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228 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

women drone, then she leaves the house, ostensibly to return
to her repository up the valley.

The singers at once begin to compose a new song, describing
X’s visitor and something of her history. The ritual that foi-
lows is that of the ordinary istxtémem and requires no special
description. On the night of nusiutalsap a large number of
masks are ordered, including one series representing wasps,
another of young lads, and still another of the latter with
swollen faces. The only other part of the dance with a dis-
tinctive ritual is that of webusam.

In the early evening the kukusiut assemble in X’s house to
inspect the enormous wasps’ nest which the carpenters have
erected behind the fire. In recent years this has been made
of canvas, taking the place of matting. Within are several
stages, on which the defenders stand, each a kusiut wearing a
wasp’s mask and carrying a miniature bow and arrow. The
attackers are other members of the society chosen for their
small stature and armed with clubs and branches; each wears a
boy’s mask and each carries a second, representing the same
individual with badly swollen face. Considerable time is re-
quired to perfect the arrangements and select the performers,
but at last all is in readiness and the uninitiated are called in.

They marvel at the enormous wasps’ nest and presently
witness an assault on it. The attackers, protected by armour,
valiantly beat on the structure with clubs as they swing their
branches as if brushing away the angry insects; this is the way
that boys normally attack a wasps’ nest. The defenders dis-
charge their arrows and at intervals one of the attackers calls
out in pain and falls down, presently rising with badly swollen
face. The uninitiated do not realize that he has slipped the
second mask from beneath his blanket to his face. X stands
at one side, throwing his arm with a sweeping motion in the
direction of the combat, while 4no°likwotsaix gives her cus-
tomary explanations. At last the nest is beaten down where-
upon one of the Cannibals begins to growl and the uninitiated
rush away. The ritual concludes in the usual way.