REVIEWS OF RECENT LITERATURE. 353 
Kwakiutl lived in a series of village communities in which descent 
was reckoned in the male line. Each clan “developed a clan tra- 
dition which was founded on the acquisition of a manitou by the 
mythical ancestor, the manitou becoming heredity in the clan.” 
This manitou became attenuated to a crest which no longer descended 
in the male line, but may be given in marriage so that it descends 
upon the daughter’s children. The nobility includes only the heads 
of families who personate the mythical ancestor. 
Dr. Boas declares that the custom of the potlatch, which has been 
frequently described, has been thoroughly misunderstood by most 
observers. ‘The underlying principle is that of the interest-bearing 
investment of property.” Strenuous efforts are made to acquire a 
fortune by imposing loans which bear a ruinous rate of interest upon 
friends and thrusting them upon rivals. 
The authentic record of the traditions and the detailed account 
of the ceremonies of the secret societies, with the native nomen- 
clature, furnish valuable material for comparative studies and lay 
bare to us the thoughts of this group of aborigines. It is usually 
much easier to collect the totem post which stands before the door 
than to correctly record the myth which accounts for the character 
of that house post. Frequently the ritual is accounted for by several 
myths, and is therefore presumed to be older than the myths. The 
secret societies, by whom the rites are performed, are believed to 
have originated from the habits of warfare. 
e work is profusely illustrated and many songs and texts are 
given. 
The Graphic Art of the Eskimos.'— In an abundantly illustrated 
paper, Dr. Hoffman has described the graphic art of the Western 
Eskimos, and has shown that the Eskimos east of Point Barrow 
“exhibit but little artistic expression, this being chiefly confined to 
lines, dots, ‘and other similar rudimentary markings which are 
employed almost wholly for decorative purposes.” The evidence 
that has been accumulated proves pretty conclusively that the modern 
Eskimos of Western Alaska, among whom artistic expression in 
graphic delineation has reached its highest development, have learned 
to carve and etch with steel tools under the instruction of the 
Russians. This disposes of the theory which derives the Eskimos 
from the cave dwellers of Europe. 
1 Hoffman, W. J. The Graphic Art of the Eskimos. Ann. Rept. U. S. Nat. 
Mus 1895, pp. 739-968. 
