90 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

ago the tide came further up the rivers than at present and did
not recede so far. This statement was made by an intelligent
old man who said that the change had taken place during his
own life-time.

One of Raven’s most important alterations to A/guntam’s
intentions was with regard to the sexual act.

In the beginning of time, the organs of women were on the forehead,
those of men on the palm of the hand, and intercourse was effected by a
man rubbing his hand across a woman’s brow. Raven feared that chil-
dren would not result from this practice and accordingly altered the
organs of both sexes to their present positions. In order to teach mankind
the sexual act he then chose a woman and held intercourse with her,
telling her that if the practice were carried out secretly and vigorously
a child would be born. And nine months later the woman gave birth
to an infant. Raven told the first inhabitants of the world that he
wished them to have issue; they consequently held intercourse frequently
and begat many children until their descendants filled the Bella Coola
valley.

The attitude of the Bella Coola towards this story is iden-
tical with their beliefs concerning Raven as the cause of death.

“Yes,” they say, as they repeat the above story in answer
to a question, ‘““Raven taught our ancestors how to have
children.”

One side of their nature implicitly believes any story handed
down from the distant past, but few today are sufficiently naive
actually to credit it. The more sophisticated frankly dis-
believe, or pretend to do so. Doubt also exists with regard to
Raven as originator of linguistic differences. The Bella Coola
state that 4fquntaém intended only one language for the whole
world, but Raven thought that this would lead to trouble and
used his power to teach the ancestors of every tribe their special
speech.

Many inventions and beliefs are attributed to Raven with-
out any accompanying myth. It is said that almost all geo-
graphical names are those bestowed by him on places reached
in his travels. It was Raven who taught men how to bait
hooks on long lines to catch black cod; it was Raven who first