NO. 17 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, 1916 115 
constituted one of their principal occupations, in which they were 
second only to the Makah Indians of Neah Bay. The daring, cour- 
age, and skill with which these primitive people hunted, attacked 
and killed the “Giant of the Sea” in their frail canoes and with 
their primitive weapons, must have been remarkable. At the present 
time pelagic hunting is confined to the hunting of the valuable fur- 
seals which constitute a not unimportant source of income to the 
Quileute. Last year alone they sold $6,000 worth of furs. The 
Quileute learned the art of sealing some seventy years ago from the 
Qzette Indians, who in turn obtained it from the Nootka of Van- 
couver Island. In the meanwhile, the Ozette and Nootka have aban- 
doned this occupation, partly voluntarily and partly owing to public 
interference, so that, to-day, the Quileute are the only Indians in the 
United States proper who are permitted to hunt and kill fur-seals. 
The Quileute use special canoes for that purpose; these canoes are 
dug-outs, made of cedar, and are manned by three people. The 
sealing season lasts from March until July, and the hunters very 
often go 30 and 40 miles out into the sea. The Quileute derive most 
of their revenue from the sale of the several species of salmon that 
are caught 1n the Quileute river. 
A novel feature of American Indian ethnology has been found 
among these Indians in their former ceremonial life. Like the 
other tribes of the Northwest area, the Quileute had a number of 
secret societies, corresponding more or less to the fraternities of 
the Nootka, Kwakiutl, and Salish tribes, with this remarkable excep- 
tion: All Quileute secret societies were occupational; that is to say, 
an individual became a member of a certain order, because he 
followed the profession of that order. Thus, Dr. Frachtenberg 
found special orders for Warriors, Hunters, Fishermen, Seal- 
hunters, Whale-hunters, Rain-makers, etc. The importance of 
this new phase of primitive social life cannot be overestimated. 
There can be no doubt that the culture of the Quileute Indians is 
closely related to the cultures of the Kwakiutl-Nootka and Salish 
groups. Furthermore, Dr. Frachtenberg is practically convinced that 
he will be able to produce conclusive evidence in the near future, 
showing that the languages of the Wakashan, Salish, and Chima- 
kuan families have been derived from one common mother-tongue, 
which he proposes to call the Mosan language, from the numeral 
mos “ Four,” which occurs, 1n one form or another, in all languages 
that constitute these three groups. 
On October 12, Dr. Frachtenberg interrupted his Quileute field- 
work and proceeded to the Tulalip Reservation, Washington, where 
