ON THE NORTH-WESTERX TRIBES OF CANADA 579 



During a festival when he was to be initiated his friends pretended to 

 begin a quarrel. They drew knives and pretended to kill him. They let 

 him disappear and cut off the head of a dummy, which was skilfully intro- 

 duced. Then they laid the body down, covered it, and the women began 

 to mourn and to wail. His relatives gave a feast, distributed blankets, 

 slaves, canoes, and coppers, and burnt the body. In short, they held a 

 regular funeral. 



After his disappearance he resorted to a grave. He took the body out 

 •of the grave and wrapped a blanket about himself and the body. Thus 

 he lay with the corpse for a whole night. The other Olala' watched him 

 from a distance. In the morning he put the body back into the grave. 

 He continued to do so for some time in order to acquire courage. All 

 this time, and for a whole year, he was not seen by any member of the 

 tribe except by the Olala'. 



A year after his disappearance his nephew invited all the tribes to 

 bring him back. This was done in the same manner as described above 

 in the case of initiation of the LotlE'm. Finally his whistles were heard, 

 and he appeared on the roof of the house crying « lalalalala ! He dis- 

 appeared again, and in the following night after prolonged dances he was 

 seen on the hills dancing in a fire, which he had built in such a manner 

 that when he danced behind it it looked from the village as though he 

 was standing right in it. The following day he appeared carried by his 

 totem animal. 



The GyispawaduwE'da are brought back by a killer- whale, as described 

 above ; the Laqkyebo' by a bear ; the Laqski'yek appear on the back of 

 an eagle which rises from underground ; the K-anha'da on the back of a 

 frog. Sometimes the novice appears on a point of land some distance from 

 the village carrying a corpse in his arms. Then he is said to walk over 

 the surface of the water and to come ashore in front of the village. This 

 is accomplished by means of a raft which is covered with planks, and 

 burdened so that it floats a short distance under thesurface of the water. 

 It is pulled by means of a rope by some of the other Olala' while the novice 

 is dancing on it, so that the impression is conveyed that he has approached 

 on the surface of the water. When he reaches the village he eats of the 

 body which he is carrying, and one or other of the chiefs kills a slave 

 and throws the body to the Olala', who devour it. It is said that before 

 eating human flesh the Olala' always use emetics, and that afterwards 

 they tickle their throats with feathers to ensure vomiting. 



In festivals which take place during the dancing season the Olala' 

 receives his share first, and nobody is allowed to eat until he has begun to 

 eat. He has his own dish and spoon, which are wound round with bark. 

 Those who have been Olala' formerly are his servants and bring him food. 

 When he hears the word lo'ltk (ghost) he gets excited and begins to bite 

 again. After he ceases to bite and to devour men a heavy ring of red 

 cedar-bark is placed around his neck, and he is led slowly round the fire. 

 The ceremony is called ' making him heavy ' (sEp'a lytq), and serves to 

 prevent his flying away and getting excited again. He must stay in his 

 room for a whole year after his initiation. After biting he must chew the 

 bark of ' devil's club ' (woO'inst), which acts as a purgative.' 



In olden times the appearance of the artificial totem animal, or of the 

 guardian spirit, which was described above, was considered a matter of 



' See also Fifth Report, p. 8.53. 



1 p 2 



