RELIGION 47

over, he is aware that by certain means he may have good expectations of beseeching, cajoling, deceiving, or rendering powerless any supernatural beings whom he may meet. This attitude is typical; the Bella Coola by no means move in constant dread of the mysterious denizens of the forests, nor do they eagerly hope for their appearance; they have their likes and dislikes, their moments of weakness and of strength, their times of greatness and of pettiness, all to be considered with care and forethought.

One of the beings for whom the older people have a pro- found respect is 7#itcéplifaén-a, a supernatural woman whose home is in Nusm4t-a, but who frequently visits this earth. She can be recognized by her snout-like mouth and long, pendant breasts, but even when beyond the range of vision her prox- imity can be detected by her singing. Tiitcaplitin-a often takes pity on a person who is dangerously ill and visits him, not only curing the malady but bringing the sufferer a name and song. In many cases he is thus made a shaman with power to cure. At other times Ttitcaplitan-a bestows her fa- vours on a person in good health, so that wise Bella Coola are always hoping to meet her. Such an experience is not without its dangers, for she is so powerful that nearness to her may be enough to cause death. The exploits of those who have come in contact with THitcéplitin-a belong to shamanism and will be reserved for vol. I, chap. 1x.

Tiitcéplitin-a, though her great power inspires fear, usually behaves in a kindly manner to mortals, who accordingly wel- come her. But it is quite otherwise with Sxaiaxwax, whose coming almost invariably brings death." He is a black-faced being of repulsive appearance and sensual nature, whose chief function is to seduce women. For this purpose he often skulks near a village at night, and assumes the voice and appearance of a girl’s lover to lure her into the forest. Fearlessly she goes with him, but if she allows his approaches, a hemorrhage results and she soon dies. There is said to be no limit to the number

NCf. Boas, p. 42.