1887,] 4^7 [Boas. 



Besides the dances and the use of masks, other customs are common to 

 all tribes of the noith-west coast. One of the principal of these is the 

 use of copper-plates. These have frequently been described as being used 

 instead of money, but this is not the case. Tliey are manufactured from 

 copper found on the upper Yukon, and given as presents by one tribe to 

 another. The Indians value a copper-plate the more, the more frequently 

 it has been given as a present. Every single plate has its name and its 

 own house, and is fed regularl3^ No woman is allowed to enter its house. 

 Almost every tribe has a tradition referring to their origin. Some say that 

 a man who visited the moon received it from the man in the moon. Others 

 say that a chief living far into the ocean gave it to a man who came to 

 visit him, etc. Similar legends refer to the Haliotis shells which are used 

 for ear and nose ornaments and bracelets. 



The so-called Potlatch is a feast celebrated by all these tribes. A chief 

 invites all his neighbors, sometimes to the number of a tliousand and more, 

 to his house, and presents every one with blankets, skins, and nowadays 

 even with money. The Salish tribes have a kind of scaffold in front of 

 their house, which is used at these festivals. The chief and two of his 

 slaves are standing on it, and distributing the blankets among the guests. 

 Small festivals of this kind are celebrated very frequently. An Indian 

 who has been unsuccessful in hunting, and feels ashamed on this account 

 or for any other reason, gives such a festival to restore his honor. 



In the beginning of these feasts four songs are sung, and four different 

 kinds of dishes are served. Then one of the guests stands up and praises 

 the liberality of the host, who, in his turn, replies, praising tlie deeds of 

 his ancestors. In this speech he frequently uses a mask representing one 

 of his ancestors. 



I mentioned above that the social institutions of the northern group and 

 those of their southern neighbors are different ; therefore their mortuary 

 customs and marriage ceremonies are also different. The northern tribes 

 burn the corpses of all men except medicinemen. These are buried near the 

 shore, and the corpse of the son is always deposited on top of the corpse of 

 his father. It seems that some of the Kwakiutl tribes used to burn their 

 dead ; but by far the greater number of tribes of this stock either hung 

 up the dead in boxes in top of trees, the lower branches of which were 

 removed, or deposited these boxes in burial-grounds set apart for this pur- 

 pose. Chiefs are buried in a separate place. Food of all kinds is burned 

 for the dead on the shore. 



I shall describe their mourning ceremonies as illustrative of those in use 

 of most of the coast tribes. The mourning lasts for a whole year. For 

 four days the mourner is not allowed to move. On the last of these days 

 all the inhabitants of the village have to take a bath. On the same day 

 some water is warmed and dripped on the head of tlie mourner. For 

 the next twelve days he is allowed to move a little, but he must not walk. 

 Nobody is allowed to speak to him, and they believe that whosoever dis- 

 obeys this command will be punished by the death of one of his relatives. 



