[hill-tout] TOTEMISM : ITS ORIGIN AND IMPORT 89 



have been later, intended to propdtiate them. This is clear from the 

 study of the subject. Among the Thompson Indians of British Colum- 

 bia, ai tribe Adhere group-totemism of any kind seems to be wholly 

 unknown, we find numerous taboos relating to the killing and eating of 

 animals and. plants which differ in no essential fram. th.e so-called 

 taboos of totemism. For example, when a lad killed his first deer 

 he never ate it himself but always gave at to the people to eat. When 

 a hunter killed a deer it was said the rest of the deer would be 

 well pleased if the hunter butchered the animal nicely and cleanly. 

 1^0 waste the meat of ,a deer displeased the animals who would not 

 in consequence allow themselves thereafter to be shot by the hunter. 

 If a hunter was overburdened and had to leave behind some of the 

 meat of the dleer, it was said that the deer were better pleased to 

 have the meat of their fellow hung up in a tree rather than left on 

 the gi'ound. The intestines of the quarry which, in some cases were 

 not taken away by the hunter were collected and placed where the 

 Wood had been spilt while butchering. The whole was then covered 

 with a few fir boughs, the hunter in V^e meantime bidding the deer 

 not to be sorry at the death of their companion or because some 

 portion of its body had been left behind, since he had done his best 

 to cover it up. If the hunter neglected to cover the remains it was 

 believed that the rest of the deer would feel sorry or angry and 

 would cause him bad luck in hunting. If a deer-hunting party 

 had bad luck they remained at their camp for a few days, 

 sv/eat-bathing, singing and praying to their guardian spirit to give 

 Them success and also asking the deer to present themselves to be shot 

 ai. No hunter would give a deer's head to, nor would he eat with, a 

 man who was the first or second born of a family. The deer, it was 

 believed, would become very wild and difficult to shoot, if he did so. 

 Deer meat was never taken in through the common door or entrance of a 

 lodge because the common door was used by women. Wlien the father of 

 an adolescent girl began to hunt the deer always ran away from him. A 

 bear hunter often addressed the prey and begged it to come and be shot at. 

 The grizzly bear was asked not to be angry with the hunter nor to fight 

 him, but rather to take pity upon him and deliver himself up to him. 

 When a man killed a bear he and his companions with him painted 

 their faces and sang the bear song. Sometimes he prayed also thank- 

 ing the bear for letting himself be killed. When the flesh of the bear's 

 head had been eaten the skull was tied to a small tree top and left 

 there. If this were neglected the bears would take offence. Placing 

 the heads of any large animal on trees or rocks was a mark of respect. 

 A hunter never talked lightly or made fun of any animal he intended 

 tc hunt or trap. He always spoke of it in respectful tones and said. 



