THE KWA^KIUTL INDIANS. 505 



belong to the offices: X-I'x-iqala, of the Gue/tela tribe; Q'e'q'aqaualas, 

 of theWalas Kwakintl tribe; LoxsA/, of the Ha'ialik-auae clan, and 

 A'Lu'lsEla, of the Q'o'moyur' tribe. The last is their leader. They are 

 called pJi'paxaMif' (head paxalas). One of these men must be a " paxala" 

 (shaman). When starting each takes a round rattle. They blacken 

 their faces, put on their head rings and neck rings of red cedar bark, 

 and cover their heads with eagle down. Then their speaker, A'Lo'lsEla, 

 says, "We are going to fetch our friends."^ Then they go around the 

 fire four times, singing as follows:^ 



O friend, O friend, O supernatural friend (meaning Winu'lag-ilis). 



Then they go to the house in which the seal society is waiting for 

 them. Meanwhile, the master of ceremonies calls up four other officers 

 to invite the highest members of the seal society, the ha/mats'as. These 

 offices are also hereditary. The names of the officers are: K-tVqauLeE, 

 of the Kue'xa tribe; Me/goatExstala, of the same tribe; K-ex-, of the 

 Maa'mtag'ila clan; and Na/wulqalag-ilis, of the Kue'xa tribe. The first 

 three names are que'qutsa names, the last is a ha'mshamts'ES name. 

 He is the leader of these four messengers. They are also called pii'pa- 

 xame (head paxala), and there must be one "paxala" (shaman) among 

 them. 



The master of ceremonies gives them tallow. The ha'mshamts'ES 

 puts some of it into his mouth, chews it, and then rubs it all over his 

 face, while the others simply rub it on their faces without chewing. 

 Each is also given a cedar bark ring, charcoal, feathers, and a round 

 rattle. They all wear quc/qutsa rings. After they have received the 

 ornaments, they say, "We will go and fetch our great friends.'" They 

 walk four times around the fire, singing:* 



You said, AVlna'lag'ilis, that I should capsize in rough weather. Your friend 

 stayed here long in my canoe near the beach. You said that I should capsize in 

 rough weather, but your friend capsized sleeping while it was rough weather." 



Then they walk around the fire, go on their errand, and after about 

 fifteen minutes the eight men who were sent to fetch the seal society 

 and the ha'mat'sas return, and A'Lo'lsEla sings:" 



BaxbakualauuXsi'wad told me about the great supernatural means of killing people 

 ' with mv teeth. 



iLa'mEnoX laL, pe'paxalai, axLExans ne'nEmokua. 

 We go, shamaua, we fetcli our friends*. 



-Appendix, page 718. 



^La'menoX IfiL, pe'paxalai', axLRxans nfiuEmoxtse. 

 We go, shamans, we fetch our great friends. 



'' Appendix, page 719. 



^This song refers to a man named Eix-'ag-ida'lag-ilis who met Wina/lag*ilis. The 

 latter asked him: "Are yon a shaman?" He replied in tlie affirmative, and con- 

 tinued: "Can you cross here without up.setting your canoe?" "Yes," retorted 

 Winu'lag-ilis. "Then let me see," said the former. "If you succeed, I will cross 

 next." When Wlna/lag-ills tried to cross, he capsized. Then Eix-'ag-ida lag-ilis 

 sang the above song. A translation is very difficult, and the sense is by no means 

 certain. 



^Appendix, page 720. 



