ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 367 



commoner Qals of the other tribes. I was not able to gather much con- 

 cerning his doings among them. They apparently invoked him in prayer 

 at times. The Tcil'Qe'uk formerly possessed a large stone statue of a 

 human being. It was owned by a certain family, and was taken to the 

 neighbouring Sumas tribe by a woman who married into that tribe. The 

 statue weighed over a ton, it is said. A few years ago some enterprising 

 person bought it for a small sum, and shipped it into Washington State, 

 where it figured for a time in a ' dime museum.' It has since found its 

 way, I believe, to the Field Columbian Museum at Chicago. This statue 

 was said to be the work of QEQa'ls, who one day passing that way saw 

 a man and his wife, who in some way displeased him, and were in con- 

 sequence ti'aiasformed into stone statues. 



Mythical Account of the Oriyin of the Sl'yak. 



In salmon-fishing the Tcil'Qe'uk mostly used the si'yaJc, or salmon-weir. 

 They believe their ancestors were taught how to construct this by Td'mia, 

 the wren. He instructed them on this wise. He bade the limbs of the 

 young cedars (Thuya gigantea) twist themselves into withes, and stout 

 branches to sharpen one of their ends to a point and place themselves 

 firmly in the bed of the stream in the form of a tripod, fastened at the 

 top by the withes, two feet being down stream and one up. He then 

 called upon other boughs to wattle themselves in the lower legs of these 

 tripods, till the weir or dam thus formed spanned the whole stream ; at 

 the foot of which the salmon soon congregated in great numbers. He 

 bade the people make their salmon-weirs thereafter in like manner. 



Origin of the Tluke'l Su'Ua. 



There was once a youth who was undergoing his puberty rites, and 

 seeking his su'lla on the margin of ' Cultus ' Lake. This lake was the 

 abode of Slalakum {i.e., supernatural water-people who lived at the 

 bottom of lakes). One day he took a stout buckskin, and pierced it 

 with many pointed bones. This he fastened about him, and taking a 

 large stone to weight himself with, jumped into the lake. He quickly 

 sank to the bottom. In his descent he came down upon the roof of the 

 Slalakums' dwelling. The inmates were disturbed by his fall, and went put 

 to see what had happened. They found the young man there, and carried 

 him into the house. Presently he came to himself, and looked about him. 

 Among the Slalakum present he perceived some who were sick. Their 

 sickness had been caused by his spitting in the lake, and by the ashes of 

 his fire dropping down upon them. He wiped away the spittle and ashes, 

 and thus healed them of their sickness ; and in return for his services they 

 gave him the Tluke'l, an object resembling a long stout icicle. He stayed 

 with the Slalakum a little while, and then returned to the surface of the 

 lake again, taking his mystic Tluke'l with him. When he got home all 

 the people at the .sight of him were taken sick. He healed them all with 

 his Tluke'l, and became a great SQEla'm. He was specially able to cure 

 those who fall ill from contact with a Slalakum. The tidings of his 

 adventure and the fame of his skill spread among the surrounding tribes, 

 and a man of theNEk'a'mEn tribe determined to visit ' Cultus' Lake and 

 seek similar or greater powers for himself. Accordingly, in company 

 with a friend to assist him, they set out for the lake. They managed to get 

 there without the knowledge of the Tcil'Qe'uk people, in whose territory 



