9() REPORT—1890.

body, except with a painted deer-bone. She wears the bone and the
comb suspended from her belt. She drinks out of a painted cup of
birch-bark, and neither more uor less than the quantity it holds. Hvery
night she walks about her hut, and plants willow twigs, which she has
painted, and to the ends of which she has attached pieces of cloth, into
the ground. It is believed that thus she will become rich in later life.
In order to become strong she should climb trees and try to break off
their points. She plays with lehal sticks that her future husbands might
have good luck when gambling.’

Women during their monthly periods are forbidden to eat fresh meat,
but live principally on roots. ‘They must not cook for their families, as
it is believed that the food would be poisonous. During this time the
husband must keep away from his wife, as else the bears would attack
him when he goes hunting.

A man who intends to go out hunting must keep away from his wife,
as else he would have bad luck. They do not believe that the wife’s
infidelity entails bad luck in hunting and other enterprises.

Women must never pass along the foot or head of a sleeping person,
as this is unlucky.

Women who are with child must not touch food that has been touched
by mice, or eat of a plate which a dog has licked off. If she should eat
a bird that has been killed by an animal her child would be subject to
dizziness.

The marriage ceremonies were described to me as follows: A young man
who wishes to marry a girl takes a number of horses and other property
that is considered valuable and offers it to the father of the girl he wishes
to marry. The latter, before accepting the price offered, invites his
whole family to a council and asks their consent. If they agree to accept
the suitor and the price he has offered for the girl they tie the horses to
their stable, and take the other goods into the house, as a sign of their
willingness. After this the young man may take the girl without further
ceremonies. After the marriage the bridegroom and his family go on a
hunting expedition, and try to obtain as much game as possible, which is
to be given to his father-in-law. The latter dresses the meat and invites
the whole tribe toa feast. ‘hen he and his family in their turn go hunt-
ing, and present the game they have obtained to the young man’s father,
who gives a feast to the whole tribe. At this time the girl’s father
returns all the payments he has received to the young man’s father. For
a number of days the couple live with the girl’s family. When the
young man goes to reside with his wife he asks all his friends to support
him, and they give him presents of food and clothing. The latter he
puts on, one suit on top of the other, goes to his father-in-law, and gives

| The following custom was described to me by Mr. J. W. Mackay, the Indian
Agent for the Kamloops district. He heard it described at Yale, and therefore it
probably belongs to the tribes of the Lower Fraser River. My inquiries at Kamloops
regarding the custom were resultless. Mr. Mackay states that at the end of the
puberty ceremonies the shaman led the girl back from her seclusion to the village
in grand procession. He carried a dish called tsugta’n, which is carved out of
steatite, in one hand. ‘The dish represents a woman giving birth to a child, along
whose back a snake crawls. The child’s back is hollowed out and serves as a recep-
tacle for water. In the other hand the shaman carries certain herbs. When they
returned to the village the herbs were put into the dish, and the girl was sprinkled
with the water contained in the dish, the shaman praying at the same time for her
to have many children.