134 b 



GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



wife of the dead man, but should he be already married, the nephew 

 or other relative on whom the succession would next devolve is 

 supposed to marry the relict. Should there be no relative to many 

 her, she may be married again to any other man. 



Totems. A single system of totems (Haida, kwalla) extends throughout the 



different tribes of the Haidas, Kaiganes, Tshimsians and neighbouring 

 peoples. The whole community is divided under the different totems, 

 and the obligations attaching to totem are not confined by tribal or 

 national iiinits. The totems found among these peoples are designated 

 by the eagle, wolf, croiv, black bear and fin-whale (or killer). The 

 two last-named are united, so that but four clans are counted in all. 

 The Haida names for these are, in order, koot, koo-ji, kitsi-naka and 

 sxa-nu-xa. The members of the different totems are generally pretty 

 equally distributed in each tribe. Those of the same totem are all 

 counted as it were of one family, and the chief bearing of the system 

 appears to be on marriage. -No one may marry in his or her own 

 totem, whether within or without their own tribe or nation. A 

 person of any particular totem may, however, marry one of any other 

 indifferently. The children follow the totem of the mother, save in 

 some very exceptional cases, when a child newly born may be given 

 to the father's sister to suckle. This is done to strengthen the totem 

 of the father when its number has become reduced. The child is then 

 spoken of as belonging to the aunt, but after it attains a certain age 

 may be returned to the real mother to bring up. 



An Indian on arriving at a strange village, where he may apprehend 

 hostility, would look for a house indicated by its carved post as 

 belonging to his totem, and make for it. The master of the house 

 coming out, may if he likes make a dance in honour of his visitor, but 

 in any case protects him from all injury. In the same way, should an 

 Indian be captured as a slave by some warlike expedition, and brought 

 into the village of his captors, it behoves any one of his totem, either 

 man or woman, to present themselves to the captors, and singing a 

 certain sacred song, offer to redeem the captive. Blankets and other 

 property are given for this purpose. Should the slave be given up, 

 the redeemer sends him back to his tribe, and the relatives pay the 

 redeemer for what he has expended. Should the captors refuse to 

 give up the slave for the property offered, it is considered rather 

 disgraceful to them. This at least is the custom pursued in regard to 

 captives included in the same totem system as themselves by the 

 Tshimsians, and it is doubtless identical or very similar among the 

 Haidas, though no special information on this subject was obtained 

 from them. 



Tattooing. Tattooing, as already mentioned, is universal among the Haidas, 



Totems and 

 slavery. 



