Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1950-05-24

flagolet or love flute, used by the
Sioux. While performing H o l m
creates spectacular appearance
not only through his mastery Of
the various dances, but also
through the colorful authentic cos
tunes he wears. Naturally, he
didn't acquire them easily.
Il guess I've spent more money
on them than I can expect to get
out of my dancing" he says.
Good Friendeof Indians
Born in Roundup, Montana,
where he lived until he was ~,
Holm got to know Indians at first
hand, for he was near the Crow
tribe on one of the biggest Indian
reservations in the country. When
he was about ten years old he
started to make Indian costumes,
and when he was Is he began
learning Indian dances seriously.
not in the least by watching In
When he was in junior high school
in Seattle he got to learn a num-
Der of dances from Roger Ernesti,
then teaching fellow of anthro-
pology at the University of Wash
ington, also an authority on In
dian lore and dances, who is now
a school teacher at Mukilteo. For
a number of years Holm was In
dian lore counsellor at cub Scout
camps and various summer camps
in the Puget Sound. He has also
been guest of members of the Top
penish Long House, where up to
200 persons have assembled for
Yakima Indian dance festivals.
The Indians have named him
"Shiakla," meaning secs the en-
envy" pertaining to the scout who
goes ahead of the war party to
look for the enemy.
N. w. Indian Culture
Holm thinks it's hard to COM
pare the culture level of Puget
Sound and Northwest Indians to
that of Indians on the Plains. The
latter were more Nomadic and Of
ten had more spectacular clothing,
etc, while the former had a more
settled and leisurely life, easier in
many ways, which also afforded
them more time to develop GER
tain skills. The Indian canoes of
the Puget Sound, carved with the
aid of primitive hand made tools
from cedar logs, are said by marine
experts to be the most seaworthy
crafts of their kind in the world,
says Holm. The Indians at Neah
Bay and Cape Flattery, Vancouv-
er Island, even used to hunt
whales with them, and they We're
renowned as whale hunters. The
wood carvings made by Indians
from the Puget Sound area, speci-
fically from Vancouver Island to
southeastern Alaska, are also
highly rated. The Indians lived in
permanent wood houses built of
hand-hewn cedar plank. H Gus e :
posts were often up to four feet
wide, sometimes carved in totemic
style, and beams were often so
feet long. The Northern tribes
were also great weavers, making
clothing and ceremonial dancing
blankets from mountain goat wool
and finely shredded cedar bark as
we'll as basket hats, made from
tightly woven spruce roots, re-
sembling hats worn by Chinese
Coolies.
Sophisticated Welfare
The potlatch ceremonies (pot-
latch-to give, in Chinnok) were
sophisticated variations on the old
theme of warfare between tribes.
Particularly the Kwakiutl In
dams, the Vancouver Island tribe,
seemed to prefer to use property
rather than sheer force as a means
of waging war" The person who
wanted to elevate himself on the
social ladder and lower the pres
tige of a rival, would invite the
latter to a feast, where he would
sit and roast" while enjoying the
warmth of a huge fire lin his
honor" The social-climbing In
dian and his clan would then do
nate to this rival all their blank