Tribal law and its abuse is [a significant theme] in Christie Harris's legends of the New World [collected in "Once upon a Totem"]. Ancient custom was the basis of the legal, moral and social code of the North Pacific Indians; disobedience brought punishment, always certain if sometimes delayed. The totems were the heraldic symbols of the clans, and behind each crest was a story of heroic achievement or sacrifice…. These tales memorialized on clan totems are not bloodcurdling tales of savagery; they are the records, here evocatively and sensitively retold, of a disciplined and artistic people. (p. 28)

Ethna Sheehan, in New York Times Book Review (© 1963 by The New York Times Company; reprinted by permission), May 12, 1963.