446 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



If the dancer is not a novice, lie dances tlie first dance with liis cedar 

 bark ornaments, which the new ha'mats'a does not wear nntil his 

 fourth dance. These consist of a heavy crown of plated cedar bark 

 and a neck ring to correspond, anklets, and bracelets (figs. G3-G8). 



The head ring tig. G3 is set with four crosspieces. These crosspieces 

 designate the gifts of the spirits who have initiated the cannibal. The 

 front piece represents the milky way, the cannibal pole of Baxbaku- 

 alanuXsI'wac, the two lateral pieces represent the ho'Xhok". The 

 rear crosspiece is said to be merely an ornament. Some ha'mats'as 

 Avcar a bear skin which is set with the scalps of the slaves whom he 

 has eaten or of the enemies whom he has slain. The symbolic meaning 



of a number of crosspieces 

 will be described in detail 

 further on (p. 449). 



During the dances of the 

 ha'mats'a whistles are 

 heard (figs. 69-74), Avhich 

 represent the voices of the 

 spirits. Most of these 

 whistles are small. They 

 are made of red cedar. A 

 few are made of bone. 



After his first dance, the 

 ha'mats'a disappears in a 

 room set apart for this xiur- 

 pose in the rear of the 

 house. It is called the ma/wiL, and is supposed to be the house of 

 BaxbakualanuXsi'wae. Its front is painted with designs which repre- 

 sent either the face of BaxbakualanuXsiVae himself or that of his 

 servant the raven. The top of the front is set with fringes of red 

 cedar bark (fig. 75). The room is always so arranged that when the 

 ha'mats'a reappears, he comes out of the mouth of the painting on its 

 front. Plate 29 shows the ha'mats'a coming out of the secret room, 

 which is painted with the design of the raven. His attendants, as 

 soon as he appears, run up to the secret room and hold the ha'mats'a 

 at his neck ring. Then he comes forward and performs his dance. 

 This room is used only by the novice. For him also a higli pole is 

 erected in the middle of the rear of the house. It is called the 

 ha'msp'eq, the cannibal pole. It is a mast from 30 to 40 feet high, 

 which is wound with red cedar bark. At the top is a short crosspiece 

 about 4 feet in length. The cedar bark extends up to it so that it 

 forms a triangle at the toi) of the pole. Sometimes a triangle painted 

 with the face of BaxbakualanuXsi'wae is fastened to it instead. 



As mentioned before, the novice after his first dance disappears into 

 his secret room. Soon his cries are heard again, and he is seen coming- 

 out backward at the side of the ma'wiL. He wears the mask of the 

 raven, Qoa'qoaXualanuXsI'wae (fig. 70), which it is supposed is growing 



Pig. 75. 



PAINTING ON THE FRONT OF A MA'WIL, REPBESENTIXO THE 



FACE OF BAXBAKUALANUXSI'WAE. 



From a sketch. 



