558 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. an-.m. 31 



up the shout, with the beating of the drum and the clapping of hands. 

 This is repeated four times. The. chief now sings, "Hu'iitgul lax-hayaf" 

 That means ' 'This is the call from Heaven." ( ?) After he has danced, 

 he says, ' ' Now the supernatural powers of heaven are ready to come 

 down." 



Shamanism 



The loftier ideas centering in the belief in the power of heaven and 

 the ethical concepts connected with it are only a small part of the 

 religious beliefs of the Tsimshian. More important in their daily life 

 was their belief in shamanism. 



Mr. Tate writes in regard to this subject as follows: 

 "When a person is sick, then the wife or the husband of the sick one 

 will offer much property to the male shaman to treat the patient. 

 Then the male shaman assembles all his shaman friends, sometimes 

 ten or eighteen, and they all go to the house where the sick person 

 is. One of them carries a large bag in which the shaman's imple- 

 ments are kept, and another one carries a round skin drum con- 

 sisting of a hoop over which a drumhead is spanned on one side, 

 while on the opposite side two crossing skin straps are spanned 

 which form a handle. Then they all enter, and sit down on one 

 side of the house, the shaman at the head of the patient. He 

 opens his bag containing the rattles and takes out his rattle and 

 dancing-apron first, the crown of grizzly-bear claws, and the figures 

 of various kinds of animals made of bone or stone, also a small 

 leather bag containing red ocher, which he puts on his face; and 

 he hands the ocher to his companions, and all paint their faces. 

 The shaman also puts eagle down on his head, and hands it to his 

 companions, and they all do likewise. Theii he puts on his apron 

 and his crown of grizzly-bear claws, hangs the figures of animals 

 around his neck, and takes his rattle in his right hand. Then he 

 takes out his small vessel, and some one pours cold water into it. The 

 shaman, who is naked, dips the fingers of his left hand into the cold 

 water, puts the fingers into his mouth, and blows the water on the 

 bare body of the patient. He only wears his apron. Then he begins 

 to work. He calls upon all his supernatural helpers, saying, 'Save 

 him, save him!' and his companions repeat what he has said. They 

 all beat time with the batons which they have in their hands, and the 

 drummer beats his drum. The shaman repeats this four times, and 

 the singers do the same. Again he dips his lingers into the cold water 

 and blows it over the body of the patient. Then the shaman sings 

 Ids first song, and his partners sing with him. They beat their batons, 

 and the drummer beats his drum. While the first and second songs 

 which the shaman has given out are being sung, he works around the 

 patient, shaking his rattle, which he holds in his right hand. His 

 eyes are closed, and his left hand is raised, with the palm toward the 



