THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 411 



gave biitli to a boy. \Mieii lie was one day old, lie was able to walk, 

 and the following day lie began to talk. When the child was fonr days 

 old, it began to cry for the box. Then Nenalaats'Oqa gave it to the 

 boy. He stopped crying at ouce. On the following day the child went 

 playing in the canoe. Then NT'nalaats'r'qa told her si^eaker to push 

 the hunting canoe into the water. The boy went aboard the canoe and 

 then he began again to cry for the box. His mother told her speakers 

 to put the box into the canoe. Then the boy stopped crying. He 

 pushed oft" the canoe and went far away from the shore with the tide. 

 Then an old man said to Nenalaats'eqa: "What have you been doing? 

 Is that the box in which the day is that is now in the bow of the canoe 

 of that child? Do you not know him! That is Kuexala'lag-ilis." 

 Thns spoke the old man. As soon as Kuexala'lag-ilis had rounded 

 the point, he opened the box. Then he took out the sun and removed 

 his sT'siuL mask. It grew light at once. The sun spoke: "O, friend! 

 do not keep me ! Let me go to the upper world, for now I will try 

 to benefit our world. It will be day now. You have my si'siuL 

 mask." Thus spoke the sun. Then Kuexala'lag-ilis replied : "Do not 

 go just yet, friend! You may go to the upper world when we arrive 

 among my own tribe at G-c'damis. They all will praise you." Then 

 he paddled home. The sun said: "My friend! treat my si'siuL mask 

 well. You may show it during the winter dance, and also the sunrise 

 mask. Its name shall be KXts'amatusElag-ilis (abaloue shell from 

 one end of the world to the other). That is all." Thus spoke the sun 

 and bid farewell to Kucxala'lag'ilis. Then he went to the upjDcr world. 

 In this manner the G-o'p'enox obtained the sunrise mask (na'xnak*a- 

 qEuiL) and its red cedar bark. It was inside the box. That is the end. 

 (See figs. 129-133, p. 484.) 



The Ma'tEm ceremonial derives its origin from the following legends 

 of the Nimkish : 



At Papek-in, above Nimkish Lake, lived a young man named O'mea- 

 LEmae. He was always playing with other children. One night he was 

 very hungry. He took salmon roe out of a box and roasted it. When 

 the roe burst, some of it jumped against the neck of the boy's father, 

 who was sitting near the fire warming his back. He grew angry and 

 struck Ma'tEm with a stick. The boy became sad and went into the 

 woods. After walking a long time he came to a place where there was 

 a jam of driftwood in the river. He wanted to die, and he jumped into 

 the water above the jam, but he came up again below, none the worse 

 for his long dive. He came to a second jam and jumped into the river 

 above it, but he came up below hale and well. Then he arrived at a 

 steep clift". He climbed up and flung himself down the precij)ice, but 

 he did not hurt himself. He went on and soon he arrived at a mountain 

 which was resi)lendent with light. It was the clift' Na'oalakoa. There 

 it was raining quartz all the time. He took up four crystals and placed 

 them in a row on the medial line of his head. He climbed the mouu- 



