THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 557 



is well when I live like one of yon, and it is Avell if 1 act like one of the 

 northern tribe, becanse my mother was of high blood among her tribe. 

 I do not give this festival that you may call me a (,'hief. I give it in 

 honor of these two who are dancing here, that the words of their ene- 

 mies may not harm them. For this purpose I build an armor of wealth 

 around them." Then his speaker continued: "Y<ni have finished. I 

 am proud of you. Yours is the right way of speaking. There is 

 nothing wrong in what you said." Then he turned to the Na/q'oaqtoq, 

 addressing their chief, K-ak-x;Vlaso : "Did you hear what my chief 

 said? He did not speak against you; he did not speak against the 

 Koskimo, and lie did not speak against us. He shall be the speaker 

 of the clan Se'uLEm.' Do not speak behind our backs, calling us 

 sons of northern tribes.^ Our ha'mats'a is making us tired. Now 

 take care! Look after your batons and speak carefully, and see that 

 food is given in the proper way to our great friend. He has many 

 fathers. If one of them has not enough property at hand, another 

 one is ready to pay for his ecstasies. Ho'LElite ! Gome and do what 

 you like with these blankets here. They fell from the red cedar bark 

 of Ya'qois." 



Ho'LElite arose and with him Ama'x-idayu. He praised Nr/Lq'au- 

 LEla, the father of Ya'qois, and said : " O Na'q'oaqtoq. This is the first 

 time that such a thing is done. His property runs from him in streams, 

 and if one of his rivals should stand in the way he would be drowned 

 by it." 



Then he began to distribute the blankets, beginning with tbe ma/- 

 maq'a of the Na'q'oaqtoq. Sometimes he did not know the proper 

 order and rank of the different names. Then he inquired of the people, 

 and they called to him, trying to help him. Some even threw stones at 

 him in order to attract his attention. After the Ih'st pile of blankets 

 had been distributed among the JSla'q'oaqtoq, he took up the second 

 pile and distributed it among the Koskimo, beginning with their ha'- 

 mats'a. After he had distributed all, he said once more: "Be careful; 

 the supernatural power never leaves ourha/mats'a; if you should make 

 a mistake, he will become excited again." After his speech, the Na'q'- 

 oaqtoq and Koskimo sang a song on account of the distribution of 

 blankets, and one of the Koskimo said: "I begin to be afraid of the 

 manner in which we are being treated here. The property which is being 

 distributed here reaches up to my throat. I will not blame Nd'Lq'auLEla. 

 My grandson is a ha'mats'a, and neither he has received a blanket nor 

 have I received one." It so happened that his name had been forgotten 

 in the distribution. Then No'Lq'auLEla took the button blanket which 

 his mother was wearing and gave it to the speaker, who thanked him for 

 it. Next a ]Sra/q'oaqt«')q arose and said : "No clan has ever been known 

 to do what you have done to-day, and I am afraid of you. Kwakiutl, 



'Or Si'sliiLae. 



2 His father was a He'iltsuq. 



