WINTER CEREMONIAL DANCES 193

be. Once the first answer has been given, it is only a matter
of a few minutes before some alert young man gives the
successful reply.

“Yes,” says the kusiut holding the salmon. “It is a spring
salmon, called Ofto/dimut by the supernatural beings. Tcakwak
captured it.”

The bearer goes once around the fire, still holding the sal-
mon, while the kukusiut women drone and the sticks are
pounded furiously. Four times during his circuit he tosses the
fish in his arms as if it were jumping, and all the Audusiut call
out ye---- he----, as they do when a salmon jumps in
the river. He finally throws the fish on the central fire and the
beating of sticks stops with almost startling suddenness. The
same kusiut next picks up the wooden representation of a
sockeye salmon and the same procedure is carried out; it too
is thrown on the fire when its species has been ascertained. In
succession, imitations of hump-back, dog, and cohoe salmon
are displayed and cast in the flames. It is seldom that the
uninitiated realize that the fish are being shown in the order
of their coming in the spring, and their consequent failure to
answer promptly is a source of considerable secret amusement
to the kukusiut. The Bella Bella dog salmon, held with its
head downstream, is the last fish shown. The representation
is always made long and lean, to the annoyance of the Bella
Bella, and when the holder makes it jump, the people call out
nothing but 4e---:.

Soon after the last salmon has been burnt the displayer
holds up the first bunch of “‘berries’”’ and calls on the young
uninitiated women to guess what kind is represented.

“If you guess right, you will find plenty of them next
summer,” he says.

Somewhat shyly the girls register their guesses, but the
choice of berries is so great and the workmanship so poor that
a considerable time often elapses before the correct answer is
given. As soon as this is done, the exhibitor carries the fruit
around the fire and throws them on the flames in the same