62 REPORT—1890.

bones must be thrown into the sea, as they will be revived in that case.
If they were burnt the soul of the salmon would be lost.

Twins, if of the same sex, were salmon before they were born. Among
the Nak'o’mgyilisila the father dances for four days after the children
have been born, with a large square rattle. The children by swinging
this rattle can cure disease and procure favourable winds and weather.

A story that is worth being recorded is told by the Ne‘mnk'ic re-
garding the supernatural powers of twins. An old woman named
We'tsak-anitl, who died only a few years ago, had no teeth left. She was
one of twins, and told the people that she would ask her father for new
teeth. Then afew large black teeth grew in her mouth. Everyone came to
see her. A few years later she said, ‘lam getting too old. Don’t cry when
I die, I merely go to my father. If you cry, no more salmon will come
here. Hang the box into which you will put my body on to a tree near
the river after having painted it. When you pass by, ask me for salmon,

and I shall send them.’ She asked the chief, Na/ntsé (=Great Bear),

‘Shall I become your child, and do you prefer a son or a daughter P’
He asked her to become a boy, and seven months after her death his wife
gave birth to a son, although she was quite old and had had no children
since a long time.

Of another twin, a boy, it is told that after eating. fresh salmon he
became crazy, but regained his senses after having eaten half-dried
olachen.

SECRET SOCIETIES.

In my first report I have explained the principle underlying the secret
societies of the Kwakiutl, and will merely repeat here that each class of
this society has its ruling spirit, who initiates the novice, but that at the
same time only such people are allowed to become members as have
acquired the right of initiation by inheritance or marriage. Hach class
wears certain ornaments of cedar-bark which is dyed red, and called
fla'le-ak. The highest in rank among the members of this society is the
ha'nats’a, the eater, who devours the flesh of corpses and bites pieces of
flesh out of the arms, breasts, back, or legs of the living. The season
during which the festivities of the society are performed is called 1's’é’k-a

by the Kwakiutl, while the other tribes use generally the collective form

T's’ ctsii'ék-a, which means ‘ the secrets.’ This season lasts from November
to February. The rest of the year is called Ba'qus, the time during
which the secret societies are forbidden to appear. The same name is
applied to the uninitiated and to the festivities of summer. The 7’s’étsa’/ék'a
does not last throughout the winter, but includes only a succession of
dances, ceremonies, and feasts to which one man sends out invitations.

No more than four 7's’étsa'ék'a must be celebrated in one season. The
man who gives the Ts’étsa’ék'a has to pay the expenses of the ceremonies,
and particularly has to supply the immense quantities of food that are
required. He is called yé'winila. He must have accumulated the follow-
ing amount of property before he is allowed to become yé'winila: Two
blankets for each man who is to take part in the festival, one spoon, one
mat, ten pairs of copper bracelets, one pair of mountain-goat horn brace-
lets inlaid with haliotis shells, two fathoms of pearls, two tla‘tlaqsem
(see p. 58), and two gyi’/sqstal (see p. 58) for each man and for each
woman, one dish and one box for es.ch two persons.

The T's’ étsa’ck'a is celebrated when a novice or a member of the secret

We RET ee ee Ete PO ec oee Dat