all his tribe or household, subject 

 however, to the approval of those present ; but in recent years, with the 

 abolition of slavery and the influence of the whites, the authority of 

 the chiefs has been very much weakened. Instances are not rare 

 where medicine men or shamans have been head chiefs of villages. 



Freemen. — Below the chiefs come the freemen, who are the ordinary 

 people of the tribe composing the different households. Above these in 

 one sense, or above the petty chiefs for that matter, come the shamans 

 or medicine men. This rank, however, is in no sense political. They 

 are simply a class whose functions are largely religious. 



Slaves. — On our acquisition of the territory of Alaska in 1867 the 

 practice of slavery received its death-blow amongst the Indians. Pre- 



* Poole, Queen Charlotte Islauds, British Columbia, p. 108. 

 t Simpson, Journey Round the World, Vol. I, p. 212. 

 t Lisiansky, Voyages, p. 232. 



