0)68 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS. 



the northern tribes on the Sound practice this black tamanous in a more 

 savage manner than their brethren of the south, and I am told that in 

 British Columbia it is marked by still greater severity. Friday fore- 

 noon was occupied by Dick Sooks and his father in potlatching money 

 in the potlatch house, for the residence of the former was 5 miles away, 

 and he was a relation of the head potlatcher. In the afternoon Port 

 Discovery John gave sea-biscuit to the men, twenty-five to each. In the 

 eveuing fifteen or twenty Klallam youug men came dancing into the 

 house where I was sitting. For a time they stood in a row and danced 

 backward and forward the length of the house, but at last they stood 

 at one end, dancing to the usual noises, except that of the hollow wooden 

 rattle, for this instrument was laid aside when the black tamanous 

 ceased. One Indian put on a shawl, took another sort of rattle made 

 by the Clyoquot Indians, and danced in front of the rest shaking his 

 rattle, jumping up and down and around and squatting. While this 

 was in progress a small company of Twana young men were dancing in 

 the doorway and on the outside, mostly out of my sight, but there was 

 evidently some rivalry between the two companies. There was consid- 

 erable merriment in thpse dances. 



Saturday forenoon, Port Discovery John, son-in-law to. the principal 

 potlatcher, gave away his money and blankets. It was the first time 

 I had witnessed all the ceremonies connected with the donation. He 

 first arranged all the men around the house on the bed platform, and 

 then, with five or six friends, spent some time in counting his money. 

 Next, twelve or fifteen women came to serve as a choir, and sat down 

 on mats near the money. Then came four girls, arranged according to 

 size, as before described, with faces painted completely red, hair covered 

 with down, hands extended, as on the previous Sunday, under shawls 

 or blankets pinned behind them, who danced the whole length of the 

 house and back a few times, the tallest going first, led by an old man — 

 "Old Slaze*' — and followed by one still older. The choir sang, accom- 

 panied with a drum. These ceremonies occupied about fifteen minutes, 

 after which the potlatch began. The giver told a man who acted as 

 crier the name of the person to whom the money or article was to be 

 given ; the crier then took the gift, heralded forth the amount of the 

 same, with the name of the receiver, and carried it to the latter. Pre- 

 vious to this, however, certain amounts, varying from $20 to $50, tied 

 up, were given to several persons, which I was told was to pay them for 

 certain articles brought, or was money which they had brought and was 

 now returned to them. These things occupied all the forenoon, and in 

 the afternoon Old Slaze gave about twenty-five sea-crackers to each man. 

 The next day being the Sabbath, I was with them but a very short time. 

 The ceremonies, I was told, were abont as those of the preceding day. 

 This ended the affair, and after it, all left as soon as possible. 



They left about noon, but the greater part of them went only 5 or 6 

 miles away, as they were reduced to sea-biscuit and sugar, which was 



