The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-01-18
TOTEM POLES OF ALASKA.
How the Indians Preserve Their Family
History In Carvings, Mostly OF Wood.

How the Indians Preserve Their Family
History In Carvings, Mostly OF Wood.
have said that the family histories are
regulated by the female side Of the house,
| and this assertion would seem to indicate
| that they have means Of preserving his
| tories. a rare culture among the North
American Indians. This assertion Is true,
| limited though the historical information
max be; and the means of preserving these
scaut family facts is in carvings, mostly or
wood. In which art, II might be mentioned
here. these Alaskan aud British Column
bian Indians probably excel all Others on
| the continent.
In front OF their wooden houses are
often seen tall poles, sometimes towering
two or three times as high as their little
one-story huts, and carved on the outer
face from bottom to top. These are called
..totem'' poles, and are nothing but long
sections OF the tall trees Of the country,
which, after being carved on one side, are
placed in front Of their houses. From a
| great distance these make the village, al
ways just above high water mark on the
| seashorc, look as if IL had a large feet OF
vessels, with great thick masts, in its
front.
The carvings, while we'll done as q
matter Of workmanship, are Of the mos.
diabolical character, and each totem pole
looks like a sculptured representation OF
so many linear yards Of nightmare.
Grotesque and hideous beasts, birds and
fishes, with abnormal limbs, wings and
fins, staring eyes and grinning teeth, are
arranged one above the other, from bot
tom to top, like so many imps Of Satan
trying to reach the sky by climbing on
top of each other. Those knowing the
subject best say these totem poles arc
genealogical records or family trees.
Generally two are in front OF each house,
one for the man and one for the woman;
but where there Is only one it belongs, as
limited, TO the woman, or the woman's
family history.
These Indians are divided, socially, into
clans, Of more or less aristocratic preten-
sions, and each clan is named after some
beast, bird, fish or reptile, which the
carvings are supposed to represent. Thus,
| to take the totem pole of the woman, the
| carving at the top represents the clan to
which she belongs, as the raven, wolf or
whale clan, and by a stretch of the imag-
nation the beast, or what not, can bc
made out Of the sculpture, in most hide
Gus caricature, however. The next below
is that OF her mother, and so on Town on
the woman's side until the grass is reached
ia some ancient female ancestor, each one
changing with the clan to which they be-
| lOnged, aud sometimes they are repeated
consecutively many times, as one wolf or
doglsh following another like a pack Of
wolves or a string of fish.
The mans totem begins with himself
similar to that Of his spouse, but here the
similarity ceases; for instead Of continuing
backwards on his fathers side, TO keep up
the resemblance, each recurring totem is
on his mothers side, and representing the
clans 10 which she and her female ances-
tors belonged, making both OF the totem
poles and their numerous carvings repre-
| sent only the many clans 10 which the
women belonged, with the single eXcop-
ton Of the one noted, which stands for tho
lord of creation in the household before
whose door the totem pole rears its quaint
add curious carved column Frederick
Schwatka in Demorest's Monthly.