576 KEPORT — 1895. 



from the Bellabella, and later on by the Nisk-a' from the Gyitqa'tla. This 

 is corroborated by linguistic evidence. All the names of these societies, 

 with the exception of the tirst, are of Kwakiutl origin. [Meitla'= teasing ; 

 LotlE'm, Kwakiutl N5'ntlEm=foolish ; Olala', name of a Kwakiutl cere- 

 mony ; Nanesta't, Kwakiutl, Nontsista'latl, dance of No'ntsista ; Hona- 

 na'tl, dance of {1 ?). The call of the Olala', hcijj, is also a Kwakiutl 

 word designating eating.] The original tradition mentions three societies 

 only — the second, third, fourth. This shows that the first is not a secret 

 .society, properly speaking, and that the fifth and sixth are later intro- 

 ductions. The Nisk-a' state that with the ceremonies came the use of large 

 whistles. The Kwakiutl of Fort Rupert state also that the use of large 

 whistles and the custom of eating slaves and corpses and of biting pieces 

 of flesh out of the arms of people came to them from the He'iltsuk. We 

 must assume, therefore, that these ceremonies originated in the region of 

 Milbank Sound. As the legends of these societies throw a clear light 

 upon their practices, I will give the Nisk-a' tradition of the origin of the 

 secret societies in full. 



A Wutsda' (Bellabella) named Sagaitla'bEn (a Nisk-a' name) went 

 hunting. He saw a bear, which he pursued. He shot it several times, but was 

 unable to kill it. Finally the bear reached a steep cliff which opened and 

 let him in. As soon as he entered he heard the voices of the Olala' 

 calling ' hap,' and he fainted. Then his soul was taken into the house. 

 In the rear of the house he saw a large room partitioned ofl". The par- 

 tition was hung with red cedar-bark. It was the secret room of the Olala' 

 (j)ta6tl). To the right of the door, on entering, was a secret room for the 

 Meitla', and to the left of the door one for the LotlE'm. The chief, who 

 was sitting in the rear of the house, ordered a fire to be made, and spoke : 

 ' Those here are the Meitla' ; they did not bring you here. Those are the 

 LotlE'm ; they eat dogs ; they did not bring you here. But these are the 

 Olala' ; they eat men ; they brought you here. You shall imitate what 

 they are doing.' He had a heavy ring of red cedar-bark around his neck, 

 a ring of the same material on his head, and wore a bearskin. He said : 

 * You must use the same ornaments when you return to your people.' He 

 took a whistle out of his own mouth and gave it to Sag-aitla'bEn. He gave 

 him his small neck-ring of cedar-bark, which instilled into him the desire 

 of devouring men (therefore it is called k-'dtsq F.m Ion, cedar- bark throat), 

 and he gave him large cedar-bark rings and a small bearskin, which 

 enabled him to fly. He told him: ' You shall kill men, you shall eat them, 

 and carry them to my house.' Then he opened the door. The singers 

 sang and beat time, and Sag-aitla'bEn flew away from town to town 

 over the whole woi-ld, crying ' hap ' all the time. He went from the 

 country of the Wutsda to Skeena River and to Nass River. Sometimes 

 he was seen sitting on high clifls. He killed and devoured people whom 

 he found in the woods. 



After three years he was seen near the village of the Gyit'ama't. 

 They attempted to catch him. They killed dogs and threw them into a 

 hole, and a number of shamans hid under a canoe near by. Soon he was 

 heard to approach. He alighted on the top of a dry cedar. He lay there 

 on his stomach, and the point of the tree was seen to penetrate his body 

 and to pierce it. But it did not kill him. When he saw the dogs he flew 

 down, and, after having eaten, the .shamans rushed up to him, caught him, 

 and took him up to the house. They tried to cure him, and the people 



