The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-04
PEEP At A POTLATCH.
THE KUpEa ISLAND INDIAN LAW
YER DEFENDS THE CUSTOM.
mote immortality More Than
White Dances All Debts Must
BE Paid Before Presents Are
Made - some of the Curious
Customs.

''weII. chief. having a good potlatch?''
Yes good potlstch. lots OF Indians
come"
The QUESTION was addressed to Edward
HalPerGson. chief OF the Peneiahut and
surrounding tribes OF Indians, the cause
Of my visit being my curiosity 20 witness
big potiatch held by special permits
sion on kupe- island.
Accompanied by Andrew Wilson, my in
terpreter. / found myself at Penelahut
ranch. most picturesque spot overlook
ing the islands towards Cowicnan gap.
with beautiful background Of snow-clad
peaks in the Cascade range of mountains
across the Gulf Of Georgia.
Along the shore at the foot OF the hill
on which we stood we're some 20 canoes
and boats OF al sizes and descriptions
hauled above high water mark. and here
and there groups OF Indians chatting and
children playing on the beach
A general inspection Of the ranch and
intr0ductions 10 the various ''tyheesf cc-
cupiei the first day OF my visit. which
lasted two weeks. and many were the IN
te-esting conversations held with the In
dams. who displayed great kindness and
readily afforded all the information asked
for. The Indian lawyer was my particu-
lar friend. His name. as near as ! could
catch 1T. was Bin Tnlatsaloc- In CONVEX
sation with him l learned much OF the
customs % these people.
Well what l. the programme for the
potlatch?"
THE first day we are going TO have
sports and baseball matches. then canoe
and sailing races and then the feather
and mask dances and the big distribution
OF presents. The giving Of blankets is
going on now at intervals-that is the
paying OF debts. The Indians always pay
their debts before they give presents
DO they always pay their debts?" /
asked
oh yes: an Indian debt is never repu-
dated even IL an Indian dies his relatives
always pay his debts. and so in the case
OF a dead Indian his debtors hand what
they eve deceased to his nearest relative.
Sometimes IL may be years before the debt
is paid. but in the end ii is paid. All busi-
ness transactions between us take place
I'm the presence of witnesses and a lawyer
and II is the lawyers duty 10 remember
the transactions and the names of the wit
nesses. and TO cali on the m at the proper
time-on such an occasion as this-to bear
witness to the discharge Of the obligation
This Is our receipt. II an Indian repudi-
ted debt which witnesses proved against
him he would he an outcast Of the tribe.
The fact that Indian debts are always
paid affords a sense of absolutely security
10 the lender. SO that any Indian who Is
in bad circumstances can count on AS
d
better off than himself. The Indian is
never poor In the sense a white man is
poor. The spirit OF the potlatch makes
the siwash rich
who is giving this potiatch? Who in
vites all these people?" / asked
There are ten men here who have in
vited all who owe them anything and all
10 whom they wish 10 make presents, on
the understanding that these presents will
he returned al future date with inter
est perhaps when they are old and feeble.
They are young and strong now and have
no need of these blankets and guns and
canoes which they are giving away and
which represent money. but byand-bye
they win be unable TO earn. and Will then
be glad TO get them back
Have all the people who owe them
debts accepted the invitation
Yes. except some Indians on the Amer
lean side: and We have heard that the
missionary I'm charge. who should have
handed them the invitation which our
agent sent. did not approve OF the pot
latch and suppressed the letter. You
must understand that all these people
were not invited. only the chiefs. but 1t is
always the custom for the whole tribe 10
come and settle up their debts 'on the
side and they are the ones who scramble
for the things the chiefs throw To them.
so that all have a chance OF getting some
thing. but the articles scrambled are a
'cuitus potlatch'-they are not expected to
return them. The scrambles are only
fun. We scramble for all kinds OF things
guns canoes. trunks. horses and cows
and anything OF value"
What Scramble for a I've cowe' I
asked. with surprise. Rather rough on
tho cow isn't it,"
"Ha, har' laughed my friend: 1t might
be Z We threw it 10 the crowd. but we do
not DO that We throw long pole say
twenty or thirty 'eet long. and every one
who can get R Land on the pole has a
claim on the COW: the man who offers the
highest bid IN money TO the rest OF the
crowd to let 20 gets the cow and buys off
the others NJ the figure he bids The Sc me
with articles which cannot he divided, but
blankets are managed differently. The
only blankets scrambled are made OF
mountain Sleeps wool by our klootchmen.
suppose you were tn a scra mble and got
hold OF a piece Of the blanket. II would
Ne cut Of for you and when your klootch-
man had time she would shred IL All an:
when she had enough collected she would
weave Il into another blanket"
| was invited 20 participate in a scram-
BILE. bat after witnessing one decided no.
TO- II the reader win imagine 100 or $50
strong, ahle-hodied siwashes scrsmbling
With all their might to get hold Of the
blanket thrown down 10 them from a roof
he may. perhaps. understand why 7 hest
tated - collect a store % wealth in the
form - Sleeps wool Tor my "klootch-
man - work az. although as Cd Bil re-
marked. at keeps them ont % mischief"
Many OF the customs 81 was nv good
fortune 20 witness are OF very ancient
oriEtn. 50 old. iu Fact. that the indians
who always perform the ceremonies hand
81 down hy thu ancestors OF their mar
Hcuiar family have lost the meaning ~
them. bur they are reNgious'v performed
THIS gives rise "a many strange perform
ances. such as loading canoe with rfrtz
tor q scramble and ~ high water going
ouf q Few yards from shore and throwing
everything IN the water tor the crowd 10
scramble for.
One remarkable trait In fhe Indian char
arter h. their affection FOR taeir children.
y an Indian has host relative ne nevo-
f1~ceis e. nor does ~ forget 70 show his /
sorrow or t1e occasion of a u0uatrh
Ter me try and convey an idea - The (
s7lom-ity - This Affection Chief Hal
rertssu. having recently lost rhls ara
"tsh!@g 90 Impress the fact on the minds
II those present 81 his distribution % !
Sits. called up some twenty of his friends /
ard s@rsr~f them lu line ia the circle u Z
spe--atsrs
The lawyer was feed with hsarke, ara /
FL tfe sn Grafton o0 the good qualities ~ .
IRA li.tie ~N'}f-its brightness and ufavf.4l- !
aess desrrtbevi its s2a Illness ard Sssi4e- \
death ard maav IN eve was moist 4
e7Tt~sit ~ ere ched was then carried IN +
wr1vf-Hzf n F~s-f ~ 49,. ss...