QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS. 123 B 



patient lies is probably filled with his friends, the skd-ga, drumming or 

 rattling and singing about him, seems to strain every nerve to drive 

 away the evil one. The relatives encourage him to redoubled exertions 

 by promises of property, which, in event of recovery, he will be given. 



A skd-ga has his hair long and tangled, as, in obedience to custom, it Peculiarities of 



J ° ill, mi medicine-men. 



is neither allowed to be cut or comb passed through it. This consti- 

 tutes a part of his 'medicine.' Besides the rattle or drum the most 

 important property of a skd-ga appears to be a hollow bone, carved 

 externally; in some cases also inlaid with pieces of haliotis shell, and 

 open at the ends. In this, using a little shred cedar bark to plug the 

 ends, he can enclose the soul or ka-tlun-dai about to depart, and may 

 succeed in restoring it to the body. 



From their position the medicine-men are often able to levy black- 

 mail on the credulous, and profit by this species of priestcraft. At 

 Metla-katla the following incident occurred, and was related to me by 

 Mr. Duncan. This was among the Tshimsians, whose customs in regard 

 to these matters are, however, closely like those of the Haidas: — 

 A medicine-man from an outlying district, coming among the Indians 

 at the mission, put a family into great distress by communicating to 

 them that in walking along, not far off, he had seen the soul of a young- 

 girl, had caught it, and for a certain consideration would restore it to 

 the owner, who must otherwise assuredly soon die. The girl indicated 

 was in good health, but some of the relatives were so much alarmed 

 that they came to Mr. Duncan, telling him all the circumstances. He 

 partially reassured them, and finally quieted their fears by frightening 

 the medicine-man himself away. 



The skd-ga dying, remains still an object of superstition, and his body Venerated 

 is not disposed of in exactly the same way with those of mere ordinary 

 mortals. He is not, as they are, boxed up and deposited in little houses 

 in the immediate vicinity of the village, but removed to some distance, 

 in some instances to a place designated by himself before death. The 

 method of sepulture may not be cpuite uniform, but I can describe that 

 of a medicine-man considered very potent, who died about ten years 

 ago at Skidegate : — On-a small island, some miles from the village, is a How entombed 

 little box-like hovel, about five feet in height, and nearly square, made 

 of split cedar boards, neatly joined, and roofed with similar planks, on 

 which large stones had been piled to keep the whole firm. The erec- 

 tion stands under a few scattered pine trees, near the rocky shore. A 

 board having fallen out, a good view could be gained of the interior. 

 The side furthest from the water was entirely covered by a neatly 

 made cedar-bark mat. The body leaned against this, in a sitting pos- 

 ture, the knees had originally been drawn up nearly to the chin, but 

 the whole had slipped down somewhat during decomposition. It was 



