160 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

The Swallowing of Hot Stones Dance

If X desires to show his kusiotem prerogative by swallowing
hot stones he must, as in all other cases, obtain the consent of
the marshals during the summer preceding the ceremonial
season when he wished to perform. He then requests the car-
penters to meet him in some lonely place in the forest and
instructs them to make two copper plates shaped like his
stomach. The outer one must so resemble a human body that
the uninitiated will be deceived in the dim light of the dance-
house, so the carpenters make even a navel in it. The inner
plate covers stomach and chest closely, while the outer is held
about three inches away by blocks of wood. The aim of the
artisans is that the completed object, when fastened to the
wearer by a large collar and a belt, will not appear artificial.
When the two plates are finished the marshals and leading
kukusiut meet in some lonely spot to inspect the result. If it
does not measure up to their high standard of excellence, the
rite cannot be carried out. Stones are heated in a fire and
lifted, one after the other, by tongs and dropped down inside
X’s collar so as to fall between the two plates. The supposition
is, of course, that he has swallowed them. A support of some
kind is fixed at the bottom of the double framework so that
the pebbles are held there, with smoke issuing from the navel.
After each has remained within the “stomach” for about five
minutes, it is allowed to fall out through that opening. If the
marshals approve of the manufacture, they consent to the
ceremony and the plates are carefully hidden for use the fol-
lowing winter.

The dance takes place after the winter solstice and the
preliminaries, including final rehearsal, coming of the call, -
circling of the village, four days of seclusion, and final calling
in of the uninitiated, are the same as those already described
for other kusiotem rites, except that women are not present to
sing mourning songs, because the performer does not die.
When all is ready, X circles the fire four times, amid the furious