ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 615 
society returns from the woods after being initiated or after haying had 
intercourse with the genius of hisdance. Generally it is arranged in such 
a way that the man who intends to give the 7s’étsa'ék'a sends his son or 
some other relative into the woods. By his staying there with the spirits 
he will rise toa higher class of the society, and thus partake of the distine- 
tion arising from the celebration. But this is not necessarily the case. 
While the young man stays in the woods the yé’wintla sends two messen- 
gers around (¢/é'lala) to give notice that he intends to give a 1's’étsd’ éka. 
A few days before the beginning of the festivities he sends the same mes- 
_ sengers to invite the people (d’etsésta), and finally at the night of the 
_ beginning of the festivals, when everything is ready, the messengers call 
the guests to come (dlaw’it kd'tsist). 
So far the customs are common to all tribes speaking the Kwakintl 
dialect, but the details of the societies as well as their rank and the cere- 
monies of various dances differ somewhat among various tribes. Four groups 
may be distinguished, each having peculiar customs. The first comprise 
the Kwakiutl, Nemk‘ic, Ma’malélék-ala (Matilpi), Tlau’itsis, Tena’qtaq, 
_ and Lé’kwiltok: ; the second the Tsa/watrénoq, Guan’aénoq, and Haqua’- 
ae 
_ mis; the third, the Tlatlalisk-oa’la, Nak-o'mgyilisila, Na‘k-oartok’, and 
Gnuasi/la; the fourth, the K-oské’mog, Kyo’p’énoq, Tla’sk’énoq, and 
Gua'ts’énoq. Ishall first describe the customs of the first group. 
Some time before the beginning of the festivities the yé’wintla must 
give a large quantity of cedar-bark to the ‘ master of the cedar-bark’ 
(tla tlak'aksila), who has to make all the ornaments for the various 
members of the Ts’étsa/ék‘a. Four days after he has received the bark 
he invites the whole tribe and distributes the ornaments. 'Uhis festival is 
called k-ap’é'k‘. He also gives to all those present three kinds of tallow 
for smearing the face, mountain-goat, deer, and k*a/tsek (?) tallow. This 
office is acquired by being inherited from the father, not by marriage. 
There are three more offices of a similar kind which are inherited in the 
same way, that of the singing-master, who teaches songs and rhythms, 
the baton-master (¢’a’miatsé), who has to procure the batons for beating 
ree 5 and the drum-master (md’menatsila), who has to look after the 
drum. 
As soon as the T's’étsa/ék-a begins, the gentes and the social rank of 
ordinary times are suspended, and a new arrangement takes place. The 
people drop their ordinary names and assume their T's’étsa/ék-a names. The 
tribe is divided into two groups, the mé'emkoat (seals) and the k'wé!h-utsé, 
the former being higher in rank. All those who are initiated may become 
members of the mé’emkoat, but they are at liberty to join the hrué'utsé 
for one Ts’étsa/ck'a. They have to pay a number of blankets to the 
mé'emkoat for obtaining the right to stay away from the group to which 
_ they properly belong. Only the highest grade of the members of the 
_ Ts’étsa/ék'a, the ha’mats’a, must join the méemkoat. They must dress in 
black, and, itis said, are called ‘seals’ for this reason. The house of the 
yé'wiuila is their house, and is tabooed as long as the ceremonies last. . It 
18 called tlamé’latsé, and no uninitiated (Ba’'qus) is allowed to enter. They 
have to stay in this honse throughout the duration of the 7s’étsa’éia. 
Sometimes a large ring of cedar-bark dyed red, the emblem of the society, 
is fastened to the door of the house to indicate that it is tabooed. The 
_ hd mats’a is the chief of the mé’emkoat, and, therefore, during the festival, 
_ of the whole tribe. If a member of the mé'emkoat wishes to leave the 
house he must obtain his permission first. When the ha’mats’a wishes 
