126 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [N. s. ( 22, 1920
cended from an ancestor who had the form of an animal, a whale, killer-whale, or supernatural bird, "who took off his mask and became secular." As stated repeatedly, this does not refer to persons of low rank and not even to all numayms. Individually the belief may arise that a person is helped by his crest animal. Thus a Nāk!wax'da′xu chief of the numaym ‘wālas sacrificed to the killer-whales and was believed to be helped by them, but this was felt by the Indians as something quite unusual. In regard to other animals the evidence is contradictory. I have been told that a numaym which has the bear for a crest will be helped by the bear, but others flatly contradict such an idea. The statement that the Thunder-bird the ancestor of the G'ig'îlgăm of the Nimkish, thunders whenever one of the numaym (probably one of the chiefs) dies may also be mentioned here.[1]
The essential feature of the relationship of the whole numaym to an animal is either entirely missing, or at least very weakly developed.
There is nothing to indicate that these forms are broken down remains of an older true totemic organization. The close relationship between Kwakiutl organization and that of the Coast Salish and the ideas clustering around the crests make it much more plausible that these semi-totemic notions may spring up every now and then without ever having been characteristic of the organization as a whole. I feel quite certain that the case of the relation of an individual to the killer-whale to which I referred just now, was developed by that particular person on the basis of the general beliefs of the tribe. Neither do I consider it a proof of older totemic ideas if a chief in a formal speech identifies himself with his animal ancestor who became "secular." This must be taken as no more than a metaphorical expression similar to those in which he calls himself the "Pillar of Heaven" or "Rockslide" or "River of Wealth." We must not interpret an oratorical metaphor as having a deeper religious significance, although it may stimulate thought in directions that may lead to religious tenets.
Columbia University, New York City.
- ↑ Franz Boas, "Kwakiutl Tales," Columbia University Contributions to Anthropology, vol. II, p. 85.
