624 REPORT—1890. 
the more presents during the T's’étsd’ék'a, the higher the grade is that the 
novice has acquired. 
On this day each society, after having received their cedar-bark 
rings from the éld'tlak-ak'sila, goes into the woods and holds a meeting, 
in which their chief instructs them regarding their dances. This is 
called Natlzemi'tl’zls (=beginning of foolishness). All those who make 
mistakes later on are killed by the Nutlmatl. 
In the evening the ¥é’winila sends out two male messengers to invite 
all people to bis house, which henceforth is the taboo-house of the 
mé'emkoat, The messengers say: laments wutld'qotlé pépaga'la (let us 
all try to bring him back by our sacred dances). The people assemble 
and sit down in groups, each society by itself. The mé’emkoat have the 
places of honour, and among them the hd’mats’a has the first place, 
sitting in the rear of the house in the middle. The other mé’emkoat are 
arranged at his sides according to rank around the house, the lower in 
rank the farther from the hd’mats’a and the nearer the door. The 
Léld'tlalatl, who is as high in rank as the ha'mats’a, sits close to the door 
opposite the ha’mats’a, The societies dance one after the other, accord- 
ing to rank, the Maa’mq’énoq beginning. The yé'winila stands in the 
middle of the house, two messengers attending him. These he despatches 
to members of the various societies, and orders them to dance. The 
interval until the dancers are dressed up and make their appearance is 
filled with railleries between the messengers. For instance, if a woman 
is to dance, the one will say: ‘She will not come; when I brought her 
the message she was fighting with her husband.’ The other will answer: 
‘Oh, you lar! She is dressing herself up, and you will see how nice 
she looks!’ As soon as the two watchmen who stand at the door see her 
coming they begin swinging their rattles, and then the people begin to 
sing and to beat time with their batons, which were distributed by the 
Va'miatsé (see p. 615). When the festival begins, the ‘drum-master ’” 
carries his drum into the house on his shoulder, going four times around 
the fire, which is on his left, before he takes his place in one of the rear 
corners of the house. While making his circuit he sings a certain song. 
The dancer enters the house, and, turning to the right, goes around’ the 
fire until he arrives in the rear part of the house. Then the people stop 
singing and beating time until his dance begins. The dancer first faces 
the ha’mats’a, who sits in the rear of the house. Then he turns to the 
left, to the fire, and finally faces the hd/mats’a again. He leaves the 
house, having the fire on his left side. Thus all the societies dance. The 
last are the mé'emkoat, the members of whom dance according to rank, 
the lowest first, the hd'mats’a last. After his dance whistles are suddenly 
heard outside the house, aud the novice appears on the roof of the house, 
where he dances, eventually thrusting his arms dewn into the house; but 
finally he disappears again. 
On the next morning the whole tribe goes into the forest to catch the 
novice. They take a long rope made of cedar-bark, and having arrived 
at an open place lay it on the ground in form of a square. They then 
sit down inside the square, all along the rope, and sing four new songs 
composed for the purpose. The two first are in a quick binary measure, 
the third in a five-part measure, and the last in a slow movement. 
Bde ee 
