58 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

one at Restoration Bay. He had reached the point where he
needed help to turn the craft over, and one day, returning to
his work, he heard the sound of many voices. He tarried for
a few minutes, and when he reached his canoe it had been
turned over as he desired.

On that occasion the beings who assisted the canoe-maker
appear to havehad definite form, and certainly to have displayed
physical strength, but this extreme anthropomorphizing is un-
usual with respect to the assistance given to carpenters. The
construction of a canoe is an arduous and difficult work; the
person who has made one is regarded by his fellows with re-
spect mixed with envy, and it is tacitly assumed that he must
have received more than human assistance. Considering the
number of anthropomorphic beings known to the Bella Coola,
it is not surprising that some individuals should assume that
the successful carpenter must have had assistance from one of
them, but to other Bella Coola the explanation would be in
the intangible help vouchsafed to him by some kind of super-
natural power.

Similar intangible power is believed to be evident in a per-
son’s thoughts. If a man receive either good or evil from a
comrade it is his duty and privilege to repay. He intends to
do so, but only a good man can carry out the resolution. What
a white man would attribute to forgetfulness, procrastination,
or lassitude, the Bella Coola say is caused by the intervention
of Snutqwalnikaista, who steals away his thoughts. It is doubt-
ful whether this being is considered to have any definite form;
rather he is a barrier, normally situated within the doorway
of every house. The ideas of a strong man are able to sur-
mount the obstacle, but Smutgwalnkaista abstracts those of a
weakling, and directs him to matters of no importance.

Another intangible supernatural being is that which de-
vours firewood. The Bella Coola say that no matter how
well a fire may be provided with fuel when a person sits down
to a meal, it is certain to be either out, or nearly so, when
he has finished eating. The natural explanation does not satisfy