78 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



to the potlatch proper, always necessarily the most flexible part of a 

 ceremonial), partly to the exercise of varying topati features, and partly 

 owing to differences in the exact rendering of ceremonial elements that 

 depend on the varying traditions of different families (thus, in a puberty 

 ceremonial that took place two weeks later among the Tslica'atH 

 there were only one thunder-bird dancer and four "torches"). 



We left the pubescent girl at the end of the "torch" ceremony. 

 The rest of this paper may be appropriately taken up with a brief 

 account of the menstrual seclusion and taboos that were foimerly 

 rigidly enforced but are now only laxly, if at all, attended to. At the 

 puberty ceremonial the girl is supposed to wear over her forehead an 

 ornamented head-band known as a /s ! isasim'^. This consists of a horizon- 

 tal row of strips of sea-lion or other skin strung with dentalia; some- 

 times the head-band of a chief's daughter consists of two such rows, 

 one being less in length than the other. The ts ! isdsim} is covered solid 

 with dentalia for its full length around the head. For the first four days 

 following the "torch" ceremony (a period known as '.aitsaqso' il) the girl 

 must stay behind the painted boards (or mat screen) night and day. 

 During this period she must not eat or drink anything; she must not 

 sleep, but must remain seated with folded arms; she must not scratch 

 her body with her fingers, but must use a cedar-stick scratcher {kits'yak) 

 for the purpose. An even number of girls (generally six, eight, ten or 

 twelve) sit with her and sing t ! awa songs for her more or less continuous- 

 ly; they are known as '.aitsd'il. Older women sit around in front of the 

 boards and help sing; the father or guaidian of the girl pays the giils 

 and women for theii singing. No men are allowed behind the boards. 

 The girl is allowed to go out of the house for the necessities of natuie 

 only once during the twenty-four hours, at night, so that no one may 

 see her. 



At the end of this period of rigorous seclusion, the pubescent 

 girl, often accompanied by three or four other girls in the same condition 

 as herself, goes out unseen to a creek and takes ten or other appropriate 

 number of bunches of hemlock branches {tïtclivi^), each of which she 

 ties about at one end. She washes herself vigorously with each of these 

 once, then lays them down against a log with their "heads" pointing to 

 the east. This is supposed to keep her from getting old quickly. Bath- 

 ing and rubbing oneself with hemlock branches are (or were) very fre- 

 quently indulged in by the West Coast Indians in connection with 

 secret prayers for health, long life, or powers of various sorts. The 

 bathing of the girl cleanses her from the impurity of her condition and 

 marks the end of the first period of taboo. She is now termed '.aitsl at 

 "one who has done with her menstrual (period)." In distributing 

 the gifts at the main (second) puberty potlatch the speaker always 



