INDIANS OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 661 



The Twauas, from their own resources or from the presents which 

 they received, were expected to feed their guests most of the time. 

 Sometimes they gave the food to the visitors, who cooked it for them- 

 selves, but once or twice a day commonly they both cooked and dis- 

 tributed the food. When this was done, they seated their guests in 

 the middle of the house in two rows on mats. When the meal con- 

 sisted of boiled rice, wheat, or fish it was placed before them in large 

 kettles, from which they helped themselves with their native ladles ; 

 but when it consisted of berries and crackers, bread, apples, potatoes, 

 and dry food it was placed in troughs, made of 6-inch boards, 8 or 10 

 feet long and three-sided. Sometimes, when the meal was over, two 

 persons would stand, one at each end of a long row of eaters, holding 

 tightly before their faces a piece of calico on which all would wipe their 

 mouths. They then arose and departed. 



The potlatch or distribution of gifts took place in the day-time, two 

 days after all had arrived. The women first gave away their things, 

 and afterwards the men did the same. The gifts of the women were 

 chiefly new calico, with a few dresses and a little money. Each giver 

 gathered those to whom she wished to make presents in two rows fac- 

 ing each other, in the middle of the house; next she placed her trunks 

 at one end of the rows, took out the j^ieces, laid them in a j)i\e or two, 

 counting them over, then, taking one or two things at a time, she carried 

 one to each woman. Each piece contained, commonly, between 5 and 

 9 yards. Occasionally two or three women combined together and gave 

 at the same time, if they were not very wealthy, but the richer ones 

 gave each by herself. About thirty women thus distributed their gifts. 

 Often several gave to the same person ; though every woman present 

 did not receive gifts, only those who were preferred. Three of the 

 more prominent women gave away about one hundred pieces each, and 

 I am not aware that any woman gave to more than this number of per- 

 sons. If all averaged half as much, they gave away nearly 10,000 

 yards, and this was the best estimate I was able to make of it. This 

 occupied about two days and a half. A day and a half was then 

 consumed by the men, who gave money chiefly, but occasionally blankets 

 and a few guns. The recipients were arranged much as with the 

 women, but were all men, and the distribution was conducted in much 

 the same style. There were ten male donors, each of whom gave, gen- 

 erally, from $1 to $2 to each of his friends, so that most of the latter 

 received from $2 to $10 each; some got more, and one who was ex- 

 pected to make a large potlatch in a year or two received $40. They 

 gave on an average a little over $300 each, and the whole sums given 

 away amounted to about $3,300. A few of the donors borrowed some 

 of this money from their friends with considerable ceremony, promis- 

 ing to repay. One Indian who received a nice beaded cloak and some 

 other articles put them on a fire, where they were consumed, in mem- 

 ory, it was stated, of a deceased child. 



