150 
(52) Poles at Kitwanga 
Notes on the erection of totem poles from chief Hlengwah (or Larah- 
nitz, head-chief of the clans of the Larhsail phratry at Kitwanga) 
"About two years after a chief has died, his successor requests someone to cut a largp 
tree for a totem-pole. A new gwaraum feast is contemplated, at which the pole will be 
planted. Several villages will be sent invitations to be present for the event. The man 
chosen to carve the pole is sometimes a “cousin" of the chief who has died. He must 
be a relative, a cousin on the father’s side — gimtrha’aw. If he is not a "nephew," on the 
father’s side, then he must be a “brother”. When the pole is carved, all the chiefs of the 
various tribes arrive for its erection. A large rope is fastened to the smaller end of the 
pole, and the supporting frame or square chevalet (trhadzaprh ) is put up next to the hole 
(6 or 8 feet deep) in which the pole is to stand. A short trench leads to the hole, and the 
larger end of the pole is rolled into it (Plate XXXI, figure 2). The rope is then thrown 
over the chemlei, and the group of people assisting in the manual work* pull all together 
in jerks, to the cadence of ‘haw, haw, haw . . . ’ The family of the deceased mean- 
while sing their dirge song (limrfCoi ) and beat a large wooden drum as they sing. They 
distribute presents to the chiefs." 
At a function of this kind in Kitwanga, Hlengwah, the head-chief of 
the Larhsails, gave $90 to each of his fellow chiefs, $60 and $50 to the lower 
chiefs. 
Two years after putting up the pole, another feast is given to which 
the people at large are again invited. This feast is called Making-the-pole- 
dry (gwalgwe' ). Grease (ulaken, etc. . . .) is distributed to the guests, 
together with much other food — in recent years boxes of biscuits, sacks of 
flour. 
Another feast, the last, is given two years later, or feast for food 
giving. Its name is huks. 
To sum up, the ceremonials for the erection of a totem pole are the 
following : 
(1) Hewing-the-pole (q\ds-ran) 
(2) Putting-up-the-pole (heden-sem-ran ) 
(3) Making-dry (gwalgwe' ) 
(4) huks. 
DIGESTS 
LIST OF VILLAGES WITH NUMBER OF TOTEM POLES IN 
EACH VILLAGE 
Kitwanga. The Rabbit-tribe. The westernmost Gitksan village on the 
Skeena, near the Tsimsyan frontier, 150 miles from the coast. 
16 Larhsail or Frog-Raven poles (including house posts) 
6 Eagle poles 
4 Wolf poles 
Oiiwinlkul. The Moimtain-pass-tribe. Fourteen miles north of Kitwanga, 
away from the Skeena, on the Grease trail to the Nass. 
16 Larhsail or Frog-Raven poles 
11 W’olf poles 
*The interpreter; Alfred Sinclair (Arhkawt), of the same tril>e, 
*The family of the deceased naturally do not take part in the labour, which falls to the iuofnl.>ers of other plira- 
tries— not only the “fathers” (that is the family of the father), but also the otlier guests. 
