6 THE HAIDAH INDIANS OP 



{octopus), noo, and the frog, Tl-kam-lcostan, were copied from the tattooed marks on 

 Kitkagens ; the skamson or slmmsquin on his back, the noo on front of each thigh, 

 and the Tl-ka77i-kostan on each ankle. 



The designs which I have copied and described are but a portion of the whole 

 which were tattooed on the persons of this party; but the limited time they remained 

 did not enable me to make a very extended examination. Enough, however, has 

 been obtained to show that this subject is one of great ethnological value, and if 

 followed up with zeal and intelligence would be certain to produce interesting 

 results. 



The method by which I determined with accuracy the meaning of these various 

 carvings and tattoo designs was by natural objects, by alcoholic specimens of frogs 

 and crayfish, by dried specimens, by carvings of bears and seals, and by pictures, 

 and by the mythological drawings of similar objects which I had previously obtained 

 and determined among the Makahs. 



The Haidahs, in explaining to me the meaning of their various designs, pointed 

 to the articles I had, and thus proved to me what they meant to represent. 



The tattoo marks of the codfish,* squid, humming-bird, etc., never could have 

 been determined from any resemblance to those objects, but by having the spe- 

 cimens and pictures before me they could easily point each one out. Nor was I 

 satisfied until I had submitted my drawings to other Indians, and proved by their 

 giving the same names to each, that my first informant had told me correctly. 

 The allegorical meaning, however, will require for determination time and careful 

 study. Indians are very peculiar in giving information relative to their myths and 

 allegories. Even when one is well acquainted with them and has their confidence, 

 much caution is required, and it is useless to attempt to obtain any reliable infor- 

 mation unless they are in the humor of imparting it. 



I have observed another peculiarity among the Haidahs. They do not seem to 

 have any particular standard style of drawing their figures ; consequently, unless a 

 person is familiar enough with the general idea to be conveyed, it would be diffi- 

 cult to determine the meaning either of a carving or drawing, unless the Indian 

 was present to explain what he intended to represent. For instance. Figs. 6 and 16 

 are drawn by two different Indians, and both represent the frog. The bear, beaver, 

 and Wasko or wolf, are different in the carvings from the tattoo designs, and so of 

 other tattoo figures. Still, there are certain peculiarities which, once known, will 

 enable one readily to determine what the correct meaning is. I have even known 

 the Indians themselves to be at a loss to tell the meaning of a design. I will cite 

 one instance illustrative of this. One of the Haidahs brought me a bone which 

 he had rudely carved to resemble an animal ; I pronounced it without hesitation to 

 be a lizard. He said he Avould leave it with me till the next day, and would then 

 tell me what it was. I showed it to several Indians in the mean time, and they 

 thought as I did, that it was a lizard or newt. Any person on the Atlantic coast 

 would have pronounced it an alligator. After we had exhausted our guessing, 

 the Indian who carved it said it was an otter, and pointed to its teeth which were 

 the only distinguishing features to prove that it was not a lizard or a crocodile. 



The carvings of the pillars are thought by many persons to resemble Chinese or 



