THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 



661 



not leave any doubt that they are in the main derived from the same 

 source. ]Sot only are the ceremonials much alike, but even their names 

 are identical. Among all the tribes, the badges of the ceremonials are 

 made of cedar bark, which is dyed red in the juice of the alder. Head 

 rings, neck rings, and masks are worn by the dancers. The perform- 

 ances themselves are essentially the same from Alaska to Juan de Fuca 

 Strait. But the most certain proof of their common origin lies in the 

 identity of name among the various tribes. Among the Haida, Tlingit, 

 and Tsimshian we find the names olala, me'iLa, and no'uLEm, which 

 belong to the ceremonial of the Kwakiutl as well. Among the Bilxula 

 the names can not be derived from the same words as among the other 

 tribes, but there the ceremonial itself is almost identical with that of 

 the Kwakiutl. It certainly does not differ more from the ceremonial as 

 described here than that of other tribes of Kwakiutl lineage differs 

 from the ceremonial of the Kwakiutl proper. Besides this, the names 

 of the dancers, if not those of their dances, are very often borrowed 

 from the Kwakiutl. Turning to the south, Ave find the Nootka as well 

 as the Salishan tribes who practice the ceremonial, terming it by the 

 two names Lo'koala and no'uLEm, both of which are names used for 

 portions of the ceremonial of the Kwakiutl. 



The following tal)le exhibits the terms that are used to designate 

 parts of the -ceremonial among various tribes: 



As all the words which I have enumerated belonged originally to the 

 Kwakiutl language, there can be no doubt that the ceremonial of the 

 Kwakiutl has influenced those of the neighboring tribes to a very 

 great extent. It does not follow necessarily that no secret societies 

 existed before the Kwakiutl exerted their influence over the people of 

 the coast. On the contrary, the wide distribution of secret societies 

 and the general similarity of the underlyiug principle all over North 

 America make it probable that such societies did exist. But there can 

 be no doubt that their present character was attained among the 

 Kwakiutl, from whom the societies in their present form spread over a 

 vast territory.' 



The question then arises. How did the societies acquire their peculiar 

 characteristics among the Kwakiutl ? I may be allowed at this place to 



'It can not be proved that any connection exists between the hawI'nalaL cere- 

 monies described on pa<j;o 495 and the sun-dance ceremonies of the Sioux and Black- 

 feet, but their analogy is quite striking. 



