THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 



611 



aud into the water, where he keeps them until the ma'maq'a appeals 

 and drives the hfi'mats'a back into the house. 



During these days the second yc'wix-ila is collecting all the debts 

 which are due him, and on the following morning the new ha/mats'a 

 is seen on the same point of land where tlie first one was recovered. 

 The people go up to him, catch him, and bring him to the singing 

 house (kekoalela'tse). Then they all begin to sing the four new songs, 

 the first two accompanied by fast beating, the last two by slow beat- 

 ing. After these songs the ha'mats'a is led back into his bedroom. 

 About 8 o'clock in the evening he leaves the house, 

 returns to the woods, and stays there until his father 

 has invited all the people to his house to sing for 

 him. As soon as they are assembled they begin to 

 beat time." After they have done so for about five 

 minutes, one man cries "yau." The people repeat 

 this cry four times. They have hardly done so when 

 the hiVmats'a enters and they begin to sing. The 

 ha/mats'a dances around the fire and at the end of 

 the last song disappears in his bedroom. This night 

 all the dances are shown in a festival similar to the 

 k'ik'i'lnala of the Kwakiutl.' 



On the following morning the ye'M'ix-ila invites all 

 the peoj)le to his house, and gives a feast to the men, 

 women, aud children. At the end of the feast every- 

 body receives a blanket "to wipe the mouth with." 

 After this the hfi'mats'a is allowed to bite four times, 

 once every fourth day. During this time he is 

 purified in a way similar to that of the hil'mats'a of 

 the Kwakiutl. 



After the last night of the winter dance, the ye' • 

 wix'ila calls all the people to his house and asks them 

 who is willing to keep the red cedar bark until the 

 next year. No one responds. All of a sudden the 

 door is o])ened and about twenty men rush into the 

 house. They are covered with balsam pine branches, 

 and blood is dripping from their bodies. They are called the Wina/- 

 lag'ilis or qumqu'mx-dd (land otters). They run around the fire and 

 suddenly take the cedar bark rings from the heads of several men. 

 They then leave the house again as suddenly as they entered. The 

 men whose cedar bark rings they have taken will give a winter dance 

 the following year. After this, the rest of the people take off their 

 cedar bark ornaments, tie handkerchiefs around their heads, and begin 

 to sing summer songs. 



Fig. 189. 



KOSKIMO WHIRRING 



STICK. 



Length, 23J inches. 



■ .\, No. I4SS, Royal Ethuo- 

 grapkical Museum, Berlin. 

 Collected bv .\, .T,icobsen. 



The following is a descrii)tion of the ceremonies corresponding to 

 the kue'xalak" of the Kwakiutl, called by the La'Lasiqoala, Le'xalak". 



' See page 595. 



