boas] COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY 799 



(3) The Spine Seat 

 (15 versions: N 130; Tl 4.256; Ne 5.171; Ne 9.211; K 5.136; K 9.173; K 9.460; K 10.97; 



Ne 11.240; Ne 11.243; Nu 5.111; Nu 5.118; Co 5.66; Sts 5.39; Squ Hill-Tout 3.526. 



See also Nu ap 895). 



The chief places his nephew on a board and tries to cut his neck with a saw set 

 with glass or obsidian teeth Tl 4.256. 



Although apparently this part of the Raven legend differs some- 

 what from the ordinary Spine Seat tale, I think it may belong here. 

 It is, however, worth remarking that north of Nass River we do 

 not find any other mention of the spine seat. 



The chief orders a bear skin to be spread out in the middle of the house. Its hair 

 is very long and kills those who sit on it. Ts'ak' places an ice carving under his feet 

 and breaks the hair, then he sits down and marries the princess N 130. The youth 

 who becomes the father of the Raven is called out of the young woman's room. He 

 jumps down and slides over the floor, thus breaking off the spines with which it is 

 set Ne 5.171. The youth who is to become the father of Greedy One is called out of 

 the young woman's room by her father, who spreads the death mat. Through his 

 supernatural power he survives Ne 9.211. 



Dzawada'lalis asks G'i'i to sit down on the death seat. The young man fastens 

 flat stones under his feet and on his back, and breaks all the spines K 5.136. Q!a'- 

 neqe £ lak u is called by Dzawada'lalis out of the young woman's room. Q !a'neqe ; lak u 

 puts on his ermine skin, is thrown on the spine mat, and is apparently dead. He is 

 thrown out of the house, but returns unharmed. On the following day he appears 

 in the same way in the form of a deer, is thrown on the spine mat and apparently 

 killed K 9.460. Q!a'neqe £ lak u is called out of the young woman's room. He puts 

 on the deer mask, jumps on the spine seat, seems to die, and is thrown out of the 

 house. He reenters in the form of an ermine. On the following day he jumps out in 

 the shape of a mountain goat, then that of a grizzly bear, and the same happens as 

 before K 10.97. In still another version he comes out of the room every time in the 

 form of a deer and reenters in the form of an ermine Ne 11.240. In the same version 

 this test is followed by the heat test (see p. 806). Then he is called again to come 

 out of the room, appears in the form of a grizzly bear, and destroys the quartz on the 

 spine mat. After this he brings out his wife Ne 11.243. 



When Anthtine enters the house of the Heavenly Chief, he places stones under his 

 feet and on his back, and breaks the spines of the seat Nu 5.118. 



K !wek !waxa'we e is found by the Salmon chief after having married the Salmon 

 Girl. He is called to come out of the room and asked to sit down on the settee, which 

 is set with squid bones. K !wek Iwaxa'we' puts a sandstone on his back and crushes 

 the spines K 9.173. Boys are told to sit down on a porcupine. . Before they enter 

 the house, One Leg, the Crane, has made them sit down on slate. By this means their 

 skin has become hard and they break the quills Co. 5.66. The visitor is made to 

 sit down on a bearskin which is full of sharp claws. He fills his blanket with stones; 

 and when he throws himself on the bear skin, these break off the claws Squ Hill- 

 Tout 3.526. His skin has been hardened so that he can break the spines Sts 5.39. 



Another Nootka story may belong here. 



The Wolves have taken away a prince in order to initiate him. He has covered 

 h im self with a seal skin, and the Wolves believe that he is a dead seal. They notice 

 that he is not like other seals, and think he is still alive. They pass the place where 

 they kill game. The ground at this place is covered with sharp spines, and the Wolves 

 try to throw him onto these. They are, however, unable to do so Nu 5.111. 



In the Nootka story of the origin of the fire, it is said that the floor 

 of the house of the Wolf who owns the fire is set with spikes (Nu ap 895) . 



