6 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

Alqguntém enters and confers on kusiut matters with
Sexsexkalaix, his assistant in affairs connected with his func-
tions as leader of the supernatural kukusiut.1 This being acts
as announcer and intermediary with A7guntim, but himself
lacks the power of initiating matters. The two discuss whether
or not it is advisable to allow mortal kukusiut to perform cer-
tain dances of the type known as kusiotem (II, p.128), and if so,
they transmit the necessary power to the earthly dancer who
has the proper prerogative, thus enabling him to give a graphic
representation of what is done in the upper land.

This is the essence of the kusiut dances. Each portrays a
performance given by one of the supernatural beings in the
house above, or some other aspect of his activities. Each
earthly dancer has as patron a supernatural being, usually the
one who carries out the dance of which his own is a model, and
between patron and protégé there exists a relationship by
means of which the latter receives the power necessary to per-
form. To do so, the uninitiated believe that he must receive a
yeux, which can be translated as “‘call,”’ from his associate
above. Moreover, not only is each patron a supernatural
being, but each is guided by /guntdm in the performance of
the Ausiut rites in the land above, which indirectly increases
the prestige of the protégé.

1The differences of belief of individual Bella Coola, dependent upon family
traditions, is nowhere shown with greater clearness than in this meeting of the
leaders of the supernatural dancers. It is clear that the Bella Coola have no
uniformity of belief, even in what might be regarded as fundamental concepts.
One informant, well versed in Ausiut matters, asserted that there are five super-
natural leaders, A?guntém and his assistants, Smaiaikila, Sexsexkalaix, Snusulkals,
and Sinxdlotia. Others were equally emphatic that Afguntim is the kusiut
name of the supreme deity, and that Sinxalotta, Smaiaikila, and Snusukéls, are
merely other designations for the same deity with regard to different functions.
This belief has been followed during the monograph, by designating the supreme deity
as Aiguntim, the name by which he is termed with respect to his kusiu¢ powers.
These two opinions are not as basically different as appears at first sight. A man
is considered as having two, or more, personalities with respect to different rites
at which he is called by different names. Since the supreme deity is regarded as
a superman, who functions in diverse manners, it is not difficult to understand
how these are sometimes ascribed to different individuals, and sometimes to the
one under different names.