96 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

his song, which they now proceed to sing as though they had
obtained it from X in his ravings; they have, of course, com-
posed it themselves in advance. The words describe the
experiences of X in the regions aloft. When the song has been
practised, food, and later presents as “bandages” for the
wounds, are distributed. Other gifts are often given to every-
one, irrespective of whether or not the recipient has been bitten.
A marshal functions as usual; then the people disperse.
Presently as night falls and the people are preparing for
sleep, X goes outside with a number of kukusiut followers. On
the sidewalk the singers, a number of kukusiut women, and
men with drums have assembled. X begins his high pitched
call of xwa-, xwa-, xwa-, as if longing for meat; the whistle
sounds at intervals and the singers begin their song with the
women joining in. When the melody has ended, the party
moves to a position outside another house where the same
ceremony is repeated. X suddenly becomes frenzied, rushes
madly from place to place-, his xwa-, xwa-, xwa- resounds,
and he dashes into a dwelling, growling ferociously. The musi-
cians pay no attention to his actions, but complete their
singing of the same song outside every house. When this has
been finished, the kukusiut gather in X’s home to make him
sufficiently heavy so that he can lie down. This is done by
calling upon these individuals who have the prerogative of
using the crystals at initiation. They come forward and, with
wild gyrations, extract them from their stomachs and insert
them into X’s body through his ears, thus partially deafening
him so that he can relax. The people disperse when this has
been accomplished. As usual, the heralds have informed those
living in the other houses of what has been taking place.
The next morning the kukusiut construct a strong platform
behind the fire on which X is supposed to rest for the next four
days. In practice he can do almost anything he likes, provided
that he is not seen by the uninitiated. The crystals pressed
into his ears deafen him to small noises, but if he hears people
talking loudly together, he at once becomes excited and rushes