QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS. 137 B 



among the houses of the village, are found at their evening meal. 

 Business does not seem to occupy their attention; they will remain 

 here several days to talk about that. 



Arts and Architecture, 



Under this special heading a few points may be taken up, some of 

 which have already been incidentally referred to in general terms. 



The primitive sea-otter or seal skin cloak of the Haidas has already 

 been described in extracts quoted from old authors, together with the 

 dressed skin undershirt (p. 106, B), while of the armour of skin and split 

 sticks little can now be learnt. The naxin, or dancing shawls made by D o a s ^| 

 the Tshimsians, so much prized, and have been described, and the 

 head-clress worn at the same time with the naxin mentioned. This 

 consists essentially of a small, nearly flat mask (one in my possession 

 is 6 inches long by 5f wide, and is represented in Fig. 4), fixed to an 

 erection of cedar bark, feathers, &c, in such a manner as to stand 

 erect above the forehead of the woman. At the back depends a train, 

 which may be made of cloth, but should have ermine skins sewn on 

 it. These masks are frequently well carved to represent a human 

 face not unpleasant in expression, and have the teeth and eyes formed 

 of inlaid Haliotis shell. 



On ordinary occasions a head-covering is usually dispensed with, Basket-work 

 unless it be some old hat of European style. The women, never- 

 theless, make, and occasionly wear, the peculiar basket-work hats 

 common on the coast. These have the form of a rather obtuse cone, 

 of which the sides are hollowed and the apex truncated. They are 

 generally ornamented by painting in black, blue or red, in the 

 conventional style common among these people. The feet are almost 

 invariabl} 7 " bare. 



Leggins ornamented with puffin beaks have been referred to as Ornaments of 

 occasionally adopted as a part of the dancing costume. A species of pu n 

 castinet or rattle (one of which is represented in Fig. 25,) is also made 

 from these for use in dancing. Each beak is threaded to a thin strip 

 of sinew, and they are then attached at short intervals to the circum- 

 ference of each of a couple of thin wooden hoops, the diameter of the 

 larger of which may be 8 or 9 inches ; of the smaller a little less. A 

 cross-bar connects the two hoops, and being held in the hand, a slight 

 motion in rotation being imparted by the wrist, causes the dry, horny 

 beaks to rattle together. 



Masks are to be found in considerable numbers in all the villages, Masks, 

 and though I could hear that they were employed in a single dance 

 only, it is probable that there may be other occasions for their use. 

 The masks may be divided into two classes — the first, those which 



