Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-01-12


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 it's 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 a single channel forms
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
1
aginary and interesting, is closely as
sociated with the wanderings and an
tics of 'Yehlh,' the Raven creator.
The Whale House.
When l first visited Klukwan 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, it 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. 1t
represented the best type of Tlingit
architecture, a broad low type of
Tlingit architecture, q 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 a frontage of 4S
> feet 10 inches and depth of So feet
, approximately the proportions OF
Tlingit houses, large and small Each
Of these old houses formed q solid
. structure, the frame and planking sup
, porting each other without the use OF
, spikes. The doorway, which was thc
only opening in the walls, was ap
, preached by two steps.
The interior formed an excavation
four feet nine inches below the ground
r level. with two receding steplike plat
| forms. The lower square floor space, q
: feet by % feet 9 inches, constituted tn,
l general living and working room com
Y mon to all, except that portion 10 tn,
r rear and opposite the entrance, whicl
I was reserved for the use of the hous,
r chief, his immediate family, and mos
: distinguished guests. This was tn
e place of honor in all Tlingit house
; upon all occasions, ceremonial or 9th
z erwise. The flooring, of heavy, split
e smoothed planks of varying widths, ez
S tended around a central graveled fire
/ place six feet by six feet and a hall
g where all of the cooking was done owe
= wood fire that also heated the hous
y in winter. In front of and a little t
a the right of the fire space was smal
ceIlarlike apartment entered by a sma
r trapdoor ia the floor barely larg
S enough to admit person. This wa
e used as a steam bath, by heatin
d powders in the fire, dropping them O
r the floor below with split wood tong
d and pouring water upon them to ger
l. crate vapor, whereupon the bather er
: tered and the opening was coverc
n over.
Y The first platform, extending aroun
# the main floor at an elevation of tw
'e and three-fourths feet, served bot
g as a step, and as lounging place j
1t the daytime. The upper and broadt
e platform. rising two feet above tn:
ir below, was at the ground level, an
c. was floored with heavy planks. Tn
Of platform constituted the sleeping plat
of the inmates.