Djilaqons
Also known as: Jiila Kuns, Djila'qons
Mythological Narrative
In Haida tradition, the ancestress of the Eagle clans, regarded as the special patroness of everyone of the Eagle side of Haida society.
Scholarly Commentary & Evolution
## Two sides of society
Haida society is divided into two halves, or moieties, Raven and Eagle, and a person belongs to the side of their mother. Marriage traditionally takes place across the two sides, so every family joins them. Each side is made up of many matrilineal clans with their own names, histories, crests, and territories. Tlingit society is divided in a similar way, into Raven and Eagle (or Wolf) moieties.
## The ancestress
In the Skidegate texts John R. Swanton recorded in 1900 and 1901, Djila'qons appears as the ancestress of one Eagle lineage and is described as the ancestress or special patroness of all those of the Eagle clans. Her stories are therefore not only myths but lineage histories, and parts of them belong to the clans that descend from her.
## Restraint
Crests and the fuller stories that support them are the property of particular clans. This entry records only what Swanton published and does not attempt to reconstruct any clan's own account.
Academic Discussion & Critique
Exchange peer-reviewed hypotheses, comparative Indo-European etymologies, and archaeological field interpretations regarding Djilaqons.
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