Letter from Robert Hanley Hall to Edward Burnett Tylor, 28 August 1902

Letter sent from Prince Albert by Robert Hanley Hall of the Hudson’s Bay Company to Professor Edward Burnett Tylor in Oxford, dated 28 August 1902.

Transcript of letter (1 page): ‘Dear Sir:-/ I have at length received reply to my enquiries, and the interpretarion [sic] given by a Hydah Chief is as follows:-/ Lowest Figure, Doctor of Raven Tribe,/ 2, Raven: The owner’s Crest,/ 3, Bear: His Wife’s Crest/ 4, Little Bears: His Children’s Crest,/ 5, Doctor Again,/ 6, Little Bear,/ 7, Doctor Again,/ 8, Whale. This represents that the family were connected with members of the Finback Whale Crest./ 9, Three Heads etc. There are three heads, namely; figure Nos. 1, 5, 7 on the pole and then these three are again represented on the top. [T]his signifies that there were three very great chiefs or doctors as the early founders of this man’s family./ I hope this information may be of some value to you. I[t] is all I have been able to obtain./ Yours faithfully,/ [signed:] R. H. Hall.’ (Transcription by Philip Grover.)