1320 ETHNOLOGY OF THE KWAKIUTL [eth. ann. 35 



Prater of the Halibut-Fisher (to p. 618)' 



24 When the haHbu t-fisher of the Nakhvax'dax", | or of the LlaLlasi- 

 qwSla, goes out fishing, and when he arrives on the fishing ground, ll 



25 he takes his hooks and his bait, — that is the skinned tentacles of the 

 octopus, I and he cuts off a piece one span I long. He cuts open one 

 side and spreads it out. | Then he takes his paddle and lays it across 

 both sides of his | fishing canoe in front of the place where the halibut- 



30 fisher sits. || Then he takes his club and the spread | split tentacles 

 of the octopus, which he puts on the paddle on which the bait is to 

 be prepared, and he | pounds it with his club. He does not strike it 

 hard. | Therefore, the split bait, the tentacle of the octopus, becomes 

 thin. I As soon as he has made two of these, he takes his " younger 



35 brother," |! the halibut hook, — for thus the halibut hook is called by 

 the halibut-fisher, — and \ he puts the bait on his "younger brother," 

 the hook, and ties it on with string. | After he has done so, he takes 

 the crosspiece and hangs | the ends of his "younger brothers" (he 

 means the hooks) to both ends of it. They are put on with a half 

 hitch. ! After he has done so, he takes the sinker and attaches it 



40 between the hooks to the || crosspiece. After he has done so, he holds 

 the crosspiece in the middle and [ speaks while he is praying to his 

 "younger brothers." He says to them: | 



Prayer of the Halibut-Fisher 



23 Wa, he^maaxs hae loqweda loqlwenoxwaxa p!a^ye yisa Naklwax'- 

 da^x" LE^wa L!aL!asiqw&la, wa g'il^mese lag"aa laxes loqwa^ye lae 



25 dax'^Idxes g'amola LE^wa telexa sabEkwe g'ogiiyosa tEqIwa. Wa, 

 la totlEtslEndsq pa ^nal^nEmp!Enk"es laxEns q!waq!wax'ts!ana^yex, 

 ylx a,w£lsgEmasas. Wa, la t!os^IdEx &psot!Ena^yas qa^s LEp'.ideq. 

 Wa, la ax^edxes se^wayo qa^s pagiigEndes lax ^wax'sotaga^yases 

 bakwa^latsle xwak!i1na lax nalelExsas kiwaxdzasasa bakwa^eno- 



30 xwaxa p'.a^ye. Wa, la ^x^edxes ha^yano. Wa, la LEbEdzotsa ^yi- 

 ^mslkwe g"ogilyosa tEq!wa laxa teie^ladzo se^wayo. Wa, la t!Elxul- 

 dzEwesa ha^yano laq laqes k'lesae ealtsllaxs lae tlElxuldzE^weq. 

 Wa, he^mis lag'ilas la ^la la psldzEweda ^yi^mElkwe tel g'ogiiyosa 

 tEqIwa. Wa, g'iPmese gwala ma^ie S,xas lae dax'^idxes ts'.iVyaxa 



35 g"amola gwE^yosa bakwa^lenoxwaxa pla^yes g'amola. Wa, la 

 S,x«aLElotsa tele laxes ts!a^yeda g'amola qa^s k" '.Elgil^'Endesa k' !il- 

 k'Ema. Wa,g'il^mese gwala lae Sx^edxes Llak" lose. Wa, lagaxbEn- 

 dalases ts!ats!a^ya lax ^wax'sba^yas. Wa, la max^waLElots. Wa, 

 g'il^mese gwala lae ax^edxa qElyaga^ye qa^s tEgwagEndes laxa 



40 L!ak"!6se. Wa, g-il^mese gwala lae dayEwexa L'.ak'Iose. Wa, la^me 

 yaq'.Eg'a^la lae tslElwaqaxes ts!ats!a^ya. Wa, la ^nek"aq: 



I See also Jesup North Pacific Expedition, vol V, pp. 476, lines 18-22; 478, lines 1-7, 18-22, 28-32. 



