ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA.

é= ee ——— =a
a as~@ is) <. .«. <..  —<s 0 ~@- agit =
na - na - tcikte wii-p’a -  tcitl hautl k-é - wi - na
———— ——s = me =|
i sw. eS go gk ee: co area” ESE
p’a - tceékte wail p’a - teektc wii he ho

Te., Ha! Boats are coming. He will give again blankets to the chiefs among the
coming boats. He will give blankets.

After the death of a chief this song is sung; but after that the people
are forbidden to use it for one year, when the potlatch is given in which
the succeeding chief assumes his dignity. Among the gifts bestowed at
a potlatch is the right to perform certain non-religious dances that are
only danced at such feasts. In such cases the original owner retains the
right to the dance, although he has given the same right to afriend. In
this respect the customs of the Nootka differ from those of the Kwakiutl,
among whom a man who gives away the right to perform a dance loses
the right to perform the same. I will give an instance showing the way
in which a certain dance may be passed from tribe to tribe. The
Kay6o/kath have a tradition that at one time their chief when hunting met
a man who had descended from heaven beside a small lake on one of the
islands near Kayé/kath. The man had ten mouths, each of different shape,
which he showed in succession. He asked the chief whether he desired
to have always a plentiful supply of salmon. The latter replied that he
did not need any salmon, as his people used to gather an abundant supply

of mussels, which had red flesh as well as the salmon, and that conse-
quently he had no use for the latter. Then the stranger made the pond
dry up, and ever since that time there have been no salmon at Kay0o’kath.
The chief, in memory of this encounter, danced in potlatches with the

mask representing the many-mouthed being. He dances behind a cur-
tain, only the upper part of his body being visible; now and then he will
stoop down, so as to become quite invisible, and then reappear with
another mouth. Here is his song :—!

Wa-a ha - ye-@ he - yé q% -— nha-ye = ya a - na-

=z

= he - hé hé ya & & na wai héi

SS == SS SSS
> baa a en ee ee se Ses ge sage Sa mal

wal te’e tcl - mi-si - ma t’ce tei - mi - si ma a-
wai Be cp de She = NO). =).1G a ot a, a ho eae 10 hé

1 I heard the song sung by a very poor singer. The rhythms are probably correct,
the intervals very doubtful.

TiS DRISE IO ASR Ses

KLE