348 . REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



inoruiHg on the beacb. Then all the tribes assembled. Owaxa'lag'ilis 

 stood on tbe beach aud spoke. He said : 



"Now, come, chiefs of all the tribes. Yes, you come, because we 

 want to do a great work. Now, I am going to buy the copper 

 Ma/xts'dlEm, of Walas Nsmo'gwis. Only don't ask too high a price 

 for it. And yon, young chiefs of the Kwakiutl, take care and help me. 

 Go now aud bring the blankets from my house." 



Then the young men went and piled up the blankets on the beach. 

 Ma'Xua and ( )'ts'estalis counted them. One man of the Ma'malf'leqala, 

 one of the Nimkish, one of the Lau'itsis, kept the tally.' 



Ma'Xua spoke: "It is my office to take care of the property of our 

 chief. It was the office of my forefathers. Now I will begin." Then 

 he counted one pair, two pairs, three pairs, four pairs, tive pairs, six pairs, 

 seven pairs, eight pairs, nine pairs, ten pairs. As soon as ten pairs 

 were counted, he said aloud, "ten pairs," and the counters repeated, 

 "twenty blankets," and put two stones aside. When Ma'Xua had 

 counted another ten pairs, the counters said, "forty blankets," and put 

 two more stones aside. They continued to inxt aside two stones for 

 each ten pairs of blankets (Plates 7 and 8). Two men kept on piling up 

 the blankets, and when they had piled up 1,000 blankets, Ma/Xua said 

 aloud, "One thousand blankets." The blankets were piled up along- 

 side of a carved beam standing on the beach (Plate 5). When the i)ile 

 was high enough, a new one was begun right next to the tirst pile. 



1'lien Owaxil'lag-ilis arose aud spoke: "Tribes, I bay the copper 

 Ma'xts'olEm with these 1,000 blankets. I shall not give any more 

 unless the chiefs of all the tribes should ask for more, wa! That is 

 my speech, chiefs of the Ivwakiutl." Now he sat down and Walas 

 NEmo'gwis arose. He said : " Ya, Owaxa/lag'ilis ! are your words true ? 

 Did you say it was enough?" Then he turned to his tribe and said, 

 " Ya, Olsi'wit! Now rise, chief, aud sjieak for me. That is what I say, 

 Lri'bide." 



Then Olsl'wit arose (see Plates and 10) and said: "Are those your 

 words, Kwakiutl ? Did you say this was all that you were going to give 

 for the copper ? Are there 1,000 blankets ? " The counters replied, " Yes, 

 there are 1,000 blankets." Olsl'wit contimied: "Thank you, OwaxsV- 

 lagilis. Chief. Do you think you have finished? Now take care, 

 Ivwakiutl ! You, Chief, give twenty times ten pairs more, so that there 

 will be 200 more." Then he turned to his tribe and said, "Chiefs of the 

 Ma'maleleqala ! Now, I have said my words, Chief Walas NEmo'gwis." 



Tlien Owaxa'lag'ilis arose and said: "Your S])eech, OlsT'wit, is good. 

 It ])leases my heart." And he said to the young men: "Go and bring 

 200 blankets from my house." They went at once and brought those 

 blankets. 



Then Ma'Xua arose and counted the blankets. He called out how 



' Every tribe Las a man to couut l)laukets. This oflice is not hereditary. When 

 coppers are traded, the sou;; makers count hlankets. 



