Seward daily gateway., 1926-01-02
EARLY HISTORY AND LEGENDS OF KODIAK

The Gateway is planning on run ming a series of articles covering the Indian tribes of Alaska, their history, beliefs and legends. First, as they are more closely related with this district, we will give a short history of the Kodiak Natives, as they were in the past century, when Alaska was first being eNplor- ed by the Whites and Russians:
 The Kaniags CKoniak or Kikhtag- mute) are the inhabitants of the 1s- land of Kadiak and surrounding is lands. They are called Kadiak- Aleuts by the Russians, or briefly Kadiaks. Neither or these two ap- pelations are correct, as originally neither island nor people bore such a name. The name of Kadiak is evidently 8 corruption of Kikhtak, a word signifying in the language Of Kikhtagmute a great island, and which naturally applied to the largest island of the group. What may have induced the Russians to call the Ka- niags Aleuts, name first applied to the inhabitants of Fox Islands, diff ferent entirely in language as well as in outward appearance from the former, is not easily explained un- less it was based upon the general similarity of outline existing among the natives of the northwest coast of America.
 In the course of time the name of Kadiak has been universally adopted even by the natives of the island while the younger generation call themselves Aleut, which they pro- nounce Aleutik; only the aged still maintain that in the days of their liberty and independence their name was Koniag.
 Divided Into Two Glasses.
 We find in the Koniags a people divided originally into commoners and hereditary chiefs. Under Russian rule this social organization had al- most disappeared, but the chiefs or elders "starshina" were selected by the Standardization company on account of their influence or wealth, and the company also took care to make these selections from families in which chieftainship was heredi- tary. They received a salary from the company, and if they held this office for a prolongel period they were presented with a tunic made from scarlic cloth. A 'IsCarshina" dressed in this manner enjoyed among his people great respect than was accorded to European nobles with hundreds of ancestors.
 In outward appearances a few char acteristics distinguish the Kaniak from other tribes of the northwest coast of America. The posterior DOT tion of his skull is decidedly flat, and his stature, Gin the early '80s) was considerable above the medium, mak- ing him the tallest among his neigh bors Occasionally individuals of gi- gantic stature were met with; for Instance Davidof, an early Russian adventurer, claimed to have met with chief in the bay of Igak who meas ured six feet nine inches in height The dark Or nearly copper color of the skin of the native of today, is considered not natural but due to sun and exposure, for at that time Davidof claims he saw many white females.
 In former times both sexes wore their hair long, the mems in plaits and the women's in a rough knot on top of their head, and cut straight across the forehead just above the eyes. On festive occasions it was smeared with whaleoil and red pow der made of burnt ocher, and finally strewn with white down taken from the breast of an eagle. Of all these modes of ornamenting the hair oil- ing has been retained among the very old people, and nearly all the men, women and children dress it in European fashion.
 Lip, Nose and Ear Split.
 The partition of the nose, the low CT lip, and the external rim of the ear were pierced for the reception of ornaments, of which the one des- tined for the nose ways consisted of a cylindrical pin of bone five inch es in length, sometimes replaced with a sea-lion's whiskers. In the lips and ears, the ornaments or pen dants consisted of polished bon gen. erally pierced and strung upon threads, but after the arrival of the