846 REPORT— 1889. 



number of mediatoi"s called JSTEqno'q. Any natural object can be a 

 NEqno'q, but the most important ones are sun and moon, spii'its appear- 

 ing in tbe shape of lightning strokes and animals. NEqno'q designates 

 anything mysterious. It is the supernatural will of the deity, as well as 

 the whistle which is used in the dances and is kept a profound secret, and 

 a mere sleight-of-hand. In one myth the master of the moon, the pesti- 

 lence (Hai'atliloq), appears as a powerful deity. I suspect that this last 

 idea is due to Kwakiutl influence. Heaven rules the destinies of mankind ; 

 Heaven taught man to distinguish between good and bad, and gave the 

 religious laws and institutions. Heaven is gratified by the mere exist- 

 ence of man. He is worshipped by offerings and prayer, the smoke rising 

 from fires being especially agreeable to him. Murderers, adulterers, and 

 those who behave foolishly, talking to no purpose, and making noise at 

 night, are especially hateful to him. He loves those who take pity upon 

 the poor, who do not try to become rich by selling at high prices what 

 others want. His messengers, particularly sun and moon, must be treated 

 with respect. Men make themselves agreeable to the deity by cleanliness. 

 Therefore, they must bathe and wash their whole bodies before praying. 

 For the same reason they take a vomitive when they wish to please the 

 deity well. They fast and abstain from touching their wives if they 

 desire their prayers to be successful. They offer everything that is con- 

 sidered valuable — eagle-down, red paint, red cedar bark, good elk-skin 

 lines, &c. The offering is burnt. 



The Tsimshian do not always pray to Heaven directly, but far more 

 frequently to his mediators. Thus they pray in a general way to the 

 NEqno'q: ^NEqno'q, NEqno'q! SEmd'yits, SEmd'yits .' ramrd'd^n! ay en 

 tiE'n qspdyd'nEksEn tlE'rEiit ! NEqno'q ! ramrd'dEn ! ' that is, ' NEqno'q, 

 NEqno'q ! Chief, chief ! Have pity upon us ! Else there will be nobody 

 to make smoke under you ! NEqno'q ! Have pity upon us ! ' Or praying 

 for fair weather : ' NEqno'q, Nsqno'q ! SEmd'yits, SEmd'yits ! ramrd'dEn ! 

 tgyine'e wdl tlErs'nt nEssgya'tsnt. Man sd'ihya sl'snt ada ma d^o ds'ant ! ' 

 ' NEqno'q, NEqno'q ! Chief, chief ! Have pity upon us ! Look down and 

 see what those whom you made are doing ! Pull up thy foot and sweep off 

 thy face ! ' ('Pull up thy foot ':=stop the rain ; ' sweep off thy face '= 

 take away the clouds.) The following is a prayer for calm weather: 

 ' Lo'sEgya nd JcsEud'tlgEnt ! SEmd'yit dEmwul gya'ksEt ! ' ' Hold in thy 

 breath. Chief ! that it be calm ! ' Before eating they burn food ; having 

 done so they pray : ' Wa SEmd'yits dsm ga'hEuguaa qpigd' ga'bEnmee. 

 Tawd'l mdndsgua'a, tavm'l mdndEgua'a tlgErane'E. Gyl' EnEtn ! ' ' Here ! 

 Chief ! Here is for you to eat, part of our food. It is all that is left 

 us ! It is all that is left us ! Now feed us ! ' In the same way the 

 woman in the legend prays : ' Wa wa wa gyl'EiiEm hadsena's ! ' ' Now, 

 now, now feed us ! fortunate one ! ' (name of a bird, a NEqno'q). 



The dead go to a place similar to that of the living. Our summer is 

 their winter, our winter their summer. They have everything — fish, 

 venison, and skins — in abundance. 



If a special object is to be attained, they believe they can compel the 

 deity to grant it by a rigid fasting. For seven days they have to abstain 

 from food and from seeing their wives. During these days they have to 

 lie in bed motionless. After seven days they may rise, wash themselves, 

 comb the right side of their head, and paint the right side of their face. 

 Then they might look at their wives. A less rigid form of fasting ex- 

 tends over four days only. To make the ceremony very successful, their 



