604 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



singers in the rear of the house. A t'o'X'nit woman, wearing a head ring 

 of hemlock branches, but no neck ring, api)eared. She hekl her elbows 

 to her sides, and her hands forward, palms npward. She raised them 

 and lowered them alternately. The song was in a three -part rhythm, and 

 she walked limping, one step being on the quarter mora of the rhythm, 

 the second step on the half mora of the rhythm, while she was singing 

 her secret song. After each line of her song the chorus continued it. 

 She sang: " Ya, ya, ye." 



Now Hd'LElitc stepped up to her and spoke. She replied with the 

 exclamation "up, up," pointing to her chest, meaning that the people 

 should split her. Then she moved her hands in the same way along her 

 neck, meaning that they should cut off her head. Hd'LElitr* proposed 

 to throw her into the fire, but after some talk this idea was abandoned. 

 The people beat time again. Slie began to dance, and caught her super- 

 natural power between her palms. After she had done so twice, she 

 said again ''up, up," touching her stomach with her palms several 

 times, meaning "take out my intestines." Then she tried again to catch 

 her supernatural power, and during this time IIo'LElitc walked around 

 her, shouting "up." Now she tried the fourth time to catch her super- 

 ]iatural power. At once whistles were heard. A bird was seen flying 

 down from the roof, and a nd'nLEmg'ila figure arose from underground. 

 The fourth time a feather, which represents the horn of the sT'siuL, 

 came up from underground and moved trembling along the rear of the 

 house. She went up to it, and all of a sudden she began to disappear 

 in the ground. One man took hold of her, trying to rescue her, but 

 his hands and forearms disappeared in the ground down to his elbows. 

 Several men took hold of him in order to rescue him. Then he was 

 apparently dragged through the whole house by the t'd'X'uit, who 

 had disappeared underground. He passed by circuitous movements 

 through the whole house, plowing up the ground. Finally he seemed 

 to lose the woman, and fell backward.^ 



After the t'd'X'uit had disappeared in the ground, a second one 

 commenced to dance. The underground motions of the first were led 

 by the dancing woman, who, with the movements of her hands, tried 

 to bring her up again. This second t'o'X'uit was followed by one man. 

 Finally she left the house, and blankets were distributed while Ho'le- 

 lite delivered a speech. Now a song was heard on the beach outside 



This peifoiaiauce had been prepared during the preceding days, when the raem- 

 l)ers of the seal society kept everybody away from the house. A deep ditch had been 

 dug in the rear of the house, iu wliich the t'o'X'ult disappeared. A shallow ditch had 

 been dug all through the house. A heavy rope had been placed in this ditch, which 

 was filled with loose dirt. The man who seemed to hold the t'o'X'ult pulled himself 

 along this rope. Unfortunately the rope had been laid too near the fireplace and 

 was burnt. Thus it happened that the man had to let go. The origiuiil plan was to 

 pursue the t'o'X'uU to the front right corner of the house, where she was to ajipear 

 again from out of another ditch which was connected with the ditch iu the rear of 

 the house where she had disappeared. 



