88 
Qaugyaeren. Their myth, in which the birth of their ancestors in the sky 
from Skawah is explained, traces back their legendary origin to Gitkimilse. 
This place, where an ancient village is said to have stood, is located about 
20 miles above Gitlarhdamks, on the upper Nass. The name of their 
ancestor was Ligi-yu’en, one of Skawah's sons. In their migrations the 
descendants of the Sky-born brothers passed overland from the Nass to 
the Skeen a. Their families are supposed then to have settled together 
at Temlaham, thence to have explored the river in search of food, particu- 
larly of salmon, some up Skeena and Kispayaks (Kispiox) rivers, others 
down the Skeena as far as the seacoast. As they peregrinated along the 
Skeena various branches of their family established their houses at scattered 
points, where their posterity is found at the present day. Kweeyaihl is 
said to have journeyed down the Skeena with Sqagyaihl as far as the 
canyon of Kitsalas, thence to have returned to Temlaham. Later he 
joined the outlaw and fugtive Ysel, and with him and other leaders founded 
the independent tribe of Kispayaks at Gitangwalk, up Kispayaks river. 
From traditions rather than from crests it appears that Kweeyaihl 
and his relatives abroad belong to a subdivision of the Sky clan, that is 
to a branch quite apart from those of Gurhsan, Ksrarom-larhae, and 
Wawsemlarhae, on the upper Skeena.^ Their sub-clan may be called 
Gitkimilse, from the location of their village of origin. 
The family of Kweeyaihl owns two totem-poles and a carving on a 
platform, all three of which still stand in the village of Kispayaks. 
DESCRIPTION 
The first pole stands at the rear of the platform and is named Tsenaa- 
nurh (Plate XVI, figure 5; Plate XVII, figure 1) a mythical being, or 
several small human beings, the name of which means “Crazy.” The 
figures consist of: Tsenaanurh thrice repeated, at the bottom, the centre, 
and the top of the pole; and the Rskaimsem, Thunder-bird or Golden-eagle 
of the mountains, twice repeated. From the hands of the uppermost 
Tsenaanurh is suspended a small human being; and on his head appears 
what seems to be a crown or headdress, presumably of claws. 
The second pole, in front of the platform (Plate XVII, figure 2), is 
known under the name of the Prince-of-Blackfish ( Lkuwalkselkem’noBrhl ). 
It contains the following emblems: The Thunder-Bird, Rskaimsem; a 
large, human-like Tsenaanurh; three smaller Tsenaanurh, one of them 
larger than the two others under him; the Thunder-bird holding a groundhog 
in his claws; two white Otters Mas-watserh) head downwards; Tsenaa- 
nurh; and, at the bottom, the Prince-of-Blackfish, with a long, protruding 
fin. 
The Grizzly-bear-of-the-Sea ( Medeegem-dzawey'aks ) stands on the 
platform between the two poles (Plate XVII, figure 3). 
•Here is a list of his foreign relatives as given by the present Kweeyaihl (John Brown, of Kispayaks): Tsak (or 
Tawisemtsak), of Babine, among the Carriers; 'Weelarhse and Tseebasse, of Gitwinksilk, on the Nass; Hail, of 
Gitrhahla, on the seacoast; Nees-naw® (or earlier, Nees-nawee), of the Gillodzar tribe, on the Skeena; and Nees- 
tarhawk, of Kitsalas. 
Another list, quite similar, although with some discrepancies, was obtained at Kitsalas from the present Nees* 
tarhawk (George Wright): Nees-naw®, of the Gillodzar; Tseebes®, of Gitrhahla (there is also a chief of that nam® 
here): Nees-wffirhs, of Ginahdawk; Haots, of Kitsemrffilem; Nees-wrorhs, of Kitsalas; Gurhsan, Harhpegwawtu. 
and Weegyet ,of Gitsegyukla; and Q®1, of Kispayaks. 
