THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 633 



tlie members of the Lo'koala blacken their faces and sing the follow- 

 ing song: ' 



Among all the tribes is great excitement because I am Lo'koala. 



On the following- day the wolves return the novice dead. Then the 

 Lo'koala must revive him. The wolves are supposed to have put 

 the magic stone haina- into his body, which must be removed in order 

 to restore liim to life. The body is left outside the house and two 

 siiamans go to remove tlie liiiina. It seems that this stone is quartz. 

 The idea is the same as that found among the Kwakiutl, where the 

 Ma'tEm is initiated by means of quartz, which is put into his body by 

 the spirit of his dance. The returning novice is called u'cTnak. 



After the novices have been restored to life, they are painted red 

 and black. Blood is seen to stream from their mouths, and they run 

 at once down to the beach and jump into the water. Soon they are 

 found to drift lifeless on the water. A canoe is sent out and the bod- 

 ies are gathered in it. As soon as the canoe lands, they all return 

 to life, resort to the dancing house, to which none but the initiated 

 are admitted, and stay there for four days. At night, dances are per- 

 formed in the house, which the whole population is allowed to witness. 

 After the four days are over, the novices leave the house, their lieads 

 being wound with wreaths of hemlock ( ?) branches. They go to the 

 river, in which they swim, and after some time are fetched back by 

 a canoe. They are almost exhausted from tlie exertions they have 

 undergone during the foregoing days. Novices must eat nothing but 

 dried fish and dried berries. 



Each Lo'koala lasts four days. It is only celebrated when some 

 member of the tribe gives away a large amount of proj^erty to the 

 Lo'koala, the most frequently occurring occasion being the initiation of 

 new members. Sometimes it is celebrated at the time of the ceremo- 

 nies which are practiced when a girl reaches maturity. The house of 

 the iiian who pays for the Lo'koala seems to be the taboo house of the 

 society. As soon as the Lo'koala begins, the ordinary social organiza- 

 tion of the tribe is suspended, as is also the case among the Kwakiutl. 

 The people arrange themselves in companies or societies, which bear 

 the names of the various i>footka tribes, no matter to which tribe and 

 sept the persons actually belong. Each society has festi\'als of its own, 

 to which members of the other societies are not admitted, although 

 they may be invited. These societies are called ii'paL. Each has a 

 certain song, which is sung during their festivities.^ 



At night, when the whole tribe assemble in the taboo House, the 

 societies still keep together. They are hostile to each other, and 

 railleries between the various groui)S are continually going on. It 



' Appendix, page TM. 

 Xur'la, Kwakiutl. The x of tlie Kwakiutl is, in the Ts'Ecia'i»th dialect ol' the 

 Xootka, from Avhom I obtained the word, always changed into h: n ami 1 alternate 

 constantly, for instance, i.d'kuale and Lo'kuanc. 



■'Appendix, pages 731, 732. 



