Wichita eagle., 1889-02-09
POTLATCH. IN ALASKA.
A Curious Festival Among the
Thlinket Indians
The Blanket as . Social Factor and Index a
Weaith-Cremation Among tho Natives
a Winter Orgy Described by an
American Resident.

many blankets is among them to be Just SO
rich. These blankets are stored up and
boarded just IS the niser boards his gold,
but for totally different purpose. The
idea is to have big "petlatch' some time.
Often this takes place when the owner OF
the blankets gets past middle life and feels
that the time has come when he can afford to
make this social display. Again they are
laid up and treasured. SO that a big
''potiatch" may be held after the owner il
dead
The Thlinket village just north of and adj
joining SItka now has about 1900 winter
inhabitants, those who are out fishing and
working at the canneries ali summer
having come IN to stay until work begins
again IN summer. Though they have been
brought under some civiliZing influences
they are very reluctantly surrendering
native customs. Among those to which
they cling is the custom Of the 'potlatch."
Yesterday at one o'clock cannon shot
was heard over IN the village, to the aston
ishment of many of the Americans here.
Inquiry disclosed the fact that one of the
headmen of the village had just died, and
that the cannon shot from an old Russian
csrronade was to announce the death.
When the whites first began to make in
roads among these natives polygamy and
slavery were settled institutions among
them. Both still exist to some extent at
points Of the greatest distance from civil
ling influence. The Russian Church in
Alaska has steadily pursued the policy Of
breaking up polygamy among the natives
ever since its missionaries began their work
more than a century ago The headman OF
the Sitka village was brought within the
al II hat al,1
long time to conceal the ct that he
was indulging in plurality of wives.
When of at distant fishing and
canning stations he could do this
with inpunity, and with little or no dan
ger that any Of his people would expose
him. They will not testify against each
other if it can be helped. When he came
in.o the ranch or village last fall be was de-
tected IN this mode of living, and, in a man
ner, coerced into surrenderinz his youngest
and NEST attractive wife. He had been mar
ried to the first one United States fash
ion, and as the older one does not recog-
nize divorce he could not put her away in
favor Of the younger one.
The result OF this was that this stolid.
taciturn Indian, whose appearance and gen
eral conduct would Indicate that not par
ticle of sentiment entered into his charac-
ter, actually pinned away and died of grief.
Nothing that his people could do would
stimulate him to any exertion None Of
the Establishments and caresses of his first
wife, and she was kind to him, could arouse
him from his stupor of grief, and yester-
day this stout and lusty fisherman, who
haa braved hundreds of fierce storms IN
hIs cedar canoe, died actually Of a broken
heart.
Now comes the ''potlatch.' He had been
laying up blankets against the day of a roy
al, FOSTERING ''potlatch' in his lifetime.
Yesterday afternoon score of natives Wis
tied the traders store and bought nearly
ton Of stuff for the feast Canned goods.
BOXES OF crackers by the dozen, and every
thing that could be obtained to eat were
hauled over by them to the village on trucks
10 be consumed in the "potlatch," which
will Last for several days and nights A
''pot!atch" without something strong to
drink is a comparatively tame affair. The
sale of whisky to these people is carefully
guarded against, and when detected, which
is quite often, severely punished. They
buy large quantities of molasses, however,
and from this surreptitiously distil an
Intoxicating drink called 'hoochepoo," with
which they enliven their "potlatches."
The first night Of this one has Just
passed, and the bowling and dancing which
went on in the large house of the dead
headman showed that considerable
" hoochenoo had in some way been pro-
vided for the occasion. The house has no
chimney, and the smoke from the fire,
built IN the center of the floor, escapes
through hole in the roof The walls
giisten with black SCOT. The dance has no
figures, but is simply cadenced step in
circle around the fire, the tune being given
on sort of a tom-tom or tambourine
When each dancer gets tired, he squats
down anywhere to eat and rest. So it goes
on all night long, and day in and day out,
until the supplies are all gone, and the
blankets all parted with to buy the means
Of keeping up the "potlstch"
Cremation was favorfte form of dispos-
ing of dead bodies among the Thlinkiets. IL
has been abandoned here at Sitka for many
years, but in the remoter villages it is still
practiced. Several weeks ago went in a
canoe Is miles from Kiliisnoo to a Hoonah
village of about 500 people, They had neat,
comfortable log houses, and had abundance
of iced. Their doctor, or mediterranean,
had died only few days before. The last
night before disposing of the body was
spent in a tobacco-smoKe in the council
house. None bu: the men attended. Each
one brought his own tobacco and pipe. The
pipe did not 60 around as among the Plains
and Mountain Indians, but each one smoked,
while some one in a conversational tone
spoke OF the merits and life of the deceased
All were sitting around the sides of the
building in sort of q bunk or bench The.
next day huge pile of dry wood and fag-
gots was kindled in the street of the village
and the body was brought out and placed
thereon and cremated, with no attendant
ceremonies
Sameldea may be formed of the way these
''potatchesn end when state the fact that
the steamer last Saturday brought up two
Indian women ana one 'buck'' from q
village 200 miles northeast of this, all of
whom had their noses bit of in s'hooch-
enOo polatch.n They ali got drunk and the
man bis the noses OF two of the women.
Then he threw one OF the women on the
hre and nearly burned her up He finally
got dead drunk, and, while living in that
condition, one of the women, out of revenge
for tie loss of her charms, deliberately bit
OF his nose. Ali are now in jaii here, await
ing trial for may hem They presenthidsous
through this Disagreement
The woman avows that she will cut of the
mans ears aud slit his mouth if she is ever
and can get at him
SHEASGS or RHYME.