16 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

Anolikwotsaix. They may be termed marshals of the society.
Each must have an ancestral prerogative for this, duly vali-
dated by presents to the kukusiut, in addition to a kustut pre-
rogative of some kind. In each village there are four or five
of these men. Whenever food is being served at a kuszut dance,
the marshals receive theirs first and then one or other of them
addresses the audience in slow and impressive style, beating on
the floor with a stick to add emphasis to his words. He admon-
ishes his fellows to safeguard the ancient rites of the society,
to be bold, to be secretive, and he pays honour to the member
who has given the dance. It is they who take the leading part
if a youth is dragged away to the meeting-place for initiation,
and it is they who arrange matters when a spy reports that a
non-member is over-inquisitive. If any member of the society
should break one of its laws at a time when no uninitiated are
present, the marshal is expected to seize a burning stick from
the fire and strike the offender with it. If death should result,
revenge is unthinkable, since the criminal had broken the law.
The same fate is unhesitatingly meted out to any kusiut who
should dare to betray any of the mysteries to the uninitiated.
Moreover, it is the marshals who decide whether any improper
act lowers the dignity of a dance, and punish accordingly. Not
many years ago a kusiut woman gave birth to a child while a
dance was taking place and the infant was slain by one of the
marshals. The usual explanation made to the uninitiated for
a death within the dance-house is that a supernatural being
caused the roof to fall and kill the victim.

Each marshal has, in connection with his prerogative of
this vocation, a professional name, used only within the house
where a kusiut dance is taking place and carefully concealed
from the uninitiated. Some designations were obtained from
Ano’likwoitsaix by an ancestor of the possessor, others were
created on this earth with reference to some specific event, and
duly made valid by presents to the kukusiut alone. Some of
these names are:

Xwotsekmis, “The Destroyer,” so given on account of an