The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-01-04


of which have survived the ravages
of constant strife and the still more
deadly by-products of civilization
liquor and diSease-Klukwan (mother
town. has always held the first place
in size. wealth and the character of
its people. 1t retained its supremacy
long after the more southern coast viii
lagos had gone to decay, as its more
interior and isolated position and the
independent and aggressive reputation
of its population kept white traders
at distance. Klukwan lies at the
edge of a gradual slope on the north
bank of the Chilkat, 20 miles from its
mouth, where the swift current con-
centrated in single channel forms a
strong eddy that permits the landing
of canoes at any stage of the river
OF the five totemic families that
form the Chilkat-kwan, four are resi-
dent here. OF these the Kon-nuh-ta-di,
the sole representative of the Raven
party is the one with which this paper
deals. Their legendary history, so i'm
aglnary and interesting, is closely as
sOciated with the wanderings and an
tics Of "Yehlh," the Raven creator.
The Whale House.
When | first visited Klullwan in
1885, the large old communal houses
of the KOn-nuh-ta-di were still stand.
ing, the principal one of which, that
of the hereditary chief, "Yough-hit''
(Whale hOuse), was in the last stages
of decay and uninhabitable, although
the interior fittings were intact and it
was still used upon festival occasions.
1t was unquestiOnably the most widely
known and elabOrately ornamented
house, not only at Chilkat, but in Alas
ka. 1t occupied the site of much older
houses, and, 1t is claimed, much larger
ones. 1t is said to have been built by
Kate-tsu about, or prior to, 1885, and
stood in the middle of the village. II
represented the best type of Tlingit
architecture, Il broad low type of
! Tlingit architecture, broad low
structure of heavy hewn spruce tim
bers, with noticeably high corner posts
that gave it a degree Of character
wholly wanting in the larger houses
of the Vancouver island people. II
faced the river, with frontage of 4S
| foot IN innhnS ODH 1nnth nf 20 fanf-
approximately the proportions oi
Tlingit houses, large and small. Each
of these old houses formed q solid
structure, the frame and pIanking sup
spikes. The doorway, which was the
only opening in the walls, was ap
preached by two steps.
The interior formed an excavation
four feet nine inches below the ground
level. with two receding steplike plat
! forms. The lower square floor space, 2f
feet by 26 feet 9 inches, constituted the
general living and working room com
mon to all, except that portion in the
rear and opposite the entrance, which
was reserved for the use of the house
chief, his immediate family, and most
distinguished guests. This was the
place of honor in all Tlingit houses
upon all occasions, ceremonial or 9th
erwiSe. The flooring, of heavy, split
smoothed planks of varying widths, ex
tended around a central graveled fire
place six feet by six feet and half
where all of the cooking was done over
Il wood fire that also heated the house
in winter. In front of and little tt
the right of the fire space was a small
cellarIike apartment entered by a small
trapdoor in the floor barely large
enough to admit person. This was
used rs steam bath, by heating
powders in the fire, dropping them OF
the floor below with split wood tongs
and pouring water upon them to gen
crate vapor, whereupOn the bather en-
! tered and the opening was covered
over.
The first platform, extending arount
! the main floor at an elevation of tive
and three-fourths feet, served bOtl
as STEP and as lounging place i,
the daytime. The upper and br0ade
platform, rising two feet above tina
below, was at the ground level ant
was tloored with heavy planks. Thi
platform constituted the sleeping plac,
of the inmates.
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one friend on earth-my dog" "Well