boas] COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY 589 



TRANSFORMER MYTH OF NORTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND 



The most characteristic incidents of the Transformer legend of the 

 Newettee division of the Kwfkiutl are the encounters with ancestors 

 of tribal subdivisions. Many of these have the form of contests, in 

 which the ancestor is proved to be as powerful as the Transformer. 

 The latter is throughout represented as unable to overcome the powers 

 of the sacred winter dance. He represents the powers of the secular 

 summer season. In a few cases the ancestors are transformed by him 

 into stone or rivers. Most of these incidents are very brief. Follow- 

 ing is a list of those that have been recorded: 



1. Q !a'neqe £ lak u meets He'ligiliqalaand Lo'lEmaga atQ la'las 5.196; 



9.199; 11.210; 11.195; Dawson 1 21. See also 9.193. 



They throw their winter-dance power [woodworms 11.210] at each other 

 [they have dentalia on their fire 11.210]. Q !;Vneqe £ lak u is afraid, and passes 

 behind them 5.196; 11.195; 11.210: therefore there is a trail behind Q!a/las 

 11.210. In 9.199 the same incident is referred to. It is simply stated that 

 Q la'neqe^lak 11 saw the red-cedar bark and woodworms, was afraid, and passed 

 behind He'ligiliqala. [A man shakes a blanket filled with diseases at him; 

 he faints, and then passes behind, Dawson 21; see also 9.193.] 



2. Q!a'neqe £ lak u meets 0' e meal at Ge' e ya [XudzExsta' e e 5.196] 



5.196; 9.207; 11.222. 



They point with their first (fourth 11.222) fingers at each other, and each 

 has a hole through his head. The)- are afraid of each other 5.196. They 

 were of equal power 9.207. [0 /£ meal had the hole inhis stomach; Q'a'ne- 

 qc £ lak u , between his eyes. Q !a'neqe £ lak u is afraid of /£ meid 11.222.] 



3. He meets Lexya'lik - a £ layu and his sister e naxnai'silaogwa at 



Xusbalis; the two dance the winter dance; he is afraid, and 

 passes by 5.197; also mentioned in 9.195. 



4. He meets Kwe'xagila on the mountain XusE'la, wearing the 



grizzly-bear mask and dancing the fool dance 5.197. 



5. He meets Ha'3ahk-a £ we at LE £ la'd in Hardy Bay 5.197; 9.195; 



11.223; 11.224; 11.196. See also 9.207; 11.229; Co 5.63.— 

 11.227; K 9.453; K 10.100; K 9.480; K 5.167; 5.182. 



Ha'yilik'a^we dances, wearing a mask and an ermine headdress. Qla'ne- 

 qe £ lak u lets the waters rise, but is unable to harm Ha'yilik-a^we. He throws 

 him into a fire, but Ha'yilika £ we sinks into the ground. Since Q la/neqeflak 11 

 can not overcome him, they become friends. He fills his river with salmon 

 5.197. [He sees Ha'yilik-a^we dancing with a large head-ring, is afraid of 

 him, and passes behind him 11.196.] [Ha'yilik-a e we pushes a stick into his 

 left side and lets the skin close over it. Q!a / neqe £ lak u is unable to find this 

 "sickness," and he is thus beaten by Ha'yilik-a^we 11.224.] [After passing 

 Ha'yilik-a £ we, he sees him in his canoe, singing a sacred song. Ha'yilik-a e we 

 is thrown into the water and becomes a perch 11.223; 11.229.] In 9.207 the 

 same story is told, but the name of the ancestor is not given. The person 

 who is dancing in the canoe and singing is called the perch, and says that he 

 has the greatest power of throwing supernatural powers into people. (See 

 also p. 568, No. 25.) Hu'alik-a £ we is also mentioned in 9.195. 

 'Seep. 586, note 1. 



