THE INDIANS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST. 371 



These or other siinilav customs were also iu vogue among the Tsimshiaus, whose 

 practices so closely resemble the Haida's in most respects. Among these people great 

 care was taken to teach the girls submission, contentment, and industry. At certain 

 times they were not allowed to lie down to sleep, but if overcome with drowsiness 

 must prop themselves in a sitting posture between boxes. Before drinking the cup 

 must be turned round four times in the direction of movement of the sun. It was 

 also usual for the mother to save all hairs combed out of the girl, and twist them into 

 cords, which were then tightly tied round the waist and ankles, and left there till they 

 fell to pieces of themselves. This was supposed to give a fine shape to the body. In 

 eating, the girl must always sit down to prevent a too great corpulence. If orphaned, 

 the various ceremonies must be again performed by the girl, even though already 

 attended to.* 



If the parents were ricb or important people, on releasing the girl a 

 great feast was given by the relatives in her honor by way of bringing 

 her out or making her debut. 



Bringmg out. — On the occasion of the feast or ceremony celebrating 

 the release of a girl from her seclusion, she was richly dressed (formerly 

 iu sea-otter skins) and the garments worn during her restriction burned 

 up or otherwise destroyed. As a rule this ceremony was accompanied 

 with more or less theatrical effect, in that the girl was seated on a divan 

 surrounded by borrowed wealth, and a curtain arranged to be removed 

 at a given signal. Dawson says : 



Among the Tsimshian peculiar ceremonies exist iu connection with the " bringing 

 out" of young women, and it is the occasion of i)ublic feasting. In case of a young 

 woman, the people being all collected, a curtain is raised, and she is seen sitting with 

 her back to the spectators, peculiarly dressed, and surrounded by a circle of upright 

 "coppers," if enough can be mustered. She then begins to sing, or if she does not, 

 an old woman begins to si'fag near her, and she becoming encouraged joins. The old 

 woman then gradually drops her voice till the novice is singing alone. She then 

 eventually makes a dance before all the people. The songs and dances are practised 

 before the time for the rite arrives. Similar customs probably exist among the 

 Haidas, though I did not learn any detail concerning them.t 



A girl being thus launched forth into the social life of the commu- 

 nity became eligible for marriage. In the general idea we see the be- 

 ginnings of similar customs witli which we are familiar in our own more 

 complex social organization. 



Self-naming — Among the Tliugit and Tsimshian a child receives (1) 

 a birth name, (2) an ancestral name, (3) one other name as here ex- 

 plained, and (4) possibly a name late in life when a chief has a son 

 who becomes distiugnished, and a name is bestowed on the former im- 

 plying that he is the father of this distinguished sou. Among the 

 Haida two names are bestowed other than the first and second as above, 

 one each on two occasions when a youth undergoes the preliminary tat- 

 tooing. On the third and final tattooing the youth himself assumes a 

 fifth name after due ceremonies. 



It is of this self-assnmed name, the third amongst the Tlingit and 

 Tsimshian and fifth amongst the Haida, that we shall here speak. As 



"^ Dawson, Report, p. 130, B. t Ihid., p. 131. 



