1892-93.] NOTES ON THE WESTERN DENfe. 173 



Ceremonial banquetting, distribution of clothes or victuals, dances^ 

 incineration of the dead, etc., were the most common pretexts for its 

 exhibition. 



It will be noticed that the nature of its adorning material was rather 

 monotonous and little varied. This consisted principally in the dentalium 

 shells * interspersed with beaver claws and cariboo hoofs, pelts of small 

 animals, the feathers and down of a few species of birds and porcupine 

 quills. 



The latter were invariably dyed, and here it may be explained that the 

 Carriers, at least, knew but two varieties of dyes : yellow and green. 

 The yellow colour was Obtained by boiling the quills with a species of 

 hair-like lichen apparently akin to the Alectoria jubata, but botanically 

 different {Evernia vulMna). The green dye was no other than the 

 decayed wood found almost everywhere in the forest. The colouring 

 matter was likewise extracted by boiling. An analogous method is now 

 followed, to dye in red or blue the plumes with which the young men are 

 fond of ornamenting their hats and the horse hair which serves to 

 embellish the instep piece of their mocassins : the original dye of the 

 cloth or stuff procured at the trading posts is simply extracted and 

 transferred by boiling. 



The distinctive pieces of the noble man or woman's ceremonial attire 

 were : the wig, the coronet or 'tasfju^ the breast-plate or yostdtJi^j, and 

 the Raz. With the exception of the third, of which I know but one 

 specimen, none of them can now be seen outside of my collection. 

 Each one was formerly so prized that it was the appanage of the full 

 fledged tsneza* only. All the other parts of the costume, such as the 

 leggings and the mocassins, were of course proportionately rich and 

 ornamented. 



I possess two specimens of the ceremonial wig or tsi-kd-stzai^ and 

 both differ in make and style of ornamentation. Fig, 163 represents 

 what is perhaps the most elaborate in design. As no cut can do full 

 justice to its details, I may be pardoned the following description. It is 

 composed of three distinct parts : the horn-like appendage, the cap or 

 head covering proper and the pendent train. The horns are made of the 

 stout bristles of the sea-lion's whiskers, two lengths of which are used 

 and united in front by means of buckskin and sinew threads. A rough 

 network of the latter material fills up the space between the horn and 

 the cap, and is arranged so as to determine the concavity of the latter. 



* jpai in Carrier, tjdpai in TsilKoh'tin. 



tLit. "head-on (minute objects — i.e^ the shells) are-lying." 



