70 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

forefathers of the Bella Coola had the ability to talk with
animals and birds. The men of today, who realize that such
intercourse is not now possible, assume that they have degen-
erated from the golden age of their first ancestors. On the
other hand, they see no reason to believe that beasts have
undergone a similar change, and take it for granted that they
have continued in the supernatural, or semi-supernatural state
in which they were created by A4fguntiém. It is true that man
is stronger than most animals, but that does not affect the
attitude with which the latter are regarded, for supernatural
and powerful are not synonymous terms. A7/guntdm decreed
that they should serve as food for mankind, and they have
since obeyed his command, but the Bella Coola do not consider
themselves undisputed lords of creation. They fear szusx,
snung,and other creatures of great power, but they know how to
avoid them; similarly, deer and mountain goats fear men, but
they are not entirely defenceless, because their speed and
agility give them advantages corresponding to those of men
in combat with beasts stronger than themselves. All living
creatures use the weapons with which they are equipped. For
example, when a mountain goat eludes a hunter by scaling a
precipice too steep for its pursuer, the latter considers it has
escaped through supernatural climbing ability; whereas the
goat has merely used the power granted by A/guntim. Like-
wise, when a svusx or a suing is outwitted by the use of soiled
clothing or smoked salmon roe, the means, unnatural to it,
are natural to the human being employing them. Men and
animals alike regard each other’s weapons as supernatural.
In consequence of these beliefs, the attitude of the Bella
Coola towards animals is fundamentally different from that
of white men. They regard them as possessing human men-
tality, and even the ability to assume human form if they so
desire. In fact, they believe that animals merely appear to
them in the shape of beasts, but can change to human, or
other form and behave accordingly whenever they wish to do
so. The degeneration of mankind has made it impossible for