INDIANS OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 063 



faces were also blacked in various ways. In fact, from this time for 

 five days the faces of most of the Indians present, men, women, and 

 children, were blacked more or less, some during the whole time. The 

 paint was laid on in diverse patterns of stripes and spots, and some 

 were wholly in black, others in red or black. The next day being Sun- 

 day, most of them attended divine service; but they were too much 

 excited to give up the whole day to rest, so in the afternoon a number 

 of the women assembled in one of the large dwelling-houses in the vil- 

 lage, sat down on mats in two long rows, facing each other, and pounded 

 with small sticks (1 J or 2 feet long) on larger sticks and boards in front 

 of them, and sang for some time. There was a second performance in 

 another house afterwards by the women, in which they sang much as 

 before, only they were accompanied with the drum, and were seated in 

 a large circle. Within this circle two women and four girls danced. 

 These six dancers, being graduated in size, arranged themselves accord- 

 ingly, from the tallest to a child about eight years old. Their shawls 

 were pinned behind their backs so as to cover their hands, which were 

 extended about a foot and a half from their bodies, and they danced 

 around a circle 8 or 10 feet in diameter. The evening was given to the 

 Sook Indians in the potlatch house. For a time they danced in one 

 end of the house in a manner similar to that of theTwanas the previous 

 evening, but with more jumping, and their singing was more varied and 

 quite wavy. After a tima two of them stripped to the waist, and, with 

 their drawers rolled above theirknees, ran forward the whole length of 

 the house, striking at everything and everybody within their reach, 

 their arms constantly swinging around them; sometimes they went 

 down on all fours, and, having snuffed the ground, rose again. Around 

 the waist of each was tied a rope which extended back 6 or 8 feet, and 

 was held by another Indian, who frequently jerked it, sometimes throw- 

 ing the tied man to the ground. 



Another dancer had a hideous mask on his face and a blanket on his 

 shoulders, bat his actions were not so fierce as those of the other two. 

 He often sat down. When these were done, other Sook men came, 

 shaking rattles, beating drums, singing, and going back and forth in 

 the bouse and scattering the people who were standing around. This 

 performance was kept up until late at night. 



Monday forenoon was spent at a feast, to which men only were bid- 

 den. Beef and potatoes were cooked thus : A large number of stones 

 v^-ere placed in a fire out of doors, and when hot the food was placed 

 on them, covered with small dry bushes and mats, and so kept until it 

 was cooked. At this feast the Indians did not eat in the main pot- 

 latch house, but at the residence of one who helped to give the pot- 

 latch, and who was the sole giver of this particular feast. The ludiaus 

 all ate around the house on the platform made for beds, and the long 

 trouglis for food were placed in front of them on the same platform. 

 Most of these troughs or plates were similar to those, used in the Twana 



