358 REPORT— 1902. 



what course would be taken to depose him. They replied : The elders and 

 chief men of the tribe would meet together and discuss the matter, and 

 then the chief would be told that he was no longer sia'm ; that his son, or 

 his brother, or his cousin had been appointed in his place. The deposed 

 chief would quietly acquiesce in the decision and the new chief would 

 take his place ; and that would be the end of the matter. From this it 

 is clear that although the office of sia'm was practically hereditary, and 

 generally descended from father to son, the chief held his position really 

 on sufferance and with the common consent of the elders and nobles of the 

 tribe. Apparently, among those Salish tribes which are subdivided into 

 village communities there is always one chief of more importance than 

 the rest. He is lord-paramount. It was so among the N'tlaka'pamuQ, 

 the Kwa'ntlEn, the Sk'Qo'mic and the Tcil'Qe'uk. Among the latter he is 

 called Yuw'el !Sld'm, which signifies ' the tirst-going chief.' 



The prime duty of a Tcil'Qe'uk sia'm was the care and order of the 

 village or community. His chief thought was given to that, and he was 

 deemed responsible for the common welfare and comfort of the tribe. He 

 directed all undertakings in the common interest, and appointed the 

 times for salmon-fishing, root-digging, and berry-picking. A popular chief 

 was one who was generous, liberal, and kind-hearted, and looked well after 

 the material comforts of the tribe. Rarely, if ever, did the sia'm act in 

 a military capacity. The sta'miq, or war-chief, was generally chosen from 

 among the fighting-men of the tribe on account of his superior prowess or 

 skill in warfare. There was no regular warrior class. Such members of 

 the tribe only as were fond of fighting ever went out to battle, except in 

 such cases as when their settlements or homes were attacked. Then all 

 the men, and sometimes the women too, took part. But this was a rare 

 occurrence. Their ti'aditions speak of quarrels and contests with their 

 neighbours, the Pila'tlq. These arose generally on account of one tribe 

 overrunning the hunting-grounds of the other. Apparently the Tcil'Qe'uk 

 were mostly to blame in this respect, often overstepping the boundaries 

 between them and the Pila tlq and hunting in the latter's territories. 

 Sometimes a body of warriors would descend the Fraser, harry some of 

 the lower settlements, and bring back a number of captives. These they 

 would sell as slaves to the more timid or less adventurous of the tribe, and 

 thus enrich themselves. The sia'm would usually discountenance these 

 forays ; but, as in every other tribe, there wei-e also among the Tcil'Qe'uk 

 some restless, venturesome spirits, and these would from time to time 

 persuade others less warlike than themselves to join them, by tempting 

 them with visions and promises of the rich spoils they would secure and 

 bring home. Sometimes these war-parties were never heard of again, 

 being ambushed and slain by the way, 



I could learn little concerning secret societies or brotherhoods, though 

 some such apparently formerly existed among them, the brotherhood of 

 the Sqoi'aql being the most noted. There were also, seemingly, fraterni- 

 ties which possessed peculiar dances ; but the whole subject is very obscure 

 and its particulars difficult to gather among the Tcil'Qe'uk. In common 

 with the other Salish tribes the 'Tcil'Qe'uk indulged in religious and social 

 dances. They observed, too, the Feasts of First-fruits, which were con- 

 ducted much as described by me in my notes on the N'tlaka'pamuQ in the 

 Third Report of the Committee. These religious feasts seem to have been 

 observed by all the Halkome'lEm tribes, as I find them among the upper 

 and the lower tribes of the river. 



