THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 



GSn 



The sa'nEk (panther) corresponds nearly to the niiLmaL of the 

 Kwakintl. The dancer wears a large h'ead mask, like that of the hi'nE- 

 mix-, and a bearskin. He knocks every thin o- to pieces, pours water 

 into the fire, and tears dogs to pieces and devours them. Two canine 

 teeth in the mouth of the mask are its most characteristic feature. A 

 rope is tied around his waist, by which he is led by some attendants. 



The hI'Ltaq, self torture, corresponds to the hawT'ualaL of the Kwa- 

 kintl. The dancers rub their bodies Avith the juice of certain herbs, and 

 push small lauces through the tlesh of the arms, the back, and the flanks. 



Other dances are the pu'kmis dance, in which the dancer is cov- 

 ered all over with i)ipeciay; the hu'Luiis dance — the hu'Lmis is 

 another being which 

 lives in the woods and 

 is always dancing — 

 performed by women 

 only, who wear orna- 

 ments of red cedar 

 bark and buds' down 

 and who dance with 

 one hand extended 

 upward, the other 

 hanging downward; 

 the ri'yeq dance, in 

 which the dancer 

 knocks to pieces and 

 destroys in other 

 ways household 

 utensils, canoes, and other kinds of property; and dances represent- 

 ing a great variety of animals, particularly birds. The masks are all 

 much alike in type (fig. 108). Head rings made of red cedar bark are 

 worn ill these dances. 



Plate 49 shows an old bird uuxsk and an old mask representing a 

 human face. They are iVom the west coast of Vancouver Island, and 

 were probably made before tlie beginning of this century. Plate 50 

 represents the type of rattle used by the Nootka. The present specimen 

 was probably collected on Cook's journey around the world. 



The tribes north of Barclay Sound have a dance in which the per- 

 former cuts long parallel gashes into his breast and arms. The 

 ha/mats'a dance, which has been obtained by intermarriage from the 

 Kwakiutl, has spread as far south as Xutca'lath. The killing of 

 slaves, whicli has been described by Sproat' and Knippiiig, may belong 

 to this part of the Lo'koala. 



Sproat describes the following events: 



lu December, 1864, the Sesliaht ludians, then occupying tlieir village close to 

 Alberni, put one of their women to a violent death. The day before they commenced 



Fig. 198. 



MASK OF THE NOOTKA. 



Neeah Bay. 



Cat. No. S3439, U. S. N. M. Colle, t,-.! l.y .1. I 



"Scenes and Studies of Savage Life," page 155. 



