ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 65

| 1. The Ha'mats’a and the No'ntsistatl are initiated by Baqbakua-
lanusi/uaé,’ Baqbakua/latlé, Ha’maa, or Ha/ok:haok-, the first being,
however, by far the most important. During the dancing season the
_ hd mats’a may devour corpses and bite people. It seems that in former
times they also killed and devoured slaves. His ornaments are a very
large head-ring, three neck-rings and bunches tied into his hair, around
his wrists and ankles, all these ornaments being made of cedar-bark
dyed red. His face is painted black. He has six large whistles, each
_ whistle being a combination of several whistles with oné common mouth-
piece. They are called mztsé’s, which is said to mean ‘making him gay.’
He dances in a squatting position, his arms being extended horizontally,
first to one side, then to the other. His hands tremble continually. His
eyes are staring, his lips protruding voluptuously. Others in dancing
| keep their hands pressed against the belly, to keep back the spirits which
_ are supposed to dwell in the belly, and whose voices are heard, their
voices being the sounds of the whistles. When dancing the hda/mats'a
cries hap hap! Onthe morning when the hd'mats’a returns from the
woods at the beginning of the T's’étsa/éka he uses hemlock wreaths instead
of cedar-bark rings. On thesame evening he dances with his cedar-bark
ornaments. Sometimes the ha’mats’a has two or four rattles. He does
not swing them himself, but has four companions, called hédili/kya or
sd‘latlila, who stand around him rattling. The highest hdmats’a use
the masks of the ha@/ok-haok’, or of the g'ald/kwiois. Women cannot attain
the rank of the highest ha/mats’a, although they can become members of
the fraternity. They use the ha’msiué (7.e., hdé’matsa’s mask for the fore-
head), but do not dance themselves, a man acting in their stead. One
cannot become hdmats’a unless one has been a member of one of the
lower ranks of ‘the Ts’étsa'ék'a for eight years. When the hd/mats’a
returns from the woods the kyi’mk*'alatla (No. 10), who is his servant,
must attend him. The latter carries a large head-ring, a small whistle,
and a large rattle. He carries a corpse on his arms, and thus entices the
ha'mats’a to follow him into the dancing-house. From the moment when
he is found in the woods the s@’latlila surround him. The kyi’mk’alatla
leads him into the rear of the house, leaving the large fire which is
burning in the centre of the house to his left. Then he deposits the
corpse, and tastes its flesh four times before giving it to the ha'mats’a.
When the latter begins to devour the flesh, which he must bolt, not chew,
the ky'mk’alatla brings him water, which the hd/mats’a drinks in
between. The ky2’mk’alatla cuts the flesh in narrow strips. The bodies
which are used in this ceremony are prepared by being soaked in salt
water. The flesh is removed from under the skin with sharp sticks, so
that only skin, sinews, and bones remain. When the other hd’mats’a see
the corpse they make a rush at it, and fight for the flesh. The ky/mk’a-
_ latla breaks the skull and the bones, and gives them the brains and the
marrow. It was stated above that the k-ué’k-wtsé always try to excite
the mé’emkoat, and particularly the hd’mats’a. This is done by trans-
gressions of any of the numerous rules relating to the intercourse with
the ha’mats’a. Nobody is allowed to eat until he has begun. Or: he is
offered a feast. A kettle is filled with food, and as soon ag it begins
to boil they will upset the kettle. When a Lold'tlalatl (ghost dance)
song is sung the hé’mats’a will become excited as soon as the word

' See Journ. Amer. Folk-Lore, i. p. 53, ff.
S HO

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