Beatty—The St. George, or Mummers’, Flays. 315 
that the ghosts have taken the dancer away, who will return 
after a certain number of days. When the time of liis return 
is at hand, another dance is held. A carving representing a 
ghost is seen to rise out of the ground carrying the dancer. * 1 
As Boas says, the object of the whole winter ceremonial is 
to call back the novice and to cure him. 
There is a master of ceremonies, who has general super¬ 
vision of the rite, and there is much dialogue and many long 
improvised speeches at first. Songs are sung also. 
“The whole ceremonial of bringing back the novice is, ae- 
cording to the Kwlakiutl, a repetition of the’ same ceremonial 
performed by the wolves who attempted to bring back their 
novices; and the following tradition, which, however, is not 
complete in its details, is made to account for its origin: 2 3 
“Mink made a salmon trap. The tribes had a winter cere¬ 
monial, and the chief of the wolves had disappeared in the 
woods. There they spoiled Mink’s trap. For three days they 
did so. Then Mink became angry. He Watched and saw 
them take a salmon from his trap. Tie crawled up and killed 
them with his club. He cut off their heads and carried them 
home. 
“Now the wolves were going to bring back their novices. 
Mink went and watched his trap and caught a sisiul. He took 
it home. In vain the wolves waited for the novices to appear. 
“Mink came with the heads under his blanket, then went out 
and came back wearing them on his head. Then the wolves 
saw what he had done and tried to kill him. But he came 
with the si$iul mark and all the people died. He resuscitated 
whom he liked. That is the end.” 
1 The song of the ghost dancer is as follows: 
1. I went down to the under world with the chief of the ghosts. 
Therefore I have supernatural power. 
2. The chief of the ghosts made me dance. Therefore I have super¬ 
natural power. 
3. He put a beautiful ornament on to my forehead. Therefore I 
have supernatural power. 
2 L. c., pp. 538-539. 
