WINTER CEREMONIAL DANCES 191

though perhaps you cannot hear him because Winwina is
making so much noise.”’

The meaning of this statement is difficult even to surmise
and the Bella Coola themselves appear to be ignorant of it.
It is said that the words are archaic. The kukusiut women at
once begin to drone and the uninitiated flee, sometimes falling
over one another in their eagerness to escape from the house,
for the whistles are sounding and X has had his call. An elo.
quent kusiut stands beside him, apparently listening to him,
and at intervals whets the curiosity of the audience by saying:

“I will tell you all about it in a minute.”

The person who appears to be listening is one who knows
the story of Winwina and as soon as X has stopped, he pro-
ceeds to relate it to the audience,** as if he had just learnt it
from the dancer. It is possible that even some of the Aukusiut
are deceived, but in any case they are so accustomed to acting
that they practise it even when no uninitiated are present. The
singers are especially attentive and presently begin to strike
Out a new song composed for the occasion. The theme is of
Winwina himself and his bird crew, and of the lazy Kamatati:
the audience listens eagerly and practises the composition.
Afterwards food is distributed amid admonitions of the mar-
shals as is customary on the night of ésuxtémem.

Next morning a second song is practised for X, and then
a number of kukusiut go with him to the forest to bring in the
wood required for the ceremonial. In the evening members of
the society assemble in X’s house for the allotment of car-
pentry tasks. The most important requirement is a canoe,
shaped like a bird, and with bird figures as members of the
crew. Considerable ingenuity is displayed in the manufacture
of this; it is large enough to fill most of the rear part of the
house, and, being bottomless, can be made to move by men
concealed within. Several carpenters usually work together
at this task. X also orders wooden replicas of the different

*SPerhaps this is the reason that the origin myth of this dance is better remem-
bered than most.