372 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



Fig. 13. 



MASK EEPEESENTING THE Tti'O'NOQOA 

 Cat. No. 129516, U.S.N.M. Collected by Fran; 



bring power; its blood, wherever it touches the skin, makes it as 

 hard as stone; its skin used as a belt enables the owner to per- 

 form wonderful feats; it may become a canoe which moves by the 

 motions of the si'siuL tins; its eyes, when used as sling stones, kill 



even whales. It is essentially the helper of 

 warriors. 



I give here a few forms in which the sI'siuL 

 is represented (figs. 11, 12. See also, figs. 

 16G-109, pp. 514, 515, Plate 15>. In fig. 

 12 only one-half of the 

 sI'siuL is shown. The ter- 

 minal head, with its horn 

 laid backward, is plainly 

 seen. The upi)er line be- 

 hind the head designates 

 the body, from which down- 

 ward and forward extends 

 one leg, the foot of which 

 is quite clear. One of the 

 central horns is shown 

 over the ])oint of attachment of the leg. 



Another being which figures largely in the clan 

 legends of the Kwakiutl is the Ts'o'noqoa, a wild 

 woman who resides in the woods. She is re^ire- 

 sented as having enormous breasts and as carry- 

 ing a basket, into which she puts children whom 

 she steals in order to eat them. Her eyes are 

 hollow and shine with a wild luster. She is asleep 

 most of the time. Her mouth is pushed forward, 

 as she is, when awake, constantly uttering her cry, 

 "i\, hu, fi, u." This figure belongs to a great many 

 clan legends, and is often represented on house posts 

 or on masks (figs. 13, 14). 



The following tradition describes this spirit quite 

 fully: 



The first of the L'a'sq'enox lived at XauX. On 

 the one side of the river lived the clan Wi'sEuts'a. 

 One day the children went across the river to play 

 there. They maiie a house of fir bran(;hes and played 

 in it. One of the boys went out of the house and 

 he discovered a giantess who was approaching the 

 house. He told his friends, who came running 

 out of the house. The giantess was chewing gum 

 which was as red as blood. The children wanted to have some 

 of the 'gum. Then she called them and gave them some. They 

 asked her: "Where do you get your gumf" "Come," she replied, 



L 



i 



i 



HOUSE POST IN XIM- 

 TA'St'E RliPRESENT- 

 IXC. THE ts'o'noqoa. 



Fn.ni a sketch by the author. 



