boas] TSIMSHIAN SOCIETY 559 



patient. Thus he dances around the fire. A female shaman is 

 seated at the foot of the patient, wearing her crown of grizzly-bear 

 claws. She also wears a necklace of carved figures of animals, has 

 a rattle in her right hand, which she shakes lightly. Her eyes are 

 closed, and she also holds her left hand raised toward the patient. 

 Thus they continue through six or seven songs. Then the shaman 

 rests and tells his vision. If he tells the people who called him that 

 the patient will get well, they are glad; or if he has to say that he 

 can not be cured, the relatives of the sick one give liirn more property. 

 Thus he comes with his party every day. 



"If the patient dies, the shamans return everything that they 

 have received from the relatives of the sick one. 



"If in his vision the shaman saw the soul of the patient close to a 

 body in the graveyard, the relatives of the sick one invite more than 

 eight or ten shamans to come with the principal one, and also two 

 or four female shamans. They start to work early in the evening. 

 All the male shamans put on their crowns of grizzly-bear claws and 

 wear their dancing-aprons and their necklaces, and have the rattles 

 in the right hand. Thus they march around the fire in the house 

 where the sick person lies. The four female shamans sit down, two 

 on each side of the patient — one on each side of the head, and one 

 on each side of the feet. They also wear their crowns of grizzly-bear 

 claws, and each has a rattle in the right hand. While the male sha- 

 mans are marching around the fire, the female shamans shake their 

 rattles which they hold in the right hand, and hold a white eagle 

 tail in the left hand with which to fan away the disease. Thus they 

 try to bring back the soul of the sick one from the dead body in the 

 grave. The ten male shamans have their faces blackened with char- 

 coal. They are dressed only with their dancing-aprons. After they 

 have finished marclihig around the fire, all the male shamans go out; 

 but the singers remain in the house, singing, and the four women 

 continue to fan away the sickness. Then the male shamans go to 

 the graveyard, leading four lads, each of whom Holds a torch to light 

 the way. When they reach the graveyard they stand around the 

 place where the corpse is. They continue to rattle, and at a given 

 signal they all strike the ground with then rattles. The females 

 remaining in the house also strike the ground with their rattles. The 

 singers keep on singing a tune which moves in a four-part rhythm. 

 Then the principal shaman drops his rattle, takes up the soul of the 

 patient in both of his hands, which he holds close together, and goes 

 back from the grave with closed hands. The second man takes one 

 rattle in each hand, and all the rest march along behind them. The 

 man who has caught the soul gives a signal to the four women before 

 he enters. All those who had been to the graveyard march around the 

 fire four times, as they did before they went out. Then the principal 



