580 KEroRT— 1895. 



great importance, and any failure which would disclose the deception to 

 the uninitiated was considered a great misfortune, which was atoned only 

 by the death of those involved in the disclosure. One striking instance 

 of an event of this kind which took place among the Heiltsuk- was 

 reported to me. Three brothers invited all the tribes, among them the 

 Tsimshian, to a festival. The eldest was to return from a visit to the 

 bottom of the sea. When the visitors landed they had to wait on the 

 beach for his return. A rock was seen to emerge at some distance from 

 the shore. It opened and the young man stepped out and danced, 

 adorned with his headdress. Then he stepped back into the rock, which 

 disappeared again in the waters. The rock was made of wood and 

 covered with kelp. Its movements were regulated by means of ropes 

 running to the woods where a number of men were hidden, who operated 

 them. After the rock had emerged twice the ropes became entangled, and 

 they were unable to make it emerge for the third time. The man who 

 was hidden in the rock was drowned. The family of the man who was 

 lost in this manner concealed their grief, and his brothers pretended that 

 he had stayed with the spirit residing at the bottom of the sea. They 

 went through the whole festival. After the guests had departed all the 

 ■ surviving meml)ers of the family tied themselves to a long rope, sang the 

 cradle song of their family, and precipitated themselves from a cliff into 

 the sea. 



Shamanism. — In reply to my questions regarding the acquisition of 

 supernatural helpers and the powers of the shaman (lialai't), ' Chief 

 Mountain,' who is nowadays a regular attendant at church, gave me the 

 following account of his own experience. Only a man whose father was a 

 shaman can become a shaman. When he himself was a youth the super- 

 natural beings (nEqn.o'k') were pursuing him all the time. One day a 

 beautiful girl appeared to him and he fainted. She taught him her song 

 which enabled him to make the olachen come in spring, and which is as 

 follows : — 



Lawc'tl n-iil liaqluV /jurnqtl altys atl Irigi/c'wvtl. 

 Behold vviiere meet the waters on the beach. 



Gyitwulgi/ifiyil' mlt' rvulod'citl Jrdt cnhj. 

 (People of warm place) where is heart olachen. 



I.e. Behold where the tides meet at Gyitwulgyigya'mk' are manj' olachen. 



She wanted to have intercourse with him. One night she took him 

 through a fire, and since that time he was able to handle fire with im- 

 punity. AVhen she left him he saw that she had an otter tail. Her name 

 was KcEinwa'tsq (land- otter woman). 



She is a nEqnoh of the Laqskl'yek clan. When he gave a festival 

 he danced with the mask of this nEqyiok-. He was covered with otter 

 skins and wore claws of copper. He moved around the fire like an otter 

 crying ' uhuid'. This ceremony is called the SEmhalaif. Later on he saw 

 four other supernatural beings, who had the shape of wild-looking men, 

 who wore bearskins and crowns made of the claws of bears. They taught 

 him to foresee sickness. At one time the Gyitqade'q disbelieved his power 

 over fire. He asked them to build a large fire. He threw an iron hoop 

 into it, moistened his hands, and covered his face, hair, and hands with 

 eagle-down. Then he stepped barefooted over the glowing embers, took 

 the redhot hoop, and carried it through the fire without burning his 

 hands or his feet. He added that a few years ago he repeated this 



