Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-09

to take bite out of anybody else. Usually
pieces Of flesh about as big as a half dol
lar are bitten out There is also a society
of female cannibals. composed of women,
but they do not bite.
The ceremonial season among the Fort
Rupert Indians occurs in the winter Then
for time the entire social organization of
the tribe undergoes metamorphosis. The
ordinary divisions of the people by clans
are ignored, and they arrange themselves
according to the various societies to which
they belong. There is the Ghost Society,"
the Bear Society, the Society of the Witch
Woman, the Society of Fools and many
others. These societies are religious in
charscter. being associated also with the
tribal myths and traditions. The ancestors
of the present generation received from
mythical beings certain supernatural Sc
crets, upon which the societies and the
ceremcnials are based. One of the societies
IS the War Society. person undergoing
initiation into it Is suspended from the
rafters Of the ceremonial house by a rope
passed through strips of the flesh of his
back. which are cut for that purpose. Be-
meath him stand the members of the So
ciety of Fools, with sharp lances appraised.
If he falls he is impaled by the lances, and
etiquette demands that he shall be eaten
at once by the cannibals. 1t Is more than
suspected that these Indians do now and
then kill an individual and eat him secretly.
An Interesting Myth.
The Cannibal Spirit is called the Wisest
One One Of the most interesting of the
myths relating to him seems to show that,
like the modern devil, he was easily duped
for all his wisdom. Four brothers went
forth on a certain occasion to hunt on a
mountain. Their father warned them that
they would see three houses, one with
white smoke, another with black smoke
and third with red smoke. Into the first
they might go. for it was the home of the
mountain goat, and into the second. which
was the dwelling of the black bear, they
might venture likewise; but the house with
the red smoke was the residence of the
Cannibal Spirit. and they must avoid it.
Nevertheless. they did go into the house
with the red smoke. finding there little
boy with very large head. Becoming
frightened. the brothers ran away, and the
boy cried out: Father. your supper is run
ming away The Cannibal Spirit heard
were being overtaken. the eldest Of the
brothers threw over his shoulder first a
| stone, which was transferred into a noun
| tain. then bottle of fish oil. which became
into a gigantic thicket Reaching home
| just in time, they constructed pit OF
| burning embers, into which the unsuspect-
| ing Spirit was induced to tumble. He was
| burned up. and his ashes, blown away, be-
came mosquitoes. This Is the reason why
these insects bite human beings.
There are six distinct tribes of Indians on
| the Island of Vancouver, no two of which
| speak or understand the same language
| In all these savageS number about 5000. In
| the southern part of the island they have
become civilized to some extent through
| contact with the whites. 1t will be remem-
! bered that at the extreme southeast corner
| of the island Is the city Of Victoria, which
is the capital of British Columbia and the
| center of the fishing trade of all that re-
gion. In the extreme north and on the
west coast the natives are quite wild and
wholly indisposed TO adopt the customs OF
| civilization. Missionary work among them
has been a total failure. In those parts
there are only very few whites-traders
| lumbermen and managers of salmon can
| neries. The island is about twice as long
| as Long Island and is densely wooded with
| gigantic pines and cedars. Huge noun.
| tains rise to height of 1000 feet crowned
| by glaciers. Thus it Is hardly practicable
to cross from the eastern to the western
| shore.
| The widest of the native tribes Is that oil
| the Fort Rupert Indians, at the north end
They live on fish chiefly, which they dry
for winter. They catch the bear and sea-
also, and gather berries. of which there is
| an enormous abundance-raspberrfes, black
| berries, salmon berries and huckleberries
| These savageS are nearly white, with red
dish brown hair. Their faces are very
broad, with high noses and small and Mon
goloid eyes. They are of small stature
with short legs. At the same time they