46 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

woman who dressed as a man and used to hunt successfully,
though she was married. Such practices are said to have been
not uncommon among the Haida. The women were considered
bold and independent, but the Bella Coola of today know little
about them, and are not even certain that Sxuvts is responsible
for a female assuming the actions of a male. It will be readily
understood that he is not regarded with much awe, nor does
he influence their daily lives.

Another supernatural being, uninfluential though resident
upon earth, is Echo, Setsalént, “The Voice Repeater.” The
Bella Coola regard him as a male being, in human form, and
recognize his presence whenever sounds reverberate. He fig-
ures in mythology, occasionally appears as a masked figure at
kusiut or susaok dances, but has neither helped nor harmed
human beings for so many generations that he is accordingly
neglected.

A supernatural being from whom many Bella Coola have
had unpleasant visitations is Siumsila, the cause of nightmares.
He is a man-like creature with black face and an enormous
head which he constantly scratches. His home is in Nusmdt-a,
but he frequently descends to this world and frightens sleepers.
If a person scratches his head while asleep it is because he has
just seen SiHimsila doing so, and if he walks in his sleep it is to
escape this supernatural visitor. A sleep-walker is usually
aroused by having a bucket of water thrown over him. A
person frequently troubled by S#imsila can avoid him by
painting a black circle around each eye before going to sleep.

With the exception of A7fguntém, the supernatural beings
thus far described play little part in the lives of the Bella Coola.
They believe in their existence, but do not expect to meet them,
and do not believe that they exercise much influence on the
course of their daily life. Supernatural beings of this ineffective
type are exceptional. A man goes into remote parts of the
mountains, or even into little frequented areas around his
village, with mingled fear lest he encounter an actively malicious
being, and hope that he may meet a benevolent one. More-