ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



357 



story in his wanderings round the lake discovered some weak spot in its 

 margin overlooking the slope occupied by the tribe, which required but 

 a little assistance from him to become an outlet for the lake's overflow. 

 They do not believe any longer in the 'magic' part of it. They are, 

 indeed, now generally very sceptical of the marvellous feats and wonder- 

 working powers of their old-time shamans, as recorded in the tribal myths 

 and traditions. Thus we see the disintegrating forces introduced by our 

 advent at work here, as in other sides of their life and character. 



Sociology. 



In their social organisation and customs the Tcil'Qc'uk differ in some 

 interesting respects from the neighbouring Halkome'lEm tribes. This 

 may be possibly due to the fact that the Tcil'Qe'uk are not true members 

 of the Halkome'lEm division, though they now speak its tongue. They 

 have a tradition among them that up to a century ago they spoke a 

 different language. What this was even their old men could not remem- 

 ber. ' Captain ' John gave me a few words which he said belonged to 

 the old language. These are all true Salish terms, though non- 

 Halkome'lEm. He also told me that an old man of their tribe lived 

 among the Nootsak Indians, to the south of the International Boundary 

 Line, who knew the old tongue. I paid a special visit to this settlement 

 to see this old man, but failed to find him. I fear he is dead, as I could 

 hear nothing of him. I learnt, however, that the Nootsak speech is 

 closely allied to the Sk-qo'mic. The tribe is much broken down. It is 

 now formed of members of several originally different tribes, only about 

 a half-dozen true male Nootsak Indians being alive. 



The Tcil'Qe'uk were more communistic in their mode of life than any 

 tribe T have treated of heretofore. The people were divided into the 

 usual threefold division of chiefs, notables, and base folk. The chieftaincy 

 or headship of the tribe was practically hereditary ; though the people 

 could depose their cliief and elect another in his place if they were dis- 

 satisfied with his supervision of the tribe, or his conduct was such as to 

 make him a bad director. I say director, rather than ruler, because the 

 sla'ms of the Salish were rarely, if ever, rulers in the ordinary sense of the 

 word. They were rather overseers or fathers of the tribe, the sia'm com- 

 bining in himself the character and functions of a common father and a 

 high-priest ; the office, indeed, being more sacerdotal than imperial. He 

 it was who always led and directed the prayers of the community and 

 conducted all their religious observances. To this day he leads them in 

 their responses and conducts the service in their churches when their 

 white minister or instructor is absent. Apparently the deposition of a 

 chief was an extremely rare occurrence. This may possibly have been 

 because the occupants of the office fully realised its dignity and its privi- 

 leges, and had no desire to forfeit them ; but I am disposed to think it 

 was more because they were usually genuinely impressed with the 

 responsibility and duties of their position, and strove earnestly to fulfil 

 them. At any rate, we hear very rarely of a bad or neglectful chief. 

 The Tcil'Qe'uk traditions record but one such. A deposed chief would be 

 succeeded by his son, or brother, or cousin ; so that the chieftaincy would 

 rarely pass out of the family or caste of the chief. I inquired among the 

 Tcil'Qe'uk what conduct on the part of a chief would bring about his 

 deposition : and was told that selfishness, or meanness, or neglect of the 

 material welfare of the tribe would assuredly do so. I further inquired 



