THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 419 



members of the society derive each their membership from the initia- 

 tion of one of the ancestors of the nobility. These ancestors have 

 each only one representative at a time. But many of them are grouped 

 together, as will be presently described. 



It follows from these facts that a new member of a society can be 

 admitted only when another one is dropped, whose place he then takes. 

 The custom is analogous to the transfer of a position in the nobility to 

 a youth ; the old member transfers his rights to a young man and drops 

 out of the ranks of the society. 



The dancers (or societies) are arranged in two principal groups, whose 

 names among the Kwakiutl proper are the seals (me'emqoat) and the 

 que'qutsa. The former embrace a number of dancers and societies 

 of dancers— the ha'matsa, ha'mshamtsEs, k-in(ialaLala, nd'ntsistalaL, 

 qoe'qoasElaL, q'o'mindqa, na/nO, iiu'LmaL. They are the highest in 

 rank. All the others are que'qutsa. These are subdivided in smaller 

 groups according to age and sex, as follows: 



Males. Females. 



1. NaanE'Xsok", boys. 8. Kf'ki'xalak", girls. 



2. Maa'mx'euox (killer whales), young 9. Qaciaqao' (heus), young women. 



jiiejj 10. Mu'smOs (cows), old women. 



3. D'o'd'opa (rock cods), young men, 



about twenty-five years old. 



4. i.'e'L'cxEn (sea lions), older men. 



5. Qoe'qolm (whales), chiefs. 



6. Qo'(iosqimo (Koskimos), old men. 



7. He'mElk (eaters), head chiefs. 



The number of these societies has undergone frequent changes, but 

 the Maa'mx'euox, D'o'd'opa, L'e'i.'exEn, and Qoe'qoim have always 

 remained. The present societies of the women are quite new, as is 

 shown by their names — hens and cows. The former were called until 

 about twenty years ago wa'xwaxoli. 



The La'Lasi(ioala are divided in the following way: The group cor- 

 responding to the seal group is called q'a'q'anas (a small black shell- 

 fish). They embrace the ha'mats'a, ma'maq'a, t'o'x'uit (d'lala), hai'a- 

 lik-ilaL, ts'e'koisc, se'lics, ts'e'koa'ta', yiya'LalaL. 



The societies corresponding to the que'qutsa divisions are the 

 following : 



Males. Females. 



1. x-i'x-itpa (pufiQns), little boys. 8. Hii'iaxaqEmae (eating first), girls. 



2. Laa'lk'o (mallard ducks), boys. 9. Ts'r-ts'acxsaq (a species of birds), 



3. K-'ik-'ine'La (sea anemones), sick and women. 



lame people. 10. Ba'baLf' (all^atrosses), old women. 



4. G'a'g-imola (halibut hooks), youug 



chiefs. 



5. Ne'ntsae (red cod), third-class chiefs. 



6. L'c'L'axan (sea lions), men about 30 



years old. 



7. Md'omguaua'lc (anchor lines of tribes), 



old chiefs. 



