SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE NASS RIVER INDIANS. 
3 
TRIBES AND VILLAGES. 
The Tsimshian tribes of Nass river are known collectively 
as nisqa na . Though held together by identity of language and 
common interest, they can hardly be said to form a political 
entity, each tribe being an independent unit and occupying its 
own village or villages. There are four of these tribes, occupying 
villages along the Nass in the following order, beginning with the 
mouth of the river: 
(1.) fedxate ,n “people of (fish) traps,” located at the mouth 
of the river. They occupy the two villages of kcnyo'l'x “place 
of scalps”, or Kincolith, and laxqaltsa'p “old village site” (literally 
“on the town”), or Greenville. The former village is said to be 
so named because the scalps of enemies used to be dried there. 
(2.) fedgigc'nix “people further up stream” (from the 
point of view of the preceding tribe). Their village is named 
lax'anla' 3 “mountain slide.” They are considered the main 
tribe of the Nass River Indians. 
(3.) fedwatikcrlk* “people of home-of -lizards” (from kcdk u 
“lizard”). They used to inhabit the old village of kdwankct'lk *, 
from which the tribe receives its name. At present they are 
located at lax u l ’y&'ns “under leaf”, or Underleaf, a recently 
established village situated across the river from the old one. 
(4.) fed'anwc'l'kc “people moving regularly from and back 
to their home village.” The name refers to their periodic de- 
scent to the mouth of the river to get olachen (sa‘%'), but no 
other fish. They occupy the two villages of fydlaxla'^nitkc 
“village on ponds,” or Gitlakdamix, and ’ a'yd'ns “leaves coming 
out,” or Aiyansh. The latter is a new village (only about 
forty years old), to which most of the inhabitants of the tribe 
have moved over, few being left at the older village of 
%dlax(a m,a mikc. 
PHRATRIES, CLANS, AND CRESTS. 
The Nass River Indians, like their southern neighbours, the 
Tsimshian proper, are divided into four exogamous phratries 
(p'te-'q'*) with maternal descent, i.e,, the crests and other privi- 
