418 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



Eight away there was thunder and liglitninj^ and a hail storm and a 

 gale was blowing in Ts'a/watr'. Tiien We'qae was blown np the inlet. 

 In this manner the Le'kwiltoq obtained the onlachon. 



Figures 37 and 38 show j^'a'mtalaL, who came down in the shape of a 

 thunder bird from heaven, took off his bird mask, and became a man. 

 Figures 30 and 40 show his cedar-bark ornaments. 



VII. The Organization of the Tribe during the Season of 

 THE Winter Ceremonial. 



In. the preceding chapter I have described a number of spirits which 

 appear to the Indians and are supposed to bestow supernatural i^owers 

 upon them. From the legends which I have told, it appears that these 

 spirits appeared first to the ancestors of the clan* and I have stated 

 that the same spirits continue to appear to the descendants of these 

 mythical ancestors. The number of spirits is limited, and the same one 

 appeared to ancestors of various clans of different tribes. But in these 

 cases he gave each of his proteges his powers in a slightly different 

 form. In fact each name of the nobility (as described on p. .338) has a 

 separate tradition of the acquisition of supernatural powers, and these 

 have descended ujiou the bearers of the name. As indicated in some of 

 the traditions, the spirits give ne w n ames to the men to whom they appear, 

 but these names are in use only during the time when the spirits dwell 

 among the Indians — that is, in winter. Therefore, from the moment 

 when the spirits are sni)posed to be present, all the summer names are 

 dropped, and the members of the nobility take their winter names. 



It is clear that with the change of name the whole social structure, 

 which is based on the names, must break down. Instead of being 

 grouped in clans, the Indians are now grouped according to the spirits 

 wliich have initiated them. All those who are protected by Baxbaku- 

 alanuXsi'wae form one gronp; those who stand under Winfi'lag-ilis 

 form another group, etc, and in these groups divisions are made 

 according to the ceremonies or dances bestowed upon the person. 



Thus,- at the time of the beginning of the winter ceremonial the 

 social system is completely changed. The period when the clan sys- 

 tem is in force is called ba'xus, which term also designates those 

 who have not been initiated by any spirit, and might be translated 

 "profane." The period of the winter ceremonial is called ts'c'ts'aeqa, 

 the secrets, which term designates also the ceremonial itself. It is 

 also called ts'e/qa (singular of ts'e'ts'aeqa) ; aik*'e/gala (making the 

 heart good); and g-a/xaxaak" (brought down from above). The In- 

 dians express this alternating of seasons by saying that in summer 

 the ba'xus is on top, the ts'e'ts'aeqa below, and vice versa in winter. 



During this period the place of the clans is taken by a number of 

 societies, namely, the groups of all those individuals upon whom the 

 same or almost the same power or secret has been bestowed by one of 

 the spirits. Thus the ha'mats'a, nu'LmaL, bear dancers, etc., form each 

 one society, which consists of a limited number of names, because the 



