636 REPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



a celebratiou of a peculiar character, which Avas to last several days, and the 

 mnrder of the woman fonued, no doubt, a part of this celebration. The woman 

 was stabbed to death hy an old man in whose house she lived, and who probably 

 owned her as a slave, and offered her for a victim. The body Avas then laid out, 

 without a covering, by the water side, about 150 yards from the houses. There 

 appeared to be no inclination to bury the body, and it was only after the chief had 

 been strongly remonstrated with that the poor victim's remains were removed, after 

 two days' exposure. I observed that, even after this removal, certain furious rites 

 took place over the very spot where the body had been exposed. The chief feature 

 of the celebration, apart from the inurder, was a pretended attack upon the Indiun 

 settlement by wolves, which were represented by Indians, Avhile the rest of the 

 population, painted, armed, and with furious shouts, defended their houses from 

 attack. The horrid practice of sacrificing a victim is not annual, but only occurs 

 either once in three years, or else (which is more probable) at uncertain intervals; 

 alwnys, however, when it does happen, the sacrifice takes place during the Klooh- 

 quahn-nah (Ld'koala) season, which lasts from about the middle of November to 

 the middle of .January. The Klooh-quahn-uah or Klooh-quel-lah is a great festival, 

 observed annually by all the Aht tribes, after their return from their fishing grounds 

 to the winter encampment. It is generally a time of mirth and feasting, during 

 which tribal rank is conferred and homage done to the chief, in a multitude of 

 observances which have now lost their meaning, and can not be explained by the 

 natives themselves. I was not aware, until this murder Avas committed under our 

 eyes, that human sacrifices formed any part of the Klooh-(|nahn-nah celebration. 

 I should think it likely that old worn-out slaves are generally the victims. The 

 Seshaht Indians at Alberui represent the practice as most ancient, and the fact that 

 the other tribes of the Aht nation (about twenty in number) observe it, faA^ors this 

 supposition. Their legends somewhat differ as to this i)ractice, some saying that it 

 was instituted by the creator of the world; others that it arose from the sons of a 

 chief of former times haA'ing really been seized by wolA'es.' To some extent it is a 

 secret institution, the young children not being acquainted with it until formally 

 initiated. Many of them during the horrid rite are much alarmed; the exhibition 

 of ferocity, the firing of guns and shouting being calculated, and probably intended, 

 to excite their fears. Part of a day is given np to an instruction of those children 

 who are to be initiated, and it is impressed upon them that the Klooh-quahn-nah 

 must always be kept up, or evil will happen to the tribe. The tendency, no doubt, 

 and probably the intention of this human sacrifice, and the whole celebration, is to 

 destroy the natural human feeling against murder, and to form in the people gener- 

 ally, and especially in the rising generation, hardened and fierce hearts. They them- 

 selves say that their "hearts are bad," as long as it goes on. In the attendant cere- 

 monies their children are taught to look, Avithout any sign of feeling, upon savage 

 preparations for war, strange dances performed in hideous masks and accompanied 

 by unearthly noises, and occasionally, at least, upon the cruel destruction of human 

 life. Although I have no direct evidence of the fact, I believe that part of the 

 course of those to be initiated Avould be to vicAV, howl over, and perhaps handle or 

 even stick their knives into the dead body of the Anctim, Avithout showing any sign 

 of pity or of horror. 



'These Indians imitate animals and birds extremely well, such as wolves or 

 crows. At this Klooh-quahn-nah celebration they had their hair tied out from their 

 heads, so as to represent a Avolf's head and snout, and the blanket was arranged 

 to shoAv a tail. The motion of the wolf in running was closely imitated. More ex- 

 traordinary still Avas their acting as crows; they had a la'go Avooden bill, and 

 blankets arranged so like Avings that, in the dusk, the Indians really seemed like 

 large crows hopping about, particularly Avheu, after the manner of these birds, 

 they Avent into the shallow Avater, and shook their wings and "dabbed" with their 

 long bills. 



