New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-06
MAN EATING SONG OF THE BILQULA INDIANS.

them the brains and the marrow. Other cere.
monia observances of the hamatsa are thus de.
scribed BY Dr. Boas During the Tsetsseka fess
tivaD season the hamatsa must speak In whiss
perS only When he has eaten a corpse he has 10
observe certain very strict regulations for four
months after the end OF the dancing season be.
fore he is allowed to have unobstructed inter.
course with the rest OF the tribe. He is not ale
lowed to go out at the door. but a separate open.
ing is cut for his When he rises he must
turn round four times, turning to the left. Then
he must put forward his foot four times before
actually making step In the same way he has
make four steps before going out Of the door.
When he re-enters the house he MS TO go through
the same ceremonies before passing the door. and
must turn round four times before sitting down.
own which are thrown away at the end Of the
four months Before taking water out Of the
into the water before actually taking any ne
must not take more than four mouthfuls at one
blow it in order to cool 1t: During this period
he must carry wing-bone Of an eagle and drink
through IT, his lips must not touch the brin
OF the cup. He also wears copper nail to scratch
ss Th Ss MS n hey %od nc" come %
the end OF the Tsetsaeka many people surround
the Village and then back to the dancing house.
When the dancing season Is over lie hamatsa
g TO have all hs H Heys scs
tho;-, he were very hungry. The bones OF the
They are re kept Alternately four days in his bed:
room and four days under rocks at sea: frna!.
ly they are thrown into the sea. After the Tsets
saeka is over he has to pay every one whom no
has bitten"
Here is occuitsm enough TO busy the inquisitve
folk lorist for a twelvemonth. Meanwhile tho
questions which come to the front are: What 4!
the nature Of the cannibalism in this singular ana
repulsive ceremony. and to what extent was me
eating OF human flesh OF which we may consider
1t seems probable that the dance which saw IN
Chicago on the night of July was no more de.
Boas, than the latter was compared with the cere.
mony II existed In the past. George Hunt, Q
half breed. who brought the Kwakiutl Indians 10
Chicago. told me that his father an Englishman.
slaves Moreover, the dance is not an indigenous
with the Kwakut but is said To have been
borrowed from other Pacific Coast tribes. II IS
certain that the Belquila Indians whose home Is
in British Columbia, further north also practice
1t. Eight years ago Carl Hagenbeck OF Hamburg.
whose show of trained animals in the Midway
band OF nine Belquila Indians brought to Ger.
many. where they gave exhibitions OF their songs
and dances Professor C. stump OF the I'M.
and published them, with comments, in the 'Nier.
teljahrschrift fuer notwithstanding" Among
them the Bequila song printed herewith -
is to be regretted that am unable 10 supply the
text. owing to the mpossibity OF hearing the
words with sufficient distnctness TO make pho-
serve 1t for study 1t seems. however. venture
this surmise). to consist. In its trst az:
vision, chiefly Of some form Of the verb '.hamap."
'hamatsa." eater" The second division an ir.
regular. rhythmless recitation. with intervaic ca.
dence at the close OF each line. seems 10 contain
all the real text of the song. The intervals OF the
melody plainly those of the minor triad Of D.
but the information of the low A was decidedly
uncertain. and the tone was sung with that Pc
of the Omaha songs, which appeared in The Trb-
OF last Sunday. II. +. H.