to Lynn Canal, Alaska. They supported the long heavy beams
on which rested the slender roof-poles in the large communal
houses characteristic of the Northwest Pacific Coast. A
very fine example of such a pole of Haida origin is shown on
Plate 4, Figure 3; though so elaborate a specimen could be
afforded only by wealthy chiefs in addition to the more im-
portant totem pole which was erected outside the entrance to
the house. This inside house pole faced the door of the
house from the far end of the interior which was the seat of
honour. The Kwakiutl often used sculpture referring to the
owner's traditions on their inside house poles, but the work
was coarser in style than that of the Haida. Corresponding
inside house supports among the Nootka and Salish if carved
at all dealt with some event which had been experienced by
the owner; and again the sculpture did not approach the level
of Haida or Tsimsyan artists.

Totem, heraldic or house-front poles were confined virtually
to the Haida and Tsimsyan tribes, only relatively few being
noted elsewhere; those among the Kwakiutl and to a still more
restricted extent among the Nootka could never be compared
in dignity and high standard of artistic attainment with
those of their neighbours to the north. A crude variant
existed among the Carrier Tribe of the Interior which carved
inartistic totem crests on their lodges. Every member of a
clan was expected to present a gift of value to this crest
on all ceremonial occasions which if ignored dishonoured

the whole clan, this gift being returned by one of equal
value later on by the owner of the crest!

Actually totem or heraldic poles served several purposes;
primarily and chiefly that of announcing the rank and social
status of the owner by a method comparable to the "coats of
arms" used on knights' shields or blazoned in brilliant
colours on the walls of castle halls in the days of chivalry
or on the embroidered banners associatedewith the various
Orders of Knighthood to this day. In addition to this dis-—
play of the owner's rank such poles served as Signposts to
strangers approaching a group of tribal dwellings and in
many cases the lowest section showed a circular hole, about
5 feet by &, which formed the only entrance to the house
against which the pole was erected.

The use of paint on these totem poles was very sparing and
confined chiefly to black and smaller amounts of dull red
and dark green, and perhaps a little white or pale yellow.
The art of sculpturing totem poles is not really ancient.
Barbeau (1938) wrote that it reached its zenith about 60 or
80 years ago. "Those so much advertised at Alert Bay date

= 625