x PREFACE

whom I was working. Before I left, this medley contained so
much Bella Coola that it was unintelligible to white people who
knew Chinook alone.

Activities in the canneries would have interfered seriously
with my work during the summer of 1922 if two men had not
been confined to the village, Captain Schooner owing to an
injured wrist, and Jim Pollard by the illness of his wife. These
two men were willing to work half a day apiece without jeal-
ousy. Each was intensely proud of the traditions of his people
and, realizing that their culture was passing away, was glad to
assist in making it permanent in writing. An intimacy sprang
up between Captain Schooner (see Plate 3) and myself culmin-
ating in my adoption, a circumstance which established and
improved my position in the community. In this way I was
enabled to collect a large amount of material before July when
it was necessary for me to leave for the east.

In September, 1923, when I returned to Bella Coola, I
found that Captain Schooner had died a few months before,
respected alike by white men and Indians. With the aid of
others with whom I had made contact it was possible to obtain
much new information, as well as to clear up many obscure
points. The previous summer IJ had been so overwhelmed with
material that I had no time to collate it in the field and the
gaps only became apparent after a year’s study. The men were
so busy hunting and laying in stocks of fire-wood, however,
that I found it difficult to arrange regular hours of work, but
this was a trifle compared with the initial difficulties of my first
trip. In October, when the Bella Coola began to prepare for
the winter dances, they had to appoint a successor to Captain
Schooner, who had played a leading part in their production.
Having been adopted by him, it was suggested that I take his
place, a proposition which I readily accepted. This admitted
me to the ranks of the old men, and I imagine that my interest
encouraged them to hold more ceremonials than they had done
for several years. In former times, a number of the older men
used to devote much time and thought to the composing, re-