LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENT 7

(s) Anutsqwa-xstt, “Labretted’”’: the eastern continuation
of the last mentioned.? The name is explained as follows:

One of the people who came to the earth in the beginning
of time, Taiakwala by name, travelled to the Skeena River,
and there saw women wearing labrets. On his return to Bella
Coola he settled at Anutsqwa-xst? and carved on his totem-pole®
the figure of a woman with an abalone-shell labret as a
memorial of his voyage. Visitors coming to his potlatches
named the town from this figure.

This was one of the largest towns in the valley.

°*(6) Aimd-ts: a small town to the north of the last, not
far from the Pe-asla. It is assumed that it was founded by a
descendant of Taiakwala named Aimé-ts. The consensus of
opinion is that it has not been occupied for many years, but
one informant recently dug up a clay pipe on the alleged site.

*(5) Siskiut?, “What Has Been Divided”: on the south
shore of the Bella Coola River about a quarter of a mile from
the sea. This village was founded by a certain Qeit.

*(8) Qomgo-ts, meaning doubtful, perhaps “Salty”: this,
the most populous village of the valley in the recent past, is
still inhabited by one or two families. The inhabitants of other
towns explain its large population by marriages with slaves.
This is the upper, or eastern, continuation of the preceding,
and the two in combination formed a row of houses stretching
for three-quarters of a mile (see Plate 9).

(9) Ososxkpumx, “The Treeless Place”: on the north side
of the Bella Coola, supposedly about half a mile above 4imé-ts.
This village was long ago deserted.

(10) Teuxtcuxwte?pa-ts, “Where There Is Much feuxicuxw-
tp,” a kind of hollow-stemmed plant: some distance from

7Several towns, each consisting of a single row of houses, are regarded as form-
ing two villages. In such cases there is no visible boundary mark.

8The Bella Coola believe that their early ancestors used totem-poles; repeated
reference to them’ will be made, even though the work of Barbeau and others on
the recent origin of totem-poles on the North-West Coast indicates that the Bella
Coola concepts are not historically accurate.