THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 



449 



was deserted on an island by his slaves. He thought he would 

 have to die of hunger. He sat down and covered his face with his 

 blanket and cried. Then he heard his name being called. He looked 

 up, but did not see anyone. He covered his head again. Soon his 

 name was called a second time, but he could not discover anyone. The 

 same haji- 



pened a third 

 time. Then 

 he bit a hole 

 in his cedar 

 bark blanket 

 and i)eeped 

 through it. 

 Soon he saw 



a mouse com- 

 ing out of a hole and calling him. He 

 threw off his blanket and spoke to the 

 mouse, who invited him to enter. She 

 warned him, however, to take care of the 

 door. The chief followed her. She led 

 him down the rock to Q'O'moqoae's house. 

 The door of the house was the raven, 

 Qoa'qoaXualauuXsi'wae, who snapped ; 

 at everybody who entered the house. 

 The chief jumped through the door 

 when it opened. Q'O'maqoae gave him . 

 the ha'mats'a dance and the raven mask. 



In order to explain the meanings of 

 the crosspieces on the head rings and 

 of the attachments to the neck rings of \ 

 the ha'mats'a, I must insert a few tradi- 

 tions referring to this subject : 



Following is the legend of the origin \ 

 of the G-agg-aenox: 



The first of the A'wa-iLala lived at 

 Ts'a'wate. Their chief was Gu'mg'ila. 

 His sons were Qoa'wiLpe and Xa'niats'- 

 amg'ilak". They were always very happy, 

 because their tribe was numerous. One 

 night they were attacked, and Gu'mg-ila 

 and his two sons alone were saved. When 

 the day came Xa'niats'amg-ilak^' felt very ill at ease and told his father : 

 ''I will go into the woods. Do not try to see me, ray dear!" His father 

 replied: "Only take care, my son, lest something might happen to 

 you. Do nothing that is wrong, because you intend to go and obtain a 

 magic treasure. Rub your bodj^ for four days with hemlock branches, 

 else you will smell like man." Then they separated. The young man 

 NAT MUS 05 1*9 



