QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS. 131 B 



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 head of the girl, and 

 twist them into cords, which were then tightly tied l-ound 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 all attended to. 



Among the Tshimsians peculiar ceremonies exist in connection with Tshimsian 

 the ' bringing out ' of young men and women, and it is an occasion of 

 public feasting. In the 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 begin- to 

 sing, or, if she does not, an old woman begins to sing 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 details concerning 

 them. 



With the Haidas a first-born son may be called by the name of the Naming a son. 

 mother's eldest brother, the second-born after the mother's second bro- 

 ther, or by one of the additional names of the first. Should the mother 

 have no brother, the name of some dead friend is chosen, or in cases 

 where the medicine-man reveals the return of some one formerly dead 

 in the new-born child, the name of the person supposed to be thus 

 returning to the tribe takes precedence of all others. A chief's son is 

 named by its mother after consultation with a medicine-man, whom she 

 pays. He takes a night to think, and mayhap dream, about it. There- 

 after he gives the name of a deceased male relative on the mother's 

 side, which is adopted. The ceremony of naming is witnessed by Stages in ad- 

 many, and presents are given. A sister of the father's holds the childhood, 

 when named, and becomes its ' godmother ' afterwards. For this she 

 receives presents from the father, and from the boy himself wheu 

 giipwn up if she has used him well. The next ceremony is that of 

 piercing the lobes of the ears and septum of the nose, when gifts are 

 again distributed, the godmother-aunt coming in for a good share. 

 Four times in all a youth changes his name, always taking one from 

 his mother's family. A potlatch and tattooing of the youth takes 

 place on each occasion except the first, when the latter is omitted. 

 Also a house-building bee. On the last of these occasions the young 



