98 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

whenever the skin is broken. Any wound may prove dan-
gerous, but particularly one that cuts either of the invisible
lines along which vitality flows from the little finger to the
little toe. An injury to one of these channels spreads rapidly
and is in many cases fatal.

It is generally considered that a person dies if his life leaves
his body. In contradiction to this, though the discrepancy
seems of slight importance to the Bella Coola, is the belief that
it ascends at the winter solstice to the gathering of the super-
natural beings in Nusmdt-a to greet Afquntam. It is common
knowledge that some part of the human body does this, but
there is diversity of opinion regarding which it may be. Some
say it is the spirit, but the consensus of opinion is that it is the
life. Ifit is successful and receives presents in the land above,
its owner will prosper on earth; if it is unfortunate, he will be
the same; if it falls in the crush as the guests hurry forth to
escape the heat of //guntim’s entry, he will die. By dreams
a man learns the fortune of his supernatural representative,
and from them he can judge what is in store for him during the
coming year and receive intimations concerning birth and
death, secret society matters and, in fact, every phase of
human activity, since all are decided at the meeting of Afguntim
and his associates. Dreams are considered to be especially
important at this season of the year (I, p. 608) and information
obtained from them may, perhaps, be the origin of the present
firm conviction that some portion of the body actually ascends.
Bella Coola beliefs have so broken down in recent years that
lack of unanimity concerning the specific part is not surprising,
nor does it alter the importance of this conviction. No attempt
is made to explain how an individual can remain alive during
the annual absence of his life.

Although the life is so ethereal, it really consists of four
intangible elements which unite to form the immaterial whole.
One of these parts, including the voice, is located in the throat,
another in the trunk, a third in the legs, and a fourth in the
feet; the body is thus divided into four quarters. The con-