sTKVENsoNj SOCIAL CUSTOMS 311 



toward those who crossed her path she was viiidieti\e. Tlioug-li severe 

 she was considered just. At an early aoe she lost liei- parents and was 

 adopted b}- a sister of her father. She belonged to the Badoer clan, 

 her foster mother belonging to the Dogwood clan. Owing to iier 

 bright mind and exc(dlent memor\-, she was called upon by her own 

 clan and also by the clans of her foster mother iind father when ii long 

 prayer had to be repeated or a grace was to l)e ottered over a feast. 

 In fact she was the chief personage on many occasions. On ai-count 

 of her physical strength all the household work re(iuiring great cxei- 

 tion was left for her, and while she most willingly took the harder 

 work from others of the family, she would not permit idleness: all 

 had to labor or receive an upbraiding from We'wha. and nothing was 

 more dreaded than a scolding from her. 



In the fall of 189(5 a Sha'lako god was etitertained at her home. 

 Although at this time We'wha was suffering from valvular heart 

 disease, she did most of the work, including the laying of a stone iloor 

 in the large room where the ceremonial was to occur. She labored 

 early and late so hard that when the time came for holding the ceremonv 

 she was unable to be present. From this time she was listless and 

 remained alone as much as possil)le, though she made no complaint of 

 illness. When a week or more had passed after the close of th(> great 

 autumn ceremonial of the Sha'lako, and the many guests had disparted, 

 the writer dropped in at sunset to the spacious room in the house of 

 We'wha's foster father, the late Jose Palle. \\'(>'wha was found 

 crouching on the ledge hw the tireplace. That a great change hail 

 come over her was at once apparent. Death evidently was rapidly 

 approaching. She had done her last work. Oidy a few days l)efore 

 this strong-minded, generous-hearted creature had labored to make 

 ready for the reception of her gods; now she was j)repaiing to go to 

 her beloved Ko'thluwala'wa. When the wiiter asked. '• Why do you 

 not lie down?" We'wha replied: "'I can not breathe if I lie down; 1 

 think my heart break." The writer at once sent to her camj) for 

 a comfortable chair, and fixed it at a suitable angle for the invalid, 

 who was most grateful for the attention. There was little to be done 

 for the suflferer. She knew that she was soon to die and l)egged th(> 

 writer not to leave her. 



From the moment her family realized that We'wha was in a seriou> 

 condition thev remained with her, ever ready to be of assistam-e. The 

 famil}^ consisted of the aged foster mother, a foster brother, two 

 foster sisters with their husbands and children, and an own brother 

 with his wife and children. The writer never before ol)served such 

 attention as every member of the famil}' showed her. The little 

 children ceased their play and stood in silence close to their mothers, 

 occasionallv toddling across the Hoor to beg We'wha to speak. She 



