424 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



broken;"' and the son-in-law replies: ''Let us be glad."^ Then be 

 sings the following song of joy: 



I will go and tear to pieces Mount Steveus, I will use it for stones for my tire, 



I will go and break Mount Qa'tsta'is, I will use it for stones for my fire; 



Wealth is rolling down to him from the great chiefs, 



Wealth is rolling down to him from all sides; all the chiefs go to him for protection. 



The breaking of the canoe indicates that all the property given to 

 the yonng man will be at once distributed among the tribe. This is 

 done on the subsequent day. 



There is still another way by which a dance may be obtained — the 

 same as the crest and ba/sus (clan) names — namely, by killing its 

 owner. It is said that many dances were introduced among the 

 Kwakiutl and related tribes in this manner. I will give a few exam- 

 ples of this custom, to which I briefly alluded at a former place, but 

 whicli I could not treat fully there, because the custom is so intimately 

 connected with the winter ceremonials. The first instance about which 

 I learned is the following: 



Formerly the Ma/tilpe had no ha'mats'a, but only ha'mshamtsES, 

 and the other tribes would not allow them to obtain one through mar- 

 riage. At one time a canoe of northern tribes passed near the village 

 of the Ma'tilpe. Two young men observed it, and they saw that there 

 were four men and two women in the canoe, one of whom wore the 

 badges of the ha/mats'a. Then the two Ma'tilpe youths determined to 

 kill the ha'mats'a in order to obtain his dance. They paddled up to the 

 strangers, who asked the two young men to direct them to a campiug 

 place. They did so. Then they hid their guns in the bushes near 

 by, and told the strangers that they were on their way to look after 

 their traps. They asked for the loan of the strangers' guns. When they 

 had received them, they went to the place where they had hidden their 

 own weapons, loaded them and shot the four men and the two women. 

 One of the youths took the cedar bark ornaments of the ha'mats'a. 

 He found his whistles in a bag. At once he began to utter the 

 ha'mats'a's cry "hai^, hap," for now he had the right to use the dance 

 owned by the man whom he had killed. He also took two coppers 

 which he found in the canoe. This method of obtaining a dance and 

 other objects is called kue'xanEm, obtained by killing. 



It is the same when a novice who is being initiated is found in the 

 woods — the person who finds him may kill him. The murderer then 

 obtains his dance, and the relatives of the novice are not allowed to 

 take revenge. 



iLaamx laxsaLe gins mo'qamc'xtik-. 

 This is broken on our loaded canoe hece. 

 the water 



* We'g'a x'ins mo'lx-'ita. 

 Let U8 bo glad. 



