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Tsimshian Society and Culture
Wealth and Rank
To Honour the Ancestors
- Walk on, walk on, on the breath of our grandfathers . . .
- - The People of 'Ksan
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Food dish of cedar, depicting a "Grizzly Bear of the Sea" and a human soul.
Collected by I.W. Powell, 1879; Fort Simpson
(VII-C-78)
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Power in Tsimshian society was derived from encounters between the
ancestors and spiritual beings that controlled all resources.
Depicted on totem poles, clothing and personal items, this link to
the primordial source of power was displayed with pride. The encounters
were the common element in myth, witnessed histories (adawk) and
dramatic performances at feasts. In addition, encounters with the
supernatural owners of valuable territories gave families privileged
access to economic resources, as well as spiritual power and prestige.
Everyone wore personal adornments, although what people could wear was
regulated by daily activity and social rank. Chiefs and their wives and
children wore bracelets, labrets (lip plugs), earrings, pendants, and
elaborately decorated clothing, as visible symbols of spiritual power
and prestige. Certain furs such as ermine and sea otter were only worn
by chiefs.
Nobles wore elaborate headdresses and helmets with crest images carved
or painted on them. Their ceremonial
clothing included woven Chilkat blankets, aprons and leggings.
Following the introduction of European woollen cloth, a new type of
clothing was made from blue trade blankets, decorated with red-flannel
crest designs and pearl buttons.
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Wolf Clan Headdress
Purchased from Robert William by C.V. Smith, 1925;
Gitwangak village, Skeena River
(VII-C-1196)
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Everyone wore personal adornments, although what people could wear was
regulated by daily activity and social rank. Chiefs and their wives and
children wore bracelets, labrets (lip plugs), earrings, pendants, and
elaborately decorated clothing, as visible symbols of spiritual power
and prestige. Certain furs such as ermine and sea otter were only worn
by chiefs.
