New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-04
of beating Two. Forty than they do o. making I"
Only Daughter happy.
INDIAN LIFE ILLUSTRATED.
A REMARKABLE COLLECTION IN THIS Vi l.
ENRICHlNG THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL
HISTORY.

of
These tribes especially those knoTn ~ the lndhos On
o ChorIottc Island nre Of much greater interest 80
o. a. their art productions are concerned, than any
a, the Indians o. the United States. md YIELD rcher
treasures TO the collector than do the AlhSAhh Voo'
it'll whom Judging by the objects no" ID tue uSo"'
they are closely related in religion and artistic oohoep
,ions This collection has called the Powell Col
lection In honor Dr. j. W. Powell superintendent VI
Indian Affairs for the Dominion Of Canada NJ Victoria
urtsb CoIun,bie TO whose enthusiastic and Intelligent
interest 4, is due Several years ago Professor bcnoe'
NJ fine Museum addressed letter To The provincial "o'
ernmcnt then at Otta va making Inquiries couoo'""5
British Columbia. His letter was u'h'eu VII" go
courte.v and ma.s OF documents was sent NM "oi'
,o,l. ,hor al of these however. indicating the
rood will OF the Canadian officials was ih"DuSc'P'
man Of fine province OF British Columbia copied from one
g. ,, oi. ~ tbe Slperntendcut OF iudinn Affairs at
vtca and showing it, face record OF many yeai'
~ Iobor The map had not been published ana Is VII
ned very highly by Professor bicAhole' "no MS r''
served il in one Of the cases OF the Museum NunS
documents received was n report rom III, '"'" W up
-, .,,, ,r,in, the necessity of speedily making
collection of utensils. implements mu1'" '''''" "
ol otbcr thing. made and used 10y the In uahS o '"r
I'M, Tie showed their interesting character ah"
il tb,t III les, thc work Of making Such coHec"""
,ro. berun soon the objects most Na'a'o III II" 'i''
LOGICAL sense you'd he carried on Dy frch'" M" w No.
collectors who were already on the Rr"'''
RicI,,uorc learned that no attention HI" "''n pun
,-,;o, and Then brought the matter to the nite'ioh
- -, ,,n ,,bo prouptlv authorized DR. Powell to
b a. cn,nuIctr a collection n he d"ir'd Ior '''
,,,or,, near thc Central Park. Dr Powell hrousn
| , -, ardent love for the work but also tn" unn'nai
facilc. growing ont Of his Official i'"uoh' VII" Wv
,Is Go tre performance Of his commission. ana Iia
,ccccdcd in making collection which Is OF the eI'"7
;,ia, whine There are already several hundred Oh
to, in the cases Of the Mu,cum and Mr Bishop ms re
Gan
ro il, transit or awaiting shipment MI. Bishop mas
.,,,rod neither personal pains nor expense ana Ut
pu In lila official visits from tribe TO tribe has -"
cured great many relics and hcir'ooms when ordisy
collectors could not have purchased
Among the most interesting objects are war canoe
and tour totem posts, awaiting shipment ~ ran
Francisco The canoe WIS coveted by Dr. fo"eH '"o
~ beforc he could secure 1t. 1t belonged To "A pow
crul chief and ia the most elaborate piece Of workman
snp vet found among the Indians In e'hef" uos'@h
oppcars from the descriptions given 10 DE slir 10 inc
A.utinn canoe in the Alaska exhibit AT the Cehchiu
xhilon AT Philadelphia hut 1t Is OF iinin'i7e size anu
,utlv decorated with carvings ana paintings
# is xy-one feet IN length nine feet IN beam ana over
four feet in depth OF hold get it is made out oil Single
1o, aud tbonah followed with rude implements lts
sides ore 20 thin that iar NJ master has D'h iouhu
willing 10 undertake Ia cnrIy 1t round cape norm anu
,,,cri IL in ooI order mere. Yet II Il practical boat,
and has a carry capacity Of 100 WARRIOR lhr MA"
i'm Wu
,,ocn described hy travellers in British America aud
Ali, The boat is shaped from cypress or cedar log
and ullord Water IS then placed within H. not stones
thrvn in thc water and the top of the canoe closely
covered, The steam generated by the heat OF the stones
softcs the wood and the sides are then bent outward '
tc desired width is obtained and are h"ld III position
r% fantastic character Of the decorations tic canoe
which Dr Powell has secured io, VT. II1""p t a."
learned from the following description published III me
san FriicscD ear while the canoe Wh9 y lH1 l' Di"'
rnn ,honi are displayed peculiar designs in the
WAY of rvn = aud paintings the most notdht o Whch
plump body the shape Of "ounird UP 5"Dooh' ana
covered with leaf shaped scales ne hfiu - 81 ~"
lowed with life would the bratcst backwoodsInhn
ever honorcd 10y notice IN dime novel Nv ID ~ d'
teeth and clcnchcd claws are unpleasant 10 look NJ
h Aat piece the bow j. srnountcd 10y HCarFed Iacc
NAT ooiild answer admirably head NJ lis Satanic
Mgir,tv The inside bears the marks OF the tools o the
crude workmrn. while the outside l. comparatively
49,, 'cIrr, ON "A white background. inscribed huge
characters. the meaning "i which D. not HitehI Inc
cus,l , hr ob.r The iir-t seat extending acro,,
The craft j. about three ana nal rect !om Oh. hoion.
ON the upper side OF which are carved four III shaped
frogs legs between which l. lace meant l'i hnm'h
the srroud seat ale crude representations of babies
,J tic INNS, OF their bodies, Above each 4cad
.u I'C, and i.t ana t.c tlr-t iup., ion one
ju, hy LOOKING at them j. That the al ls;7 'hdcl prcd
ia Nov mat te legs were useless and being off, Ind
.f,. The ,tt suond properly have been were ncnls
" = bc. Tlc third cat has q horribly gfmnin human
facr with the no-c detached aud tue lower lH missing
Sukru ewes set o. generous upper tth SCI OF lIc
. 80 - ,t'I,, Ir,.idug one cnuI be- charmed with
Moline. on one end Of The fourth scat Is -rtan
ING nj ht 81 exaggerated dIa tun IN the act OF swa
i7 " uo nv ay mcaf4 good looking female head
prrItrI baby in impossible tlU~on The NTH seat
- ,rnonnt,d with a air uf cx irnuatcd legs tnat mi.lt
hayr ncrn meant Tor citicr human being. At
the tn,it, each Is foot bottom sid" dp auG xiv
im t,r imt..,ion mat pile diver had tattturd thcn
I'M N
meant TO represent duck and geese heads reaching ont
The y,ih ,rat is covered canvas and hu the tip
OF some equally crude caNin can he seen. All OF these
figure, painted IN red black ana hcSL coior,. ana uc
conception Of ,Hc designs was certainly In the brain Of
n sIE.l,n mat had great idea oi beauty o features
tcsuuc mixed with tine horrible. tncv. that cold |
type are unable 10 portray them ~ they ready arr"
me collection VIII make This description ci,ir nan
drcd- OF objects there embrace 'atlla wc are used by
ia, medicine men To exercise t' t'h spirits that ctSn
sic .nc-,, dishes OF various ElNl- weapons, clothing,
up 'front.' o their houses ana which bear the crcet@ OF
Inc families 10 which the chiefs hcl"u" aud great |
variety Of ornaments Of wood bone scales slate, claws
and silver Every where The decoration !, the same, and
consists q horribly gtO,rInr hEtc Developed from /
the human iacr. Ih9 eyes are tonatcd IN an extra
ordinary manner ana ah"ii starting support o. inc /
thcyry that even beautiful design is ihr familiar
Greek border Is nothing norc t"ih ht'ii, c,oiuiion
or IN bold RELIEF thanked by leo arms. hands or feet:
sci lo II ever H. u body found entire rtranAc super
,tuon might almost he supposed 10 r at tnr root OF tis
for II J. most stllu-. Where shoulders,
IH'i- arr cnilli' ltt ATTITUDE H. away,
aauc; tc hands tlpNh uP on Nci WIN inc shoulders
ami the palms turned outward. In tIc Hgutr the
anil autu are exaggerated ana tine ignored but in
thr relief carvings udchty 10 nature %, hr !ca-
lures are concerned seems Ia hlNr been aimed at Iur
color- bc the same pigments u-rd by the Indians
Of the Territories. Dr Powell h1, collected twenty
varieties ratI"~ and pcrnap a. many WoOdru i--.
u,rd hy the Indians in their dances ami lamentations.
lhc medicine ncI variety ol mask, and Ii ..-.
each one being supposed 10 uaSr power different
xii bprit Inc masks all show TIE Wlu" face carved
oui oil wood not uu>Aiifuliy aud hdcou,y paItrt tuc
rnttlr are made III tine FORM oi various birds unI -r-
which nr. easily recognizable. There are tAruty or
tnrty Kinds flutes AMI whistles In the collie ti3 in
Finding Il duuac flute and two IN whirh powder flask,
haze been made To do service by giving them meath
pc,cs of wood II Is expected 10 have the entire cniro-
ion classified aud la place !Or tho next spring rlAbi-
ton.
GOLRT LENOARS-DECEMHEH /