ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 645 
RELIGION AND SHAMANISM. 
I received very scanty information only regarding the religious ideas. 
of the Shushwap. Chiefs before smoking their pipes would turn them 
towards sunrise, noon, and sunset, after having them lighted, and thus 
offer a smoke to the sun, at the same time praying silently to him. The- 
same custom is practised in British Columbia by the Kootenay. I did 
not find any other trace of sun-worship. 
Souls do not return in newborn children. 
When a person faints, it is a sign that a ghost pursues him. 
The shaman is initiated by animals, who become his guardian spirits. 
The initiation ceremonies for warriors and shamans seem to be identical, 
the object of the initiation ceremonies being merely to obtain super- 
natural help for any object that appeared desirable. The young man, on 
reaching puberty, and before he had ever touched a woman, had to go out 
on the mountains and pass through a number of performances. He had 
to build a sweat-house, in which he stayed every night. In the morning 
he was allowed to return to the village. He had to clean himself in the: 
sweat-house, to dance and to sing during the night. This was continued, 
sometimes for years, until he dreamt that the animal he desired for his 
guardian spirit appeared to him and promised him its help. As soon as 
it appeared the novice fell down in a swoon. ‘ He feels as though he 
were drunk, and does not know whether it is day or night, nor what he 
is doing.’ The animal tells him to think of it if he should be in need of 
help, and gives him a certain song with which to summon him up. 
Therefore every shaman has his own song, which none else is allowed to 
sing, except when the attempt is made to discover a sorcerer (see p. 646). 
Sometimes the spirit comes down to the novice in the shape of a stroke 
of lightning. If an animal initiates the novice it teaches him its lan- 
guage. One shaman in Nicola Valley is said to speak the ‘coyote lan- 
guage’ in his incantations. Unfortunately, I did not learn the details of 
this language, so that I do not know whether it is a sacred language 
common to all shamans, or merely an individualinvention. If the young 
man desires to become a successful gambler he must practise gambling 
while he is on the mountains. He throws the gambling sticks into the 
water while it is dark, and tries to pick them up again without looking. 
If he wishes to become a lightfooted runner he must practise running. 
It is said that one young man used to roll rocks down the slope of 
Paul’s Peak, near Kamloops, and then ran after them until he was able to 
overtake the rocks, which leaped down the steep’sides of the hill. 
After a man has obtained a guardian spirit he is bullet and arrow 
proof. If an arrow or a bullet should strike him he does not bleed from 
the wound, but the blood all flows into his stomach. He spits it out, 
and is well again. ‘ Braves,’ who have secured the help of spirits, are 
carried to the fighting ground. No woman must see them when on 
their way, as else they would lose their supernatural power. When an 
attack is going to be made ona village the guardian spirit of the warriors 
will warn them. In dreaming or in waking they see blood flying about, 
and this is a sign that someone will be murdered. Before going on 
a war expedition warriors would fast and abstain from sleep for a whole 
week, bathing frequently in streams. It was believed that this would 
make them nimble-footed. 
Men could acquire more than one guardian spirit, and powerful 
