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290 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

(2) Recorded as song VII D 9c, Nationa] Museum of Canada; singer, Louie Hall.

(4) Presumably a reference to Nodékxmum, the dancer’s kusiut patron(?).

(c) The meaning of this word is not known; it is considered to be quite distinct
from the identical term in Chinook jargon for “‘deer.”

(d) The meaning of the whole song is extremely obscure.

MarRIAGE SONGS

As marriage songs, two distinct classes may be considered:
A. Those used at weddings;
B. Shaming songs used in connection with divorce rites.
The former are said to have been handed down from the
distant past and consist of a few almost meaningless words.
The latter are composed whenever required, and consist of foul
allusions to the person being ridiculed.

WEDDING SONGS

Stuux Marriage Song(a)

Nunusqwéldimutqwsaniti | yao ixtaqwlaiyutao | d#tusaqwnainuxis
Danced for joy Qwlaiyu(s) when they brought

ai aiimnanaodax | yao dutxasxe-msudax
the girl | from the place of light(c).

(2) Recorded as song VII D 3b, National Museum of Canada; singer, Lame
Charlie.

(4) Qwlaiyu came down with tsyuyuyut in the beginning of time, and brought,
as a gift from Afguntim, the prerogative of dancing at weddings. He landed at
Kimsquit, and no explanation is given by the Bella Coola for the use of this song
by the people of Stutx.

(c) A reference to a marriage among the first people on earth. One of Qwiaiyu’s
associates married a woman whose relatives had brought light with them from
above.

Kimsquit Marriage Song(a)
Sak'tatatimqwsuduks | yao daxomtsilatacais | wasdsqolxndsdomdax
They sent down Xomtsla(b) ; with his relative
yao ixtigwliyutaoais

9wlaiyu (c)(d).

(2) Recorded as song VII D 2b, National Museum of Canada; singer, Jim
Pollard.