A Wealth of Thought. Boas Franz
by a long dance, in which he wears the principal mask of his gens. Thus the chief of the gens Sī’sintlē of the Kwakiutl uses the sun or the Tsonō’k˙oa.… Other masks of this kind represent the ancestor of the clan. Thus I found a mask representing Nomas (= the old one [fig. 1]), the brother of the raven, used by the chief of a clan of the Tlauitsis, of which he is the ancestor. A few gentes do not always use masks at such occasions, but have large posts representing the ancestor, which are hollowed out from behind. The mouth of such a post forms a speaking tube, through which the chief addresses the assembly, thus acting the part of his ancestor.
By far the most interesting masks are those used in the winter dances. The Kwakiutl and all the neighboring tribes which belong to the same ethnological group have two different kinds of winter dances—one called Yā’wiqa by the Kwakiutl, Nō’ntlem by the Tlatlasik˙oala, Tlōola’qa by the Wik’ē’nok, and Sisau’kh by the Bilqula; the other called Tsā’ek˙a, Tsē’tsa’ek˙a, or Tlōk˙oa’la, and Kū’siut by the same separate tribes. The former dance takes place during the month of November among the southern tribes, early in October among the Bilqula. The latter is danced from December to February by the Kwakiutl, and from November to January by the Bilqula.
The masks [illustrated] are used in the dance Sisau’kh of the Bilqula. Figs. 2 and 3 represent the mythical K˙ōmō’k˙oa and his wife. K˙ōmō’k˙oa is a sea monster, the father and master of the seals, who takes those who have capsized in their canoes to the bottom of the sea. This being plays a very important part in the legends of many clans, marrying a daughter of the ancestor, or lending him his powerful help. I believe these legends originally belonged to the Kwakiutl, and have been borrowed by the Bilqula. The name K˙ōmō’k˙oa is undoubtedly of Kwakiutl origin; it has also been borrowed by the Çatlō’ltq [Comox tribe], the southern neighbors of the Kwakiutl. The masks are used in several mimical performances.
Figs. 4 and 5 belong together. They belong to a clan in whose history K˙ōmō’k˙oa plays an important part. K˙ōmō’k˙oa had married a girl, and the adventures of their son are acted in the dance. The young man (Fig. 4) calls the eagle (Fig. 5) and asks him to carry him all over the world. The eagle complies with his requests, and on returning the young man tells his experiences, how he had visited all countries and peoples and found them not to be real men, but half human, half animal. This latter idea is widely spread among the inhabitants of the Northwest Coast.
The next figure (6) is the mythical Masmasalā’niq.… The special mask represented here is used in a dance in which Masmasalā’niq appears in his house, at the entrance of which stands his messenger, Atlqulā’tenum, who calls, and announces the arrival of the various dancers, the Thunderbird, the Snēnē’ik˙ (the Tsōnōk˙’oa of the Bilqula), and others. Unfortunately I was unable to obtain this mask. It represents a human face, covered with parallel stripes which run from the upper left side to the lower right side of the face, and are alternately red and blue. He carries a baton painted in the same way.
FIG. 1. Kwakiutl mask representing brother of the raven
FIG. 2. Bella Coola mask of sea monster
FIG. 3. Bella Coola mask of wife of sea monster
FIG. 4. Bella Coola mask of young man
Fig. 7 is probably not used in the Sisau’kh, but belongs to the potlatch. It is a head ornament in the shape of the killer (Delphinus orca). Only the head, the tail, and the fins are represented. I was told that the idea of the headdress is to represent this whale as a canoe, the red horns being the paddles. Although this idea corresponds to some extent to the myths of the neighboring tribes, I doubt the correctness of this explanation. The horns, it will be seen, form a crown similar to the crowns of copper horns and mountain-goat horns used by the Tsimshian and Haida; and I believe our specimen is an imitation of the latter.
FIG. 5. Bella Coola mask of eagle
FIG. 6. Bella Coola mask of mythic being
FIG. 7. Bella Coola headdress in shape of killer whale
Although the last three figures are rather poor specimens of carving and painting, they nevertheless command considerable interest. The round mask (Fig. 8) represents the spirit Anulikū’ts’ai, and is used in the dance opening the Sisau’kh. Three spirits—Atlmoktoai’ts, Nōnōsēkne’n, and Anulikū’ts’ai—are said to live in the woods. Through their help men acquire the art of dancing, and whosoever wishes to become a good dancer invokes Atlmoktoai’ts to help him. It is said that they live in a subterranean lodge dug out by Nonosekne’n. From February until October they stay in this house, but then they leave it and approach the villages. As soon as they, and more especially Anulikū’ts’ai, appear, the dance Sisau’kh begins. Their appearance is the subject of the first mimical performance of the dancing season. A man wearing his mask waits outside the houses, and asks everybody whom he encounters why he does not dance, and through his presence instigates him to dress up and make his appearance at the great dance which is celebrated at night.
Fig. 9 represents the half moon. The mask is used in a dance together with the new and full moons. The mask is worn by a woman, and the being she represents is named Aiahilako.
FIG. 8. Bella Coola spirit mask
FIG. 9. Bella Coola half-moon mask
FIG. 10. Bella Coola mask in shape of a copper
Fig. 10 has the shape of the well-known copper plates which are so highly valued on the Northwest Coast.