374 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



niony of welcome nt a village i.s reDdered practical ly in the assistance 

 which they lend in helping to nnload and hanl np the cano<' of the vis- 

 itors. Official ceremonies of welcome tp guests by a chief consists in 

 the reception of the visitors in state in his house or lodge. To make it 

 impressive he sits cross-legged on the ledge or platform, surrounded by 

 his friends and relatives, who squat about. On the arrival of the guests 

 the chief delivers a long speech, interspersed with sudden outbursts 

 and gruiits of approval by his people. After that an exchange of pres- 

 ents takes place and a feast or dance is given in honor of the visitors. 

 When a party of friendly Indians arrive at a village the chief receives 

 them in a dance ceremony performed by himself. Their canoes are 

 hauled up on the beach by the villagers, but the chief does not come 

 down to meet them. He stands near the fire in the back of the house 

 dressed as in Plate ix, with the top of his headdress filled with swan's 

 down. As the visitors enter, the people sitting about the fire break 

 forth into a song, accompanied by a drnm, and the chief makes his2J«s 

 seul, scattering the down, filling the air, and covering the spectators. 

 In the case of an Indian arriving at a strange village, he goes to the 

 house of one of his totem as indicated by its totemic column. The 

 owner comes out to welcome him, and if he likes makes a dance and a 

 feast in honor of his visitors. Guests arriving to take i)iirtin some gen- 

 eral ceremony are entertained by the relatives of the host and of his 

 wife. 



Trade. — The ceremonies attending trading in the early days of the 

 intercourse of the Europeans and Indians have been described in Chap- 

 ter viii. They really differed little from the general ceremonies of wel- 

 come, but were intended to impress the visitors with a due sense of the 

 rank and importance of the head of the household. The time thus 

 spent by the Indians in dancing, singing, etc., was a source of great an- 

 noyance to the traders, who were generally eager to transact their busi- 

 ness and seek other villages while the good season lasted. 



Sousehuilding. — In Chapter vi, under the head of " Haida perma- 

 nent dwellings," the process of erecting a house is described in detail. 

 Through the kindness of Mr. Henry Elliott we have in Plate lxx an 

 excellent sketch, made at Fort Simpson, British Columbia, in October, 

 1866, illustrating a house-raising by a party of Haida who had secured 

 permission from the Tsimshian Indians to erect it near their village for 

 the accommodation of visiting Haida. This spirited sketch by Mr. El- 

 liott has remained in his portfolio for twenty-two years, and is now 

 published for the first time. The immense size of the beams and planks 

 used necessitates the co-operation of many individuals, and the occa- 

 sion of their gathering from other villages is made as enjoyable as pos- 

 sible. The great labor and expense involved requires the whole proc- 

 ess to extend over a period of several years. The cutting and rough- 

 ing out of the timbers in the forest, the launching of these and towing 

 to the village, the carving of the totemic column and supports for the 



