22 | REPORT—1890.

Twins, immediately after birth, possess supernatural powers. They
are at once taken to the woods and washed in a pond in order to become
ordinary men. Ifthe twins are girls, it is an indication that a plentiful
supply of fish will come. If they are boys, they will be good warriors.

It seems that the women are held responsible for the behaviour of
their children, for if a child cries the husband may beat his wife.

While children, and when reaching maturity, they must go frequently
into the woods and bathe and clean themselves, in order to become strong
and healthy. Girls, even before reaching maturity, must not eat parts of
fish near the head, but only tails and adjoining parts, in order to secure
good luck in their married life. On reaching maturity they have to ob-
serve numerous regulations. They must eat only dried fish; they may
eat fresh clams. Gooseberries and crab-apples are forbidden, as it is
believed that they would injure their teeth. When a girl has left the
house she must return in such a direction that the sun is at her back
when she starts to return, and then walk in the direction the sun is

moving. At Victoria the girl, when reaching the age of puberty, must

take some salmon to a number of large stones not far from the Finlayson
Point Battery (see p. 26). This is supposed to make her liberal. She
will also visit the hill Pxtlé’wan, not very far from Cloverdale, on the
summit of which is a small pond. She will dip her hand into the water
and slowly raise the hollow hand. If she finds some grass, &c., in it she
will expect to become rich and a chief’s wife, else she will become a poor
man’s wife. (The name Putlé’wan refers to this custom, being derived
from éld/pet, to feel around.) Young men and women must not live luxu-
riously ; then they will become rich in later life. They must not eat
while the sun is low, as they believe it to be detrimental to health. Old
people may eat at any time.

Menstruating women must not come near sick persons, as they would
make them weak (?:él).

The lobes of the ear and the helix are perforated while the child is
young. After the operation they have to abstain from fresh fish. Arms

Fig. 11.—Tattooing.

and chins of women are tattooed when they reach maturity. I have seen
three diverging lines running from the lip downward on the chins of a
few old women. Fig. 11 shows designs on the arms and hands of two