THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 



527 



Tlie k'i'nqalaLala lead the way, each singing her secret song. All the 

 people follow them toward the beach. The first k-i'nqalaLala sings : ^ 



Yiya haul yiyaha. I am the real tamer of BaxbakiifilauuXsl'waf'. 



Yiya ham yiyaha. I pull the red cedar bark from BaxbakualanuXsI'wae's back. 



Then the second one sings:' 



It is my power to pacify you, when you are in a state of ecstasy. - 



They go westward, and as soon as they come to the place called 

 Naii'alak'nas (place of sui)eniatural power), about one-eighth of a mile 

 west of the village, four sons or 

 relatives of the ye'wix-ila are sent 

 out to gather hemlock branches. 

 During this time the singers sing 

 the new songs which were made 

 on the preceding day in the woods, 

 in order to enable the other people 

 to learn these songs. Now, the 

 boys return, bringing the hemlock 

 branches, which are used for mak- 

 ing head and neck rings for the 

 people. All the quc'qutsa form a 

 row and take each others' hands. 

 They sing the new songs and go 

 forward. The old ha'mats'as and 

 the other members of the seal society go before them. TheU' all of a 

 sudden the new ha/mats'a appears, and is surrounded by the people, 

 but he disappears again. It is not the novice himself who appears at 

 this time, but some other man who looks like him, and who while being 

 surrounded by the "seals" takes off his hemlock dress and dresses in 



red cedar bark like the other seals, 

 so that apparently the ha/mats'a has 

 disappeared again, leaving only his 

 hemlock dress. Suddenly the novice 

 is seen again in front of the village. 

 Everybody runs to take him, but he 

 disappears again in the same man- 

 ner as before. After a short time he 

 is seen again at Nau'alak'uas. He 

 is surrounded, but disappears a third 

 time. Then all the people form a 

 row, take each others' hands, and each begins to sing his own secret 

 song. Thus they approach the village, where the ha'mats'a is seen 

 again. One man strips off his clothing and goes in front of the people. 

 He is called the bait of the tribe (te'lEm). As soon as the ha'mats'a 

 sees him he rushes up to him, seizes his arm, and bites it. Then the 



Fig. 185. 



HEAD KING OF QLTE'QUTSA. 

 Koskimo. 



Cat. No. n5.i2«, U. S. N". M. CoUecte.l by F. Boas. 



Fig. 186. 



HEAD RING OP ONE WHO IS ADMITTED TO THE 



WINTER CEREMONIAL FOR THE FIRST TIME. 



Cat. No. IT.ioOl, U. S. N. M. Collected hy F. Boas. 



Appendix, page 724. 



'^This is the secret song of all the he'Iig'a. 



