24 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

sone, If the Bella Coola were strictly logical, one should
expect them to conceive the upper surface of sony“ as being
convex. Instead, it is considered a flat surface, very similar
to the earth, and no explanation is given of what fills in the
spaces between the dome, concave as viewed from this world,
and the upper plane which could rest only on the peak of the
dome. But logical accuracy is not a Bella Coola character-
istic. This flat land is called daésonx “dé or wasonx ” wawitk-
Hogosit. It is illumined by a second sun, shining on it as the
sun does on the earth. Far in the east of this upper region are
extensive tide-flats. This land above is the home of many
supernatural beings, who will be described in due course. The
relative position of the sun to this upper world is ill-defined.
According to some accounts, it travels by clearly marked trails
on the surface, and a transparent dome is postulated to explain
how its light reaches this earth. Others state that it moves
like a bird or flying canoe through the space between the world
and the dome-sky above. On many of these points there is a
striking difference of opinion, which the Bella Coola explain
by saying that their information is derived from ancient stories,
which are personal possessions, and that no one knows the
beliefs of his fellows. A co-ordinated theology, as Beas points
out, has not evolved among the Bella Coola.

The sky, as it may be called if the reader will bear in mind
that it is the underside of a flat land, was not always in its
present condition. The Bella Coola say that long ago the
supreme god instructed his Carpenters (I, p. 39) to make
a sky. They started from the eastern extremity of the earth,
but after a considerable part of the dome had been erected, it
fell with a thunderous crash, because no supporting posts had
been set up. The part that escaped this calamity 1s called
Satwalosam. Undiscouraged, the Carpenters continued their
work with the assistance of posts and so built the sky as it is
seen today. Then the supports were taken away.

As already stated, a sun shines on the land above. As that

seen by mortals is attached to the land above, so is this upper —