50 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

salmon are properly looked after, in fact, he is practically the
supernatural archetype of the River Guardian. /mimdatinaix,
“The Moorer,” is a supernatural child who stays with the
Resident, and whose sole function appears to be the mooring
of Nodkxnum’s craft. Dakdakdnmem is sent by Smaten-a, who
in this connection appears to have human intelligence, to greet
Nodkxnum, and with him come Smaien-a’s son, Atathmktnum,*
to assist Nodkxnum in poling his craft up the river. All these
beings are patrons for different kukusiut. The Resident is also
known as Amtaktis.

The kukusiut assemble in X’s house as on the previous
occasions; according to some informants two songs are used
on this day, others say only one. The people proceed in the
usual manner to the lowest house, and make their way up-
stream. When about half through the village, however, X
shrieks out that Numdtlam has brought a call to him. The
woman and the heralds cry out loudly, X hastily returns to
his own house, from which the uninitiated are at once expelled,
and the kusiut whistles sound from within. Numdttam is one
of the supernatural beings who has travelled with Nodkxnum
for the sole purpose of bringing a call to X. If the calendrical
experts have been successful in their reckonings, the November
moon will first be visible on the night of this day. Several of
the older men admitted that errors were common, and that
sometimes four days more had to elapse, in which it was said
that Nodkxnum was poling up the river. As he passes, his
dancers in the different villages receive their calls on successive
nights. It is assumed that he can go by several adjacent
settlements on the same night, but the kusiut season is two or
three days shorter in Stwx and the upper villages than in
Qomqo-ts. Exact information on this point was unavailable.
As already described, Nodkxnum travels to Smaien-a, whence
he leaps to Nusqu/xwaista and places his pole within the house.
All the supernatural beings crowd in after him to wait for
Aiquntém, but as soon as the latter enters, Nodkxnum seizes his

20Some informants state that there are four of these beings.