84 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

away since no female can witness a Cannibal’s first meal.
Three kukusiut are dispatched to ask for food, as if they were
begging on behalf of X. Olachen grease, dried salmon, dried
meat, and other luxuries are always given to them, and the
uninitiated women are excited at witnessing this collection
of food. Sometimes a request is made during the day, and the
messengers are entitled to call upon any individual by name
to provide grease or some other delicacy.

The actual feeding is done by a shaman who is also a
kusiut. He first dips his hands in the grease, warms them at
the fire and rubs them over X’s face as the struggling Cannibal
is held by six or eight kukusiut. Members of the society keep
calling out hoip to soothe X, who is supposed to be like a
wild animal, and to have lost all desire for ordinary food. Like
a maniac he snaps at the shaman’s fingers, while the kukusiut
cry out and the uninitiated watch with fear and amazement.
After rubbing the Cannibal’s cheeks four times, the shaman
shouts out that he is almost ready to eat. The heralds echo his
words, and go through the village to inform all of what has
taken place. The shaman now puts a few morsels of food in
a spoon and tries to feed X, who struggles and tries to bite
pieces out of the utensil itself. Undiscouraged, he puts small
pieces of food actually into X’s mouth, heedless of the snapping
jaws, and at last persuades him to swallow a little.

“He has eaten,” the shaman calls out joyfully, and the
heralds repeat the good tidings.

An effort is next made to force him to drink, but X only
bites the vessel, and the fingers of the shaman, and succeeds in
drenching himself with the liquid. But at last he swallows a
few mouthfuls.

“He has drunk,” calls the shaman, and as before the heralds
repeat his words. ;

The shaman now tells the uninitiated that X will be all
right, but that it will be safer for them to depart, so they leave
willingly. Heralds keep everyone in the village informed of
the events.