ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 49

during their festivities. Here are songs of the Nutca’tlath and Mo’tclath
societies of the T's’éca/ath tribe.

Song of the Nutca'tlath Society.

Wa é ye ye - 6 ye @ ya he wi - a yeé

= aoe =e —— ee

eg N° gl ee S S OG. a eo oe

© \e) he yee yes. a ketcitl hakwé tsakwa
—— = S— SSS SS SS Se

S- -o- =: : “e- og =:

é . he ye - suk wi -é- ats - tl wai hé. yé.

A A
ae = <a eerie
SSS a ee ee ee ae SS a ei eae
He he ha ya-é he he ha ya-e tlo - koa’na = ya-e he
A
—————
ag ge ©. 6 ~~ £¢° ~~ « « ~« @

he ha ya-é he he ya ya-eé he he ha ya-é.

At night, when the whole tribe assembles in the taboo house, the
societies still keep together. They are hostile to each other, and railleries
between the various groups are continually going on. It seems that
there are no separate societies for men and women, but a certain
division must exist, as they seem to have separate feasts. When a
man, during a Tlokoala, brings in any game, and he does not give half of
it to the women, but retains the whole for the use of the men, the
former will attack him and wrest the share due to them from the men.
In the same way the women must share all they get or cook with the
_ men.

Originally, each dance belonged to one family, and was transmitted
from generation to generation. Mother as well as father had the right
to transfer their dance to their children. Thus dances which belonged
to one tribe were transmitted to others. The dance was given to the
novice at the time of his or her initiation, and no more than one
dance could be given at a time. At present these restrictions are
becoming extinct. Whoever is rich enough to distribute a suflicient
amount of property may take any dance he likes. I was even told
that the chief of the Tlokoala, at the beginning of the dancing season,
distributes the various dances among the members of the order, and that
he may redistribute them at the beginning of the following season.

It is a peculiarity of the dances of the Nootka that two masks of the
same kind always dance together.

4 HG

TPSeTSie SEE AS Sealed

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