™BOAr] WHALING TRANSLATION. 263 



who lias cohabited the preceding night. Therefore, also, no woman 

 must enter, as she might become menstruant in the house where they 

 sing. Only old people, boys, and young girls help sing. For five 

 days he sings. Then a youth is sent and told to look seaward. Five 

 times he is sent; then, indeed, he finds a whale adrift. When a man 

 who has cohabited the preceding night enters the house in which the 

 singing goes on, the supernatural helper vanishes at once. Thus also 

 when a menstruant woman enters. The singer is covered with down. 

 He places a pole upright on the beach and says: "Here a whale will 

 drift ashore," and, indeed, it drifts ashore there after he has sang five 

 days. The name of the supernatural helper of the sea is Ike'tal. 



When the Clatsop find a whale, and there are two people, they make 

 holes [in the skin] and tie their straps to it. If they have no strap 

 they take kelp. Each ties as many straps to it as he has relatives. 

 Then they cut the whale. They cut much. Now tbey send one man 

 to bring word to the town. Then the people go and all cut it. They 

 will not cut where a strap has been tied to it. When the man arrives 

 for whom the strap has been tied to the whale, he cuts at that place. 

 If one man cuts at the strap of another one, they will fight. Those Avho 

 come last take the lower side of the whale. All those peoijle sell their 

 whale meat. The pieces are not cut — when they are large they are left 

 large, when they are small they are left small. Small ones are not 

 expensive. Large ones are exchanged for a blanket. If there is a 

 strong woman who can carry several cuts, she does so and is paid [for 

 her services]. Sometimes she helps three people; when she is strong 

 she may help four people. Thus also is a youth paid who helps the 

 people carrying several cuts of meat. The Clatsop always eat very 

 early. When a person has not yet eaten and they learn [that a whale 

 has stranded] and they run there, he gets faint and is left behind. He 

 comes too late to the whale and finds that only little is left. He may not 

 arrive until the cutting is finished. The Clatsop always carry their 

 straps and knives, which are tied together, and their mats. All do thus. 



