532 BEPORT — 1900. 



or villages, which he has to pass on his way. The first village was on the 

 side of the river opposite to his own. When he got over against it 

 he covered himself with a white blanket and sat down to rest and 

 await events. The people of the village soon perceive him and cry out 

 to one a.nother wondering what the strange white oJaject is. Said one to 

 the other, ' Let us go and see what this white thing is on the other side 

 of the river.' They all come down to the river's edge. Qoitcita'l now 

 stands up and waves his magic sword in tlie air, and all the people 

 shrivel up as the snail had done, and fall down dead. He now crossed 

 over the river and took a Qok'u'lstEii, or large basket used for gathering 

 herbs, and filled this with the leaves of certain plants and herbs. He 

 then broke these up and bruised them, and made therefrom some 

 powerful medicine the magic properties of which he had learned in his 

 trance. With this he sprinkles all the dead, and they are immediately 

 restored to life again. After this the people take a number of canoes 

 and construct from them a large raft. On this they place Qoitcita'l and 

 present him with a great number of blankets. They also give him one of 

 the girls of the village for a wife. Qoitcita'l accompanied by some of the 

 people of the village now goes down the river. At every village they 

 come to Qoitcita'l kills all the inhabitants by waving his sword as he 

 had done at the first place, and afterwards restores them to life. At 

 each stopping- place he is presented with many gifts, and a girl for wife, 

 and some of the people accompany him ; so that by the time he has 

 reached his own village the raft is loaded with people and presents, and 

 he possesses nearly two score wives. ^ When he arrived at Sta'mis he 

 does the same there as at all the other places and kills everybody, his 

 own parents and first wife included. Then he brings them all back again 

 to life except his wife. He does this to impress the people Avith his 

 power. His wife had taken another husband, and so to punish her for 

 her want of trust in him he would not restore her to life. He now takes 

 all his new wives and presents into his father's big house. A great 

 feast is then held and all the visitors are generously entertained for 

 many days. There was no scarcity of food or game, for Qoitcita'l had 

 only to go into the woods and wave his magic sword before him and 

 everything immediately fell dead at his feet. From this time on Qoitcita'l 

 became a great man and the chief of his d'kwumuq. 



Te Sdoqivd'otl, or the Deserted Youth. 



A youth was once undergoing his h-v:aiija sut, or training for medicine- 

 man. He had led an isolated life in the forest, according to the custom 

 of novices, for some time, and had eaten no food for several days. Now 

 it happened that just at this time there was a scarcity of food in the 

 village to which he belonged, and a party of girls had gone into the 

 woods to dig Snotluk' (Pteris aquilina) for food for themselves. They 

 had secured some roots and had roasted and eaten them in the woods, 

 throwing aside the hard cores.^ 



As the youth was wandering round in the woods he came upon the 



' Wives acquired in this way are called b}- a special name to distinguish them 

 from those obtained in the ordinary manner. This term is Amitla,'ntEm, and means 

 ' presented ' or ' freely given.' 



- The edible part of this root when roasted, my informant stated, is very like in 

 substance and appearance the flesh or meat of the coc'cia-nut. The outer piart only 

 is eaten, the inner part being a hard core, which is thrown aside. In times of 



