612 REPORT—1890. ) 
and root of the nose of the patient, and finds that his soul has left his 
body. Then he orders a large fire to be made in the middle of the 
house, and when it is dark the people assemble and sit around the plat- 
form of the house, the sick one sitting near the fire. The shaman stands 
near him, and by means of incantations catches the soul, which he shows 
standing on the palm of his hand. It looks like a mannikin or like 
a small bird. Then he restores it to the patient by putting it on the 
crown of his head, whence it slides into his head. The soul is supposed 
to occupy the whole head. 
The shaman is also able to hurt a man by throwing disease into his 
body (ma‘k-a, see p. 622). He throws a stick, a piece of skin or quartz 
into the body of his enemy, who falls sick, and if the disease should 
strike his heart must die. The shamans of the Awiky’énog occasionally 
perform a ceremony called Mid'k-ap, t.e., throwing one another, in which 
two shamans try to strike each other with disease. The dance of the 
Ma’mak'a (see p. 622) represents the throwing of the disease by the 
shamans. 
In order to bewitch an enemy two means may be applied. A portion 
of his clothing may be buried with a corpse (1d'prtanté), or the ceremony 
called é’k:’a may be performed. Particularly such parts of clothing are 
effective that are soiled and saturated with perspiration, for instance, 
kerchiefs, the lower parts of sleeves, &c. I learnt about two cases which 
occurred in 1887 and 1888 at Fort Rupert. In one case a girl fell sick, 
and as it was suspected that she was bewitched the box was opened in 
which a man who had recently died had been put up. Parts of her 
clothing were found in the month, nose, and ears of the body. The 
articles were taken away, the body washed with fresh water, and replaced. 
In the other case a grave was opened, and it was found that the tongue 
of the body had been pulled out, and its mouth stuffed with parts of 
clothing, This body was treated in the same way as the other one. 
The second method of bewitching an enemy is practised by the é’k’énog 
and is called é’%’a. This custom has been well described by Dr. G. M. 
Dawson:! ‘Anendeavour is first made to procure a lock of hair, some 
saliva, a piece of the sleeve and of the neck of the dress, orof therim of the 
hat or headdress which has absorbed the perspiration of the person to be 
bewitched. These are placed with a small piece of the skin and flesh of a 
dead man, dried and roasted before the fire, and rubbed and pounded 
together. The mixture is then tied up in a piece of skin or cloth, which 
is covered over with spruce gum. The little package is next placed in 
a human bone, which is broken for the purpose, and afterwards care- 
fully tied together and put within a human skull. This again is placed 
in a box which is tied up and gummed over, and then buried in the 
ground in such a way as to be barely covered. A fire is next built 
nearly, but not exactly, on the top of the box, so as to warm the 
whole. Then the evilly-disposed man, beating his head against a tree, 
names and denounces his enemy. ‘This is done at night or in the 
early morning, and in secret, and is frequently repeated till the enemy 
dies. The actor must not smile or laugh, and must talk as little as pos- 
sible till the spell has worked. If a man has reason to suppose that he 
is being practised on in this way he or his friends must endeavour to find 
the deposit and carefully unearth it. Rough handling of the box may 
» Trans. Roy. Soc. of Canada, 1887, ii.:p. 77. 
