THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 597 



with liis assistants. The people sang for hiui. After he had danced 

 around the fire once in a squatting position, he danced a second circuit 

 standing-. He wore a short blanket and dancing apron, a thin round 

 neck ring, and a fiat head ring with small white rings on the front and 

 sides. During his dance he squatted down every now and then and 

 danced a few steps in long leaps. Finally ho disappeared behind the 

 curtain. His mother remained standing in the doorway and danced for 

 him. Again the speaker delivered a si>eech and began to distribute 

 blankets. By this time it was half i)ast eleven. 



The women had become hungry, and were eating in the rear of the 

 house, and uttering the calls of their societies every now and then. 



A new dancer was announced. The singers began to beat time, and 

 a woman, a t'rt'X'uit, entered dancing, her palms stretched forward 

 and upward. A second woman, and two men who carried guns and 

 blankets, followed her. She was painted black in the following man- 

 ner : Her right cheek was all black, w^hile on the left cheek two vertical 

 lines extended down the whole face near the nose. Two horizontal 

 lines ran from the lips to the ear, one a little above, the other a little 

 below, the month. A long conversation developed between herself 

 and the speaker. The people beat time twice. They divided into 

 two parties and discussed how they would try her. One party went 

 to the door and fetched weapons, saying that they w^ould kill her, 

 to see if her guardian spirit would protect her. Others said they 

 would much rather split her. Then the mother-in-law of the t'o'X'uit 

 stepped between the two parties and asked them rather to kill her; 

 but when she was beginning to strip oft" her blanket and shirt they ridi- 

 culed her, asking if she was not ashamed to strip in front of so many 

 people, and led her away. The young w^oman spoke again. Then the 

 men went out. The speakers who held their lances talked, and after a 

 short time the three men returned. Some men holding paddles and 

 staffs were standing in the front row in the rear of the house. Then a 

 woman and a girl ran out of the door and great excitement prevailed 

 among the i)eople in the rear of the house. One man cried: "I am 

 the si'siuL.'' Now the t'o'X'uit took off her blanket and shirt and sat 

 down. Then they led a girl around the tire to the rear of the house. 

 The girl carried a knife. During this time one of the Koskimo women 

 was singing. Now the si)eaker, whose face was blackened, took a 

 paddle out of the hands of one of the men. The woman sat down in 

 the rear of the fire, in front of the singers. lie stepped up to her 

 while the other woman was dancing, her hands raised and trembling. 

 Four times the man went around the woman. Every time he stood 

 beiiind her he raised his paddle as though he was going to strike her. 

 The fourth time he really struck her and the paddle entered deeply 

 into her shoulder and blood was seen to flow down. Now grease was 

 poured into the fire, so that the liouse was lit up, and the woman arose 

 and turned slowly, that everybody might see the paddle sticking in her 



