420 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



The Xaq'oaqtoq are divided as follows: The group corresponding to 

 the seals are called wu'n'awuux'is, the troublesome ones. They em- 

 brace hamats'a, bear, aud ma'maq'a. I have not a complete list of the 

 subdivisions of the que/qutsa. 



L'o'L'Epana (cormorants) are the chiefs, csElilliLtsawe qoayi'ra (the 

 whales for whom one waits), are the young men, ts'e'ts'eg-inaqa (gulls), 

 the elder boys. 



The group corresponding to the seal group is called among the 

 Koskimo ts'E'qolag-ilis, and embraces wolves and ha/mats'a. The chiefs 

 among this tribe are called t'o't'opa (rock-cods), and the higher chiefs 

 na'ne (bears). The middle-aged men are called gue'guso (pigs). 



The que'qutsa groups of all these tribes embrace those individuals 

 who, for the time being, are not possessed by the spirits. A member 

 of tlie que'qutsa may at any time be initiated by a new spirit and then 

 he or she leaves their ranks. Or he may become possessed of his 

 spirit and show his dance or ceremony. Then he is for the time being 

 not considered as one of the que'qutsa, but simply as one of these 

 dancers. Therefore the que'qutsa correspond very nearly to the group 

 of people who have resigned their places in favor of younger ones, as 

 tliese also may reenter the ranks of the nobility by marrying and thus 

 obtaining a new name. 



The seal society are subdivided in two groups : The la'xsa (gone into the 

 house), those who have gone through the house of BaxbakutllanuXsi'wae 

 and learned all his secrets, and the wl'xsa, (not gone into the house), 

 those w^ho have only "leaned against its walls." All the dancers who 

 are instructed by BaxbakualanuXsi'wae, the ha'mats'a, ha'mshamtsEs, 

 BaxbakufdanuXsI'wae's grizzly bear, k-i'uqalaLala and q'o'miuoqa 

 belong to the la'xsa; the others are wi'xsa. 



Each dance (le'da) has two names belonging to it — the dance name 

 (Ic'laenexLa'ya) and the que'qutsa name (que'tSExLii'ya) which latter 

 the individual assumes when giving up his dance in favor of a younger 

 man, or which he has when not performing his dance or ceremony. 



The two groups, the seals and the que'qutsa, and the corresponding 

 ones among the other tribes, are hostile to one another. The seals 

 when excited attack and torment the que'qutsa; the latter, on the other 

 hand, tease and torment the members of the seal society. While most 

 of the dancers join during the greater part of the ts'e'ts'aeqa season 

 the que'qutsa and perform their dances only at certain occasions, the 

 members of the seal society, particularly the highest ones, the ha'mats'a, 

 nuist stay with their society, and even when they intend to give up 

 their dance the que'qutsa try to prevent them by all possible means. 



It will be noticed that most of the subdivisions of the que'qutsa 

 have animal names. For this the Indians give the explanation that 

 the ceremonial was instituted at the time when men had still the form 

 of animals; before the transformer had put everything into its pres- 

 ent shape. The present ceremonial is a repetition of the ceremonial 



