THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 585 



to take good care and not to yield, and you seemed to liave lost your 

 senses. Take better care the next time." 



Then they walked out of the house in the same order, the t'o'X'uit 

 with her two attendants being the last. When Nu'xnemis left the 

 house, he cried again "ho," and all the people responded "he," but 

 the ha/mats'a cried "hap, hap, hap, hap," the bears cried "wo, ha," the 

 fool dancers "wihT," and the ha'inshamtsEs "wip, wip," In this man- 

 ner they visited four houses. lu each house the t'o'X'uit caught the 

 supernatural power and threw it upon the people, as described hereto- 

 fore. Every time she threw it the uproar increased. The people shook 

 their blankets to indicate that the power had entered them. They 

 laughed and cried, and kissed each other's wives, for during this time 

 there is no jealousy and no quarreling. 



After they had visited four houses, Nu'xnemis led them back to the 

 winter dancing house of Se'g-ag'ila. They were marching in the same 

 order as before. Just before they entered, IJo'LElite spoke: "Friends, 

 I missed one of our number." The people asked who it was, and he 

 replied : " It is the son of our friend Se'g'ag-ila. The spirits have taken 

 him away. Let us go into the house and see what we can do for our 

 friend." Then the people entered. As soon as all were in, the whistles 

 were heard in the ha'mats'a's room. Then Ho'LElite spoke: "Enter 

 this house of our ancestors and observe the rules that were laid down 

 for the winter ceremonial. Xow be happy. I thank you that you all 

 have come to this morning's ceremonial, for I do not like to have the 

 Koskimo or other strangers laugh at us. If any of you should have 

 gone home before we finished, they might have had cause for doing so. 

 We have done well, and the spirit of the winter dance is pleased with 

 our work, else he would not have taken one of our number with liiin. 

 Therefore I myself and my friend Nu'xnemis are pleased with you. We 

 can not do anything without you, for what is the power of a chief 

 without the help of his tribe? You call me and Nu'xuf'mis chiefs of the 

 winter ceremonial, but we have no power without you. Now I have 

 finished," Then Xu'xnemis sang out once more "ho," the t'o'X'uit 

 repeated her secret song, and when she had finished Ho'LElite gave the 

 signal for the people to beat the boards. She stretched her hands for- 

 ward and caught the supernatural power in the same manner as de- 

 scribed before, and threw it upon the people, who cried again. Three 

 times she caught it and threw it upon the people. The fourth time 

 after she had caught it she threw it up into the air. Then she snt 

 down. 



Xow Ho'LElite arose and spoke : " O friends ! Do yon see how I look ? I 

 am almost ready to run away from this house of the supernatural power. 

 I was standing near the post and next to me was standing K-ex''s son. 

 As soon as our friend Wllanqoa'lag-ilis caught the supernatural power 

 the fourth time and threw it upward, it came and took the son of our 

 chief K-ex* along. Friends, there was one taken away this morning, 



