IM)IA.\S OF XOh'TU I'ACiriC COAST 



23 



Totem Poles 



The most strikinii' ohjoct is tlic <;r(';it Ilaida ('uiuk- 

 ill llic {'(Miter of the hull, in it is \)v'\n^^ 

 Haida Canoe constructed a <iroui) representing' a 

 l)arty of Chilkat Indians on the way to 

 celehrate the rite of the " j)()tlateli." The potlatch is 

 the ureat "^ixint;- ceremony," conniion to all the coast 

 tribes, wlien indi\i(hials and families <;la(lly impoverish 

 themselves that the dead may be honored, the em- 

 blem of the clan exalted and social standing recog- 

 nized or increased. At the stern of the canoe, which 

 is represented as approaching the beach, stands the 

 chief or " medicineman," who directs the ceremony. 

 The canoe is a huge dugout made from a single tree, is 

 64^ feet long and 8 feet wide and capable of carrying 

 40 men. 



Against the pillars and walls of the hall are many 

 house posts and totem poles with their 

 grotesqtie carvings; the latter may rep- 

 resent either the coat of arms or family tree, or they 

 may illustrate some story or legend connected with 

 the family. The Haida Indians together with the 

 Tlingit are recognized as superior in art to the other 

 Indian tribes along the northwest coast of North 

 America. They are divided into a number of families 

 with various crests for each family and grouped into 

 two main divisions, the Ravens and the Eagles. The 

 Tlingit are makers of the famous Chilkat 

 ^. , blankets, of which the Museum pos- 



sesses an exceptionally fine collection. 

 Among some of the other tribes there is little wool 

 weaving, the clothing consisting of shredded and 

 softened inner tree bark braided and matted together. 

 The Indians of this region are preeminently a wood- 

 working people, as is manifest in the exhibit. Re- 

 ligious ceremonies and the wearing of masks generally 

 supposed to aid the shaman or priest in 

 curing disease were customary among 

 most of the tribes. The masks repre- 

 sented guardian spirits and by wearing them the sha- 

 man impersonated these spirits. 



The north end of the hall is devoted to Eskimo 

 collections. The cases on the right show the manner of 



Religious 

 Ceremonies 



j 



Modern totem pole at 

 Wrangel, Alaska. Many 

 totem poles are huge ce- 

 dar carvings so old that 

 the Indians themselves 

 have forgotten their 

 meaning 



