82 



TKANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTXTU IK. 



[Vol. IV. 



through which Carrier and Babine girls attaining the age of puberty had 

 to drink under pain, it was said, of contracting dreadful throat diseases 

 should they attempt to quench their thirst by helping themselves im- 



Fig. 70. ^ size. 



mediately from the water vessel as was dcjne by common folks. This 

 trinket was constantly carried about, hanging from the sinew and down 

 necklace usually encircling the neck of such pubescent maidens, also as a 

 specific against malign influences. 



Fig. 71. Yz size. 



Closely connected therewith was the double-pronged comb shown in 

 fig. 71. It was worn in the hair and likewise connected with the 

 medicinal (.-') necklace through a long, loosely-hanging string adorned 

 with beads, or, in primordial times, dentalium shells or other small articles 

 of native ornament. Its use was not restricted to pubescent girls, but 

 this comb or tsi-ltsdt^ as it was called, was also common to young men 

 attaining maturity. It should perhaps be remarked that in this latter 

 case the instrument was of wood, not of bone. " Comb " is rather a 

 misnomer when applied to such an object which served merely to scratch 

 one's head with, as immediate contact between the fincfers and the head 

 was then reputed productive of fatal diseases. 



Apropos of diseases it ma)- be mentioned that bleeding as a surgical 

 operation was, and still is, frequently resorted to by our Western Denes. 

 So far as my information goes, there was in pristine times no surgical 

 instrument such as an equivalent of our lancet employed in this con- 



Head-scratclies," verl). noun. 



