The Wrangell sentinel., 1947-08-22

The Na-chee-su-na pole in Iron, of Shakes community house is 5J feet high and has d circumference at the base of about ten feet IL is carved from a single, tall cedar.
 History of the Na-chee-su-na totem, as related by Joe Thomas. elder of Che Wraugel Indians, IS as follows:
 The lowest figure ou the pole, elasping a gat in his hands, $ In-ta-ka-ka-lin, which means lily ing under the water" The rat was his strength, or spirit. This rat stole everything about the village and brought IL to his master When this spirit would come, the doctor would warn the people tell. ing them his strength was cOmlng and to tie up their belongings, salmon, oil, meat, etc, or hls. strength would get them. This. made the docto's people ashamed They took council and decided the doctor must die. Taking a canoe 10 the beach, they filled it with tae doctors belongings, his drum tools and other articles and, lay ing the doctor in ghe bottom ot the canoe, placed a mat over h;m and padded out 10 sea.
 Now, In-ta-ka-ka-ln had a grandson who, when he learneL they were going to drown his grandfather, cried all the time. The grandfqthel consoled him oy telling him that half canoe would be his salvation.
 Well out to sea, the doctirs Tel atiyes began unloading the doctor belongings oyer into the water. When the mat was placed on tie water, the doctor stepped on il and it began to reyolye and dis appeared under the waves. As sooh as the mat had reyolYed out or sight a strong south wind arose breaking the canoe in half and all the relatives perished except tEa grandson who was blown ashore in half of the canoe.
 The center figure on the totem. the figure ciasping the adze, is Na-chee-su-na He is the dominat- ing figure on the pole because il was he who created the black fish between himself and the unfortun ate doctor.
 Off Cape Chaeon there is q large rock Double West Rock with many sea lions on it. No one could climb this rock but Na-chee- su-na, who was the sWiftest run ner on snow shoes among his peo pie. He said he would climb tn. rock. Fitting his snow shoes witi. sheep horns to keep them from slipping, Na-chee-su-nas people padded him out to the base o. the cliff and Na-chee-su-na mac- good his boast. His people, asham- ed of themselves, padded awal and left the young man on tne rocks.
 Alone, atop the cliff, Na-cnec- su-na lay down and slept for twG days. Finally, voice awakened him saying, "I'll come after you and Na-chee-su-na discovered the voice came from a seagull. It wa, low tide and the seagull took M chee-su-na down the beach whe'- there was lot of kelp uncovere,. by the tide. Scratching the kelp aside, the seagull showed Na-cheS- su-na a door which led into a rock house Na-chee-su-na enter G Many people were sitting around their attention cn their chiefs soh who was very sick. He had spear sticking into his side but these people, who were sea lion peor,e could not see it whereas Na-choe su-na could Na-chee-su-na remoy- ed the spear. curing the boy an9 the sea lion chief gave Na-chee-su- ma a large blown up bladder T taining the west wind and to q him if he would get inside L. . bladder it would carry him to | gTavelly beach ashore. Na-chee-sr ma did as he was told and SCOT found himself back on his home shore
 At night he returned to his vii lage and appeared before his wife. He told her to bring him tools [ "a