450 THE TLINGIT INDIANS [eth. ann. 26 



While the warriors were away the war leader's wife had to have 

 «tones tied about hor blanket ju.st as did her husband on the expedition, 

 and she also dressed the image like him. She had a long board which 

 she called a canoe, and all of the wives of the warriors pretended to 

 sit inside of this like their husbands. All ate out of one dish and took 

 care that it did not turn over. If that happened they thought their 

 husbands' canoes would do the same. 



Meanwhile the warriors themselves fasted and drank no water for 

 four days, and it is also said that during the expedition a warrior was 

 allowed to eat only one kind of food. The first water they drank on 

 the journey they called cat!k!. Besides their ordinary use, shamans' 

 hats were worn by warriors. As they went along the warriors took 

 everything away from those they met, both friends and foes. The 

 bow man fasted ditferently from the others, and whenever they landed 

 he acted as scout and sentinel. When they came to camp, he usually 

 went ahead and looked about, and they did not sleep until he had done 

 this. The war leader, during war time, no matter where he was, 

 always drank from a small basket-work cup hung about his neck. 



The shaman, who always accompanied each war party, kept up his 

 fast after the rest had begun to eat, and all of his spirits watched 

 until at last he said, "W^e shall see a canoe to-day," or "W^e shall 

 kill some one to-day." After that he began to eat. W' hen he saw a 

 canoe by means of his spirit helpers, he said, "There comes a piece 

 of torn cedar bark," and all of the warriors used the same words 

 toward it. They said this so that all of the people they wanted to kill 

 would be as soft as bark when they came before them. The shaman 

 would also say, " When the sun gets over here some one will be killed." 



When they came in sight of a canoe they gave chase. Then the 

 husband of the woman who had missed catching the little image made 

 out of sticks was killed first. When anyone was killed they stood 

 his paddle up in his place. After they had obtained many heads they 

 turned back, and when they got near home they scalped these, unless 

 they had had time to do so on the spot, and dried the scalps by the fire. 

 The scalps were cut off so as to take in the ears. 



As they paddled home the warriors sang songs of victory, and when 

 they came round the point next to the village all of the warriors' 

 wives ran out to look at them. When they got close in each watclii>d 

 for the place in the canoe which her husband had occupied, and if a 

 paddle were stuck up there she felt sorrowful; but if not, all of the 

 scalps swinging aroinid over the canoe with the MJnd made her feel 

 very happy." " Probably the dead enemy feels happy, too," said the 

 writer's informant, "because they have saved his scalp." When they 



<i If a scalp swung at right angles to the canoe the scalp was thought to be happy; if parallel to it, 



unhappy. 



