ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 



573 



i 



f 



EE 



^ 



i /l i 



i Jl I 



^W^^ 



naks i d hii e A 



/.c'. M}^ ! brother this tree is 1113' seat. 



ha 



31 



a. ha, 



i J' 



ya. 



Some of the dances ai"e actual mimical representations of myths. 

 In one ceremony two men dressed like Ts'Ets'a'ut hunters appear. Sud- 

 denly the noise of thunder is heard, and down through the I'oof comes a 

 person dressed in eagle skins and wearing the mask of the thunder 

 bird. The Ts'Ets'a'ut shoot at the bird. At once there is a flash of 

 lightning and a clap of thunder : one of the men falls dead and the other 

 one escapes The tire is extinguished by means of water, which wells up 

 through a pipe of kelp which is laid underground and empties into the 

 fire. At the same time water is thrown upon the spectators through 

 the roof. This performance is accompanied by the song of the women, 

 who sit on three platforms in the rear of the house. The song relates to 

 the myth which is represented in the performance. 



Burial. — The burial is attended to by members of the clan of the 

 father of the deceased, who are paid for their services. Four or five 

 men bend the head of the body down and his knees up. Thus he is 

 placed in a box. Chiefs lie in state for some days, while others are 

 buried without delay. They burn food and clothing for the deceased, 

 saying that it is intended for him. Else the ghost would trouble them. 

 Then they cut wood for a pyre ; the box is put on top of it and it is 

 burnt. The body is poked with long poles in order to facilitate com- 

 bustion. "When it bursts and gas escapes they believe they hear the 

 voice of the ghost. Men and women sit around the pyre and sing all 

 the cradle songs of the clan which are contained in their legends. The 

 remains are put into a small box and placed on trees. Cotton -wood trees 

 are often selected for this purpose. The body of the shaman is also 

 burnt. 



Some time after the burial the son or nephew of the deceased 

 erects a column in his memory (ptsdn). As the meaning of such 

 columns is not yet clear by any means, I asked ' Chief Mountain ' to 

 describe to me the festivals which he gave after the death of his father, 

 ■who was a GyispawaduwE'da. His father had a squid for his protector 

 (riEqnok-). After the death of his father he invited all the people to 

 his house. During the festival the ground opened and a huge rock 

 which was covered with kelp came out. This was made of wood and 

 bark. A cave was under the rock and a large squid came out of it. 

 It was made of cedar bark and its arms were set with hooks which 

 caught the blankets of the audience and tore them. The song of the 

 squid which was sung by the women sitting on three platforms in the rear 

 of the house is as follows : — 



I : Kag-aha'qsIiF. laqha' hdi/d'i : | 

 I : It shakes the heaven hilya'i : | 



^ Ktl li-ahjatl kd'd'lkystl rvl naqno'Ir Id gyif/ya'dKtl ts'i'i'g-atl alts 



I'"or the first time comes great supernatural being in living inside of water 

 dF.m in. liad'y'ilil am yyigya't. 

 to look at the people. 



