44 
words in a traditional song in the myth of Frog-woman describe the relation 
of Copper-smell with the Chief-frog: “The large Frog said, I am sad at 
heart; although I have been saved, my body is now copper-like.” The 
graphic symbol for Copper-smell in the first of the two poles offers a puzzle. 
The six small objects in three layers are exact representations of as many 
steel strike-a-lights, such as were introduced by the French Canadians in 
the early days of the fur trade. It is quite likely that the natives at first 
did not keenly distinguish between steel, iron, and copper — native copper 
being the only metal presumably known to them in prehistoric times; 
and that the picture of a steel implement may have evoked among the 
natives the notion of the magic piece of copper found in the lake. 
The Haida canoe and the three faces within symbolize the adventure 
of Lutraisuh, her Haida husband, and their war-like son Nseqt. Although 
this is not really the crest of Laelt, but of Arhkawt of the same tribe, its 
use here is not altogether unjustified; there may have been, besides, special 
reasons for its display on this pole. Laelt and Arhkawt both are descend- 
ants of Ksemrhsan, now of Gitlarhdamks, on the upper Nass. 
The Mawdzeks or Eagle was secured as a crest by the ancestors of 
Laelt, ^ while they camped at Sitting-between-two-mountains (LusparceVat)^ 
at the edge of Copper river, a tributary of the Skeena. It appeared to 
them early in the morning, first after daylight, in the form of a giant in the 
distance, at the top of a big mountain. They did not discern his features, 
on account of the mist, but decided to use him as a crest.® 
The White-groundhog crest (' Maskweeyuk ) was obtained at Canyon- 
water (Kselarh-tselasut), a stream that runs through the hunting-grounds 
of Laelt. Tarhtsuh, a member of this family, once killed white ground- 
hogs in a mystic adventure and adopted them as emblems. Two songs 
allude to this experience of the past; one of these contains the words: 
“I am longing to move on to another place .... Who knows what the 
Groundhog of the canyon has done to me.” 
The Beaver ( Tsemcelih ) was introduced on the older of the two poles 
as the signature of the carver, Gitrhawn,® of the Eagle phratry at Kitsalas. 
The Half-of-bear crest (Hrtsarawm-tsem-smaih) was not originally 
a crest of this family, but was secured in compensation for a murder. 
Tseelaerant, of the Kisgagas tribe,'* once® murdered two women of Laelt 's 
household, named Neetawts and Nawrhs'untks. In the ceremony of com- 
pensation that took the place of retaliation, one of Tsilaerant’s crests — 
the Bear-cut-in-half — was handed over to Laelt as “blood money” (Ksee- 
suh ) for his exclusive use.® 
iThis is according to Lffilt's own account. 
*The Mawdzeks crest here is evidently related to that of other Ijnrhsail families on the upper Skeena; its origin 
through conquest is explained on page 37); but it is supposed here to have originated separately. This crest may 
have Been the property of some Gitksan families even before Nseqt conquered one of its form among the Kitamat. 
*The Beaver is his principal crest. 
*Of the family of Yesyerh, of the Wolf phratry. 
‘"Not very long ago, before my time” (Lselt). 
•Alfred Sinclair, another informant, was under the presumably faulty impression that this pole had been erected 
by Willits of Gitwinlkul, who had carved his crest on the pole as a signature. 
