dall] MAKAH CEREMONIAL. 107 



CUSTOMS AT CAPE FLATTEKV 



In Swan's monograph of the Indians of Cape Flattery 1 some, account 

 of their taraauawas or religio- superstitious ceremonies and rites are 

 »iveu, together with the more social or semi theatrical performances 

 which take place about the same time. The reader is referred to the 

 original for the full account which is only summarized here. The facts 

 contained in it are very valuable, though it is evident that the writer 

 has not thoroughly mastered the true inwardness of what he describes, 

 and indeed he freely admits this to be the case. 



The figures of masks given by Swan are reproduced here, and com- 

 prise five masks and one bird's-head maskette. There is no special 

 history given of them further than that they were used by the Makah 

 Indians on the Cape Flattery reservation in the dances about to be de- 

 scribed, and were mostly carved by Indians resident on Vancouver 

 Island and sold to the Makahs, who paint them to suit themselves. See 

 plates XIII, tigs. 19-20; XIV, fig. 23 ; XVI, fig. 30; XVIII, fig. 40. 



According to Swan, at certain periods, generally during winter, the 

 Makah Indians have ceremonies or mystical performances, of which 

 there are three kinds. These are the Dukwalli, T'siark, and the Do- 

 h'tltib. The latter is rarely performed, requiring much expense and 

 many participants. 



All these ceremonies are commenced in private, only the initiated be- 

 ing allowed to be present. What occurs is not kuown. Subsequent 

 portions of the ceremonial are performed in public and spectators are 

 admitted. 



Swan infers from what he has seen that the Dukwalli is a ceremonial 

 to propitiate the T'hlukloots or "Thunder-bird," who seems with the 

 Makahs to take precedence over all other mythological beings. Into 

 these ceremonies both sexes, and even children, are initiated, but this is 

 entirely distinct from the process by which the youth selects his totem, 

 familiar or guardian spirit, which is done in solitude and by night. 



Swan believes that in these ceremonies there is nothing approaching 

 our idea of worship. The Indians state categorically that there is not. 



some animal ; it is made of wood, with the eyes, teeth, &c, and is a work of consid- 

 erable ingenuity. 01" these masks they have a great variety, which are applicable to 

 certain circumstances and occasions. Those, for example, which represent the head 

 of the otter or any other marine animals, are used only when they go to hunt them." 

 (Meares' Voyage, London, J. Walter, 1790, p. 254.) "The seal is also an animal 

 very difficult to take on account of its being able to remain under water. Artifices 

 are therefore made use of to decoy him withiu reach of the boats; and this is done, 

 in general, by means of masks of wood made in so exact a resemblance of nature, 

 that the animal takes it for one of his own species and falls a prey to the deception. 

 On such occasions some of the natives put on these masks, and, hiding their bodies 

 "with branches of trees as they lie among the rocks, the seals are tempted to approach 

 so near the spot as to put it in the power of the natives to pierce them with their ar- 

 rows. Similar artifices are employed against, the sea-cow and otters occasionally. 

 (Meares, I.e., p. 261.) 

 1 Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge No. 220, 1869. 



