35 
or more in length, and contain a large number of heraldic figures. Their 
carving is far more characteristic of the Nass River art than of that of 
the Skeena; indeed, the carvers of the first two, possibly also the third, ^ 
were from the Nass. These poles are also among the oldest, being around 
fifty or sixty years old. A few of them are hollowed out at the back (No. 
5 and possibly No. 3). In the pole of Eagle-person (No. 2), the artist 
resorted to an unusual device, that of adding on to the upper part of the 
pole another section, by means of pegs; and the head of Eagle-person is 
carved from the larger end of the log, so that the log is placed upside down 
on the pole. Thus the pole is wider at the top than it is about midway 
down. In a very few other poles, the whole log is planted upside down, 
so as to give more slope for the carving at the top; but this is the only 
example of planting the tree in its normal state and then adding a section 
of another tree. The excellence of the figures at the lower end of the Cane 
(No. 3)^ — ^Starfish-persoii and Frog-woman — is seldom surpassed elsewhere. 
(2) Poles of Wistis or Rarhs-rabarhs, at Gitsegyiikla 
OWNERS 
The family of Wistis or Rarhs-rabarhs form part of what may be 
termed the Tongue-licked (Nccqt ) clan of the Larhsail phratry. They 
consider the other members of this clan abroad as their own blood relatives, 
and they formed part, until fairly recently, of the family of Nrcqt, the 
famous warrior of the Ta’awdzep fortress. This claim is reciprocated by 
the other branches of the clan. Their relatives at large arc: Ksemrhsan, 
of Gitlarhdamks, on the upper Nass, Hlengwah, of Kitwanga, insofar only 
as he represents the Nseqt or Arhkwat family amalgamated with his 
own; and Nfeqt or Haray, of Kispayaks. 
The circumstances of the separation of Wistis from the family of 
Hlengwah and Arhkawt are well remembered; they are recent. According 
to the present Rarhs-rabarhs, ^ his ancestors once lived at Gitlusaek (People- 
of-pulling-in-fish-nets), below Kitwanga on the Skeena, near the place 
where now stands Cedarvale. The name of their chief was Big-eagle 
(Wee-rhskycek). From there they moved on to Place-of-Otter (Gun- 
watserh); later, to the Ta’awdzep fortress, where they became part of 
Hlengwah’s household; and finally, to Kitwanga. While they were living 
at the Fortress, some women of this family became the wives of Ksrarom- 
larhaj’s nephews, a Fireweed chief of Gitsegyukla. A relative of Hleng- 
wah meanwhile came up from Kitsalas and was accepted as a member of 
his household. But he eventually proved to be a sorcerer (haldaogyet), 
whose black art caused the death of some people around him. Rarhs- 
rabarhs, frightened, left Kitwanga with his family. He was well received 
at Gitsegyukla by Ksrarom-larha?, on account of marriage ties already 
existing between the two families, and settled there, thus becoming a per- 
manent member of the tribe. 
Wistis or Rarhs-rabarhs owns two totem poles, which stand at the 
river’s edge, the first in the line at the upper end of the old village. 
'In spite of the opinion given that No. 3 was the work of Nees-laranowa, of Gitwinlkul. Ttie work of thi.s carver, 
aa repre.sented in the newer pole No. 5— Raven-drum— does not reach the same degree of escellence. 
*Simon Turner, of Gitsegyukla. 
