12 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

their faces. In spite of what he may have seen, the lad cannot
rid himself of the supernatural fears with which he has been
‘nculcated from childhood, and the experience is terrifying to
a degree. It may be that he has seen some of the whistles,
and thereby learnt that the strange sounds are made by men,
not by supernatural beings. In this case he is shown their
mechanism in detail, and warned of the dire fate which will
befall him if he tells others of his knowledge. Fear impels him
to silence, and at the same time he realizes that what he has
discovered has placed him in a superior position to that of his
former associates. He feels, too, that he has been admitted
‘nto the ranks of the society in which his father, grandfather,
and ancestors have distinguished themselves, and that it would
be desecration to make light of what they have held sacred.
Finally, an initiate does not at first grasp the fact that all the
rites are deceptions, and by the time that this is apparent to
him he has become so thoroughly a part of the organization that
he has no thought of betraying his associates, upsetting a vital
part in the complicated fabric of Bella Coola life, and exposing
himself to ruin and death. A logical white man might think
these considerations insufficient, but the existence of the so-
ciety proves that the varied motives operate so strongly that a
young man does keep silence. Some informants state that
hypnotism was formerly used to ensure obedience.

The kukusiut are always ready to deal with an emergency
such as sometimes occurs in spite of every precaution. It is
remembered that about one hundred and fifty years ago during
a dance at the village of Nugdxm4ts, a figure, representing one
of the supernatural beings, had the misfortune to drop his
mask, the strings by which it was tied having worn through.
The house was crowded with uninitiated to whom the decep-
tion at once became apparent. For a moment there was wild
confusion, but the senior kukusiut rose to the occasion and
closed the door, allowing no uninitiated person to leave. Then
a kusiut was sent out with a whistle which he sounded as if the
supernatural being of which it was the voice was growing