New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-06

scots have pitched their graceful birch bark
tepees close TO the shore of the inlet, and dozen
or Iroquois from the ancestral homes IN
New-York State Of these aboriginal Romans OF
America have built their dwellings and council
house of bark sapngs and withes hard BY. or
these something may be said later now am con-
cerned chiefly with the representatives or the
North Pacific Coast stock-the Kwakiutl Indians
Their presence at the Fair is due to the Influence
OF Or. Franz Boas. assistant to Professor Putnam
chief OF the chronological Department. To Dr.
Boas the world is chiefly indebted for what 1t
knows OF the languages. religions. and customs Of
the Indians OF British Columbia. He has spent
several years among them, and his reports 10
the British Association for the Advancement OF
Science invaluable to this branch OF ethnology
Not long ago the desire OF DR.. Boas to edfy
German ethnoogist who had stopped at Chicago
on his way 10 the Pacific Coast. provided an OPP
portunty for other friends 10 witness some OF the
native dances OF the Kwakiutl Indians living in
the Fair grounds
II was a hot July nght-the close OF fearfully
oppressive day-yet within Of the houses
whose door kept tightly closed, blazed a fire
Of pine boards the smoke from which found its
way lazily to the outer air through an irregular
opening in the board roof. All the light within
the house came from this fire. which was neces-
sary not only as an illumination. but also as a
ceremonial agent otherwise the spectators land
probably the performers webb would gladly
have dispensed with It, Or. BOas sought TO DIS
seminate n little coolness BY saying that the
dances which the company were about TO witness
were Winter dances That appeal TO the magma
ton made the fire little more toerable. The
Indians. men, women and children, squatted upon
the floor against the walls in one corner OF the
house. Across another corner. opposite the spec
tators blanket had been drawn and the space
thus cut of from view used dressing
room for the dancers All the dances performed
dramatic in character. and required what 1t
Is verbal improperly to speak OF as theatrical
properties" This fact and the obvious ntellec-
tual attitude OF the Indians toward the perform
ances as betrayed by the nature OF the pantomimes
and their reception. showed plainly possible
that however the Indians may once have thought
OF these dances. they are now chiefly performed
for the sake OF diversion. DR. Boas described them
semi-religious in character. and explained that
though the performers have become sceptical
about their efficacy they yet believers in the
spiritual agencies that supposed play
part in them. In the first dance the performer
was assumed to be engaged In the exorcism OF a
spirit of disease. He danced around the fire, keep
ing it always to his left Uhis rule not devil
ated from in a single of the dances). and as
he went he grasped at the spirit. supposed to be
flying before him. Finally he feigned catch it
and throw II from him. II was then supposed TO
enter "A double headed snake, which jerked
into the air from the floor. where 1t had been
hidden. 4 master of ceremonies, concealed be-
hind the blanket pulled the string to which the
wooden ei'igy fastened. The spirit escaped
from the snake go 1t seemed to the novice In
Kwakiutl shamanism). and the exorcist started
In pursuit again. He caught IL n second time and
this time swallowed it. Then two companions
rushed forward to support him, while he went
through most violent contortions in imitation OF
retchings. Finally he supposed to vomit blood
and with this came release from the maevoent
spirit. II all play acting clever mmicry, per-
formed a
Back OF it, of course some ancient super
stiton. possibly some NEUROLOGICAL occurrence,
which is now forgotten. but half remembered
But this is apart from my specific purpose In
this paper. which is to say something about the
subject Of cannbalism among the aborigines OF
America suggested by another OF the dances OF
the kwakiutl. This dance Is called the Hamatsa
dance after the chief performer In II. who is
who by various ceremonial observances has risen
To the highest rank In the secret societies which
play so important part in the social and poti-
cal economy OF all Indian tribes 'Hamatsa'
means 1.-THE eater" and II Is the unsavory priyi-
lege of those who bear the title to devour corpses
and bite pieces of flesh from the living during the
festival season. which lasts from November to
February. At the Chicago performance the dance
was evidently much abridged and modified.
The Kwakutl have but one accompaniment TO all
their music. the shaking OF gourd rattles and
rhythmical beating Of sticks upon boards laid upon
the ground and n single drum which consists OF
piece OF deerskin stretched upon n broad hoop
about twenty inches in diameter and three or
four inches wide. The membrane Is stretched with
thongs drawn across the back. by means of which
the instrument Is held with the left hand while
the player pounds upon 1t with a stick. The drum
U.s. in fact. a mammoth tambourine without the
bells Like the music of most savage semi civ
ilized peoples that of the Kwakiutl Indians n axes
ingenious use OF contrasted rhythms Without
the regular beating OF the sticks and drum indeed
ain a1fh
OF the IIamatsa song. printed herewith the con-
nict between the rhy thms OF the song and the
drumming Is sometimes such would be embar-
RAISING to a white musician. Here. for instance
the song is In double rhythm, the accompaniment
I'm trple-a common phenomenon In primitive music
but one that Is rare In the highly developed Occl-
dental art Before this music began shrieks and
howls intermingled with the noise OF whistles was
heard without the house They cap,s from the
Hamatsa or his companion, the kyimkalatla Ia
member of "A lower rank in the secret societies).
who was supposed to be returning from the woods
where he had been fasting. The whistles MINI
licked the voices OF the forest birds. The singers
started up their song. the drummers piled their
sticks Justify the door burst open. and In came
the dancer bearing In his arms the wooden efigy
OF u man about four feet long. He squatted upon
his launches thrust out his chin. protruded bis