100 
Qsel, and took his red paint and painted on the house-posts of Su'ens the 
picture of the Grizzly-bear-of-the-water, thus conferring it upon him as 
a crestd 
Neither was the Grizzly-bear- woman (Hanarein-ynedeek) originally in 
his possession. Qsel secured it fairly recently from some Tsimsyan who 
had come up the river to trade.^ The Grizzly-bear-woman was not a 
crest in the first place, but a narhnawh with a mask, in other words, a 
personal name coupled with a semi-mythic concept. But after its adop- 
tion here it was transformed into a regular crest. 
The Dzaraurhlaw or “Glass-nose” crest is considered the property of 
various Wolf families in the three Tsimsyan nations. The specific reason 
why it has been used in recent times, in Qsel's family, by Lan in particular, 
could not be recorded. It is described by an informant’’ as consisting of 
small human beings with very long noses. The Leading-in (Lu'ayorh) 
crest resembles the “Glass-nose” in many respects. Both of these, in 
the first place, were totem pole devices which served as ceremonial entrance 
to the feast house. The guests had to enter through the wide open mouth 
of the monster, whose jaws would close if the visitor were unwelcome. 
It was owned by some Wolf families of the Tsimsyan'* and the Nisrae’ 
under the same name {See page 175). Besides, it belonged to Nees-Hlke- 
meek and Neespints of the Gillodzar tribe,® under both the name of To- 
swallow (lyawprk) and Glass-nose (Dzarauhlaw ). We also find it under 
the name of The-adviser (Lii^ayaaurh) — a wooden man on a totem pole — ■ 
in a list of crests for Nees-tarhawk;^ or under the name of The-hole-through- 
the-sky (Wulnaqaq-larhw ), a ceremonial entrance into the feast house, 
in the possession of Hlararh of Gitsemroelem, a relative of Nees-tarhawk. 
This device, therefore, may have been obtained by QjeI, of Kispayaks, 
either from his mid-Skeena phratric relatives, or from the Wolf families 
of the Nisrte or the seacoast Tsimsyan. We may note here that Qael’s 
group is probably the only one that corresponds to the description once 
given us of the Kispayaks® Fireweeds, that they are considered as relatives 
of the Wolves and are called upon to help in their feasts; this even to the 
extent of precluding marriage between their members. 
FUNCTION 
The Leading-in ( Lu^ayorh J pole was erected about fifty years ago 
in commemoration of a former Qael. The Big-snake pole was erected 
about twenty years later for his successor. 
The Grizzly-bear-of-thc-water and the Blackfish were brought out 
at the same time, about thirty years ago, also as a memorial to Qsel, 
while he was still alive. 
•Informant Isaac Tasns, Ilazelton. Although the Blackfish was not mentioned it is likely to have been pre- 
eented to Qael at live same time. The two crests are otherwise often associated together. 
*The identity of these Tsimsyan traders was not remembered. 
*Jimmy Williams, Nurhs. 
‘Hlebeksk, of Gitrhalila, and Asaralysen, of Gitsees. 
‘The I.eading-in of Skatcen (Wolf phratry, Gitlarhdamks) was described as “a myth, not a crest,” 
*Of the Gispwudwada phratry, which corresponds to the Fireweed among the Gitksan. 
^According to William Brown, of Ilazelton, formerly of Kitsalas, whose information may not bo wholly relied 
upon, owing to his having lived away from his tribe most of his life, 
•John Brown described him as the "first Qsel.” 
