Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 22.djvu/273

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NASS RIVER TERMS OF RELATIONSHIP

BY E. SAPIR

THE following Nass River Indian ((symbol characters)) terms of relationship were obtained in May, 1916, from Chief C. B. Barton (Indian name (symbol characters)), of Kincolith, B. C. Chief Barton was at the time engaged as deputy in Ottawa on tribal business.^[1] The orthography here employed is the same as that explained in my Sketch of the Social Organization of the Nass River Indians (Geological Survey of Canada, Anthropological Series, Bulletin no. 7, 1915); see pp. 29, 30.

I. NASS RIVER TERMS

In the following table it is to be understood that, unless otherwise indicated, a term may be used by either a male or a female. Most or all of the terms doubtless have a wider, phratric or clan, significance than is here indicated. The ending (symbol characters) s the first person singular possessive suffix, "my."

Note further:

1. Step-relations are designated as real relations.

2. The parents of a married couple are not looked upon as relatives. This is strikingly different from the custom of many western American Indian tribes, among whom there is frequently a specific term for " child-in-law's parent."

3. The parent-in-law of a brother or sister is not considered a

↑ Since this set of terms was obtained from Mr. Barton, an opportunity has presented itself in April, 1920, to go over the data with two West Coast Indians visiting Ottawa on Government business Mr. P. C. Calder, a Nass River Indian of the (symbol characters) tribe, from the village of Greenville, and Mr. G. Matheson, a Tsimshian Indian, who was brought up among the Nass River Indians and is thus better acquainted with the Nass than with his own dialect and who has for a number of years resided in the Lower Fraser country. As both of these Indians are also conversant with the Tsimshian dialect, I obtained from them an independent set of Tsimshian kinship terms. This set supplements a Tsimshian set obtained in 1918 from Mr. W. Beynon, of Port Simpson, B. C., Mr. Barbeau's chief Tsimshian interpreter. I shall present my Tsimshian data in another paper.

[1] Since this set of terms was obtained from Mr. Barton, an opportunity has presented itself in April, 1920, to go over the data with two West Coast Indians visiting Ottawa on Government business Mr. P. C. Calder, a Nass River Indian of the (symbol characters) tribe, from the village of Greenville, and Mr. G. Matheson, a Tsimshian Indian, who was brought up among the Nass River Indians and is thus better acquainted with the Nass than with his own dialect and who has for a number of years resided in the Lower Fraser country. As both of these Indians are also conversant with the Tsimshian dialect, I obtained from them an independent set of Tsimshian kinship terms. This set supplements a Tsimshian set obtained in 1918 from Mr. W. Beynon, of Port Simpson, B. C., Mr. Barbeau's chief Tsimshian interpreter. I shall present my Tsimshian data in another paper.

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