The one that handles the putting in of the fish dam is known as Lock, and the fish dam is called La-og-gen. Lock selects one other of the high priests and one girl of equal high birth and the three go to a secluded place out on a high mountain from which place they can have a good view of the surrounding country and there the girl makes a small fire and is given instructions of how and what to do. The other man is also directed what to do. Lock unrolls his emblems, which is a closely woven scroll that is absolutely water proof and takes from it the roots that he burns slowly over the fire that the maiden keeps burning. These roots are burned as an incense and have a sweet odor as they burn, and while they are burning Lock prays and sings to God to give him health and power to carry through all the hardships of putting in the dam. They remain here for two days and nights, then go back down the river to where the fish dam is to be placed. There they land with their boat and stop at a very large rock which is close up to the water’s edge, and a large creek of clear pure water which enters into the river just at and a little below this large rock.In the middle of the night the maiden gets wood and starts a small fire and fixes things for Lock and his helper. This girl is a virgin of purity. She goes across the river and bathes herself and dresses her hair, using her Indian knife like a comb, which she carries fastened to her wrist, until her hair is dry and glossy, then she lets it hang loose, wearing a band around her head made of beads which keeps the hair from falling over her face, just coming to the jaw, and if at any time the hair comes over her face she strokes it back with her Indian comb, but she never touches her hair with her hands. After she has bathed and dressed she goes to the lodge and lies down and sleeps until late in the morning when Lock and his helper come to the lodge and lie down and sleep until late in the morning when Lock-nee and his helper come to the lodge, when the three of them all take a bath, and then eat for the first time since they started. None of them are allowed any water and will not be allowed to drink any for many days yet. Some of these people would start in looking fine and when they came out they would often look like a walking skeleton, they would soon regain their flesh although sometimes they never would regain their normal condition. These three keep themselves secluded and no one has seen or heard of them, but all are anxiously waiting to hear the word. After they have had their meal, Lock and his helper go back across to the large rock, then Lock unrolls his scroll, burns some more incense and gives his order to his helper to go out to all the villages and call on as many to come forward and help to put in the fish dam as is needed, and this is the time for them to appear before Lock. Sometimes there will be from one hundred to two hundred young men, no old or sickly ones are wanted. After they all appear before Lock, he assigns to each lot of eight or ten of them, the part and amount that they are to do. After this they go home, fix up their provisions and camp outfit and in about thirty hours’ time the river bars in and around this place are alive with Indians, and the air is filled with merriment and jokes.
Early in the morning they all start out without eating, and cut the small pines that are from two to three inches through at the butt ends. Some will make a fire, and as the others are cutting and packing in they will take the green pine poles and run them through the fire until they are scorchedthen take them out and the bark is peeled off easily. While they are yet hot they split each one in two and four pieces, then others get long hazel withes and run them through the fire and while they are hot split them in two pieces, then they take them and the pine pieces and plat them together like mats, leaving the pine sticks about one and two inches apart, these mats when set upon end are about nine feet long, with five or six hazel withes about fourteen inches apart. After they get a mat put together they roll it up, making each mat so that one man can pack it on his shoulder and at a given time they all carry them down to the river to the place where the fish dam is to be put in. Others get the posts which are about eleven feet long and five or six inches through, they are all sharpened at one end and made very smooth, all the bark being taken off. Some get the long pole-beams or girders which are from twenty to twenty-four feet long and about six or seven inches through with the bark taken off. The girl that carries the true name of God is, during the day, in the lodge or house that is used only on these occasions. This house was kept in good condition at all times but no one lives in it, except on these occasions, also the sweat-house that Lock sleeps in while this work is going on. In the evening, about dusk, after all the workers have retired for the day, she quietly goes out and crosses the river, as Lock’s helper at this time is watching for her and takes the canoe over to take her where Lock is concealed under the large rock close to the bank of the river, and she gathers a quantity of dry wood by which Lock keeps a small fire burning all through the day and on which he burns incense. Lock keeps out of sight of all the workers as they do not want to see him and avoid doing so. Lock gives orders to his helper, directing him so that he can deliver the orders to the different companies of workers. This helper is one that has the birth but has not the secret of the true name of God. Lock gives him all the orders in a low whisper, and this helper is called Lock-ee.
As soon as the girl whom they call Normer, has finished, the three cross the river to the south side and after landing they all bathe, there being a secluded place close by where the girl takes her bath and when they have finished they proceed to the Lah-wah-alth or house where Lock’s wife and his helper’swife are preparing the only meal that they eat every twenty-four hours. After the meal is finished Lock and his helper go to the sweat-house for the night in which a fire has been started by an old man who was selected to get the wood and thus the place was warm for the night. Lock and his helper take a smoke and then retire. Very early in the morning there is a fire made in the sweat-house and Lock and Lock-nee take a sweat and then go back across the river, Lock going to his secluded place and keeping himself hid so that none can catch even a glimpse of him. The girl also keeps secluded by keeping in the house where the wives of Lock and Lock-nee are, and she is busy fixing her dresses, combing her hair and keeping herself very neat and what spare time she may have after this she is making a new dress or skirt from the inner bark of the wild maple that grows on the river. The bark is bleached until white, then platted and hung to a band that goes around the waist, making it as a skirt, coming down to the ankles. All the workers which are called Nah-quelth are ready to work like beavers getting everything in readiness. No one eats more than one meal a day and all must be in good health and young before they are accepted to work on the fish dam. The day that it starts and until it is completed must not exceed ten days. The girl, Normer, now sends Lock’s wife or Lock-nee’s wife, (either one can go) to select for her ten girls all of which must be of good birth from the middle class or rich, and not more than ten, but if ten cannot be secured a less number will do. These young girls now come and are called Wah-clure, but they do not see Normer. They remain with their kindred and are drilled and fixed up to be ready for the last day and final finish of the fish dam. Now Lock-nee has selected from the Nah-quelth or workers, either five or six to act as managers over the different parts of the work, and these take the bark of the madrone and make a hat which looks very much like an old style plug hat that the white man wears. This is striped and painted in a novel fashion and these workers are very noticeable as they go from place to place giving instructions to the workers. These plug hat men now select twelve or less boys and put them to making ribbons of bark which they stripe off very flowery by painting and carving, also making fancy Indian pipes, carving and painting them very artistically. These boys are called Charrahand the pipes and ribbons made by them are put on the top of long slim poles from twelve to fifteen feet long and are to be used at the finish of the fish dam. These poles have the bark taken off and are clean and white.
All this time Lock has kept himself secreted from the eyes of all the workers and on the morning of the fifth day, very early, he and Lock-nee go up the mountain side and select the first one of the long beams or stringers that is to be put in on the north side of the river, starting just above the large rock under which he keeps himself secluded up to this time, and when he has selected the one that suits him he makes a small fire at the roots of the tree and burns his incense, then sits down by the fire and prays to God to give blessings to the whole people with health and plenty. Now all of the workers knowing the time, and the boys and the men have followed up and are all looking for the posts, twenty-two in number, and the rest of the stringers which are ten besides the one that Lock selects, making eleven altogether. After Lock has finished with his prayer to God he commences to cut the tree, Lock-nee helping him and together they cut it down and when it falls with a crash all the workers shout loudly, “oh-oo”, and the whole side of the mountain echoes with their voices. Lock-nee begins to trim off the branches and peel the bark while others come in and help. All the workers are scattered off in different places, each squad looking for posts and the rest looking for stringers and cutting them down and as each tree fell they all holler “oh-oo.” They take the bark off and trim and sharpen the posts. All these pieces are complete in one day and taken down to the river’s edge by evening and before any one can eat or drink water after all the pieces are finished. Lock and Lock-nee take the lead with the stringers, a rope tied around the large butt end which is quite heavy timber and start down the mountain with it, Lock all the while talking in prayer to God, and if the timber stops he prays and talks good and as he has all his life been so good that God causes the timber to move along easily. As Lock starts all the rest follow with their timbers and all arrive about sunset on the north bank with all the heavy frame part for the fish dam. These people while they are working all day are full of jokes, laughing and telling funny stories, and if one has done a mean trick of any kind and others know of it,he is twitted about it; they poke fun at each other continually, yet they all keep good natured about it and they are all very witty in their answers. They all smoke during the day, each one using his own pipe and all have their own buck-skin sack to carry his pipe and tobacco in. Now all the timbers are in the water and tied to the bank and left floating, ready for morning. Men and boys now bathe themselves and clean their hair, when all depart for their different camping places, parting with jests and jokes, and eat their only meal in twenty-four hours. Lock addresses the girl as my child, my daughter and other endearing terms. After the meal is over Lock and Lock-nee go to the sweat-house to rest and sleep for the night and in the morning, early, all are out and ready and go down to the river and across in their canoes, they having many of them on such occasions. Lock now gets the rock for driving the post, this is of granite and flat, from twelve to fifteen inches across and from two to four inches thick and weighs from fifty to sixty pounds. Only those who use this rock ever have a chance to examine it and it is said to have been made many generations ago. It is kept hidden in a secret place and only brought to view for this purpose and all the other tools that are used for every part and purpose in putting in the fish dam (La-og-gen) are hidden in a secret place, not all being in one place, and there are never more than two persons (Lock and Lock-nee) at one time that know where to find them, being handed down from one to another. This rock they call Milth-me-ah-lisi and in calling for it they say, Say-yah. The other tools are called by their different names, the hammer they call Tec-wan-ore. Lock and Lock-nee drive the first two posts which starts the fish dam, the first one is driven nearly perpendicular, and now the workers have to put up a staging which Lock climbs upon as the post is long and has to be driven quite deep into the ground. Lock-nee holds the post so as to keep it in place while Lock takes a maul and as he raises it he talks to God, using words for lots of salmon and to bless all, and at this he comes down with a hard blow, and keeps it up until the first post has been driven to the proper depth, he does not strike his blows fast, each blow is struck slowly. The second post is set at an angle on the down river side of the first one, set to make a brace against the current of the river, and also the top ends come together so as to leave afork or crotch at the top which is tied securely together with hazel rope, leaving it so beam poles can be placed in the crotch and tied securely. Now when Lock-nee has the second post properly set in place, Lock commences as on the first and drives it down to the proper depth and after this is done Lock and Lock-nee take the hazel withe and tie it to the first one, leaving the crotch. This being done Lock passes the mall over to the other workers and drive the rest of the posts, the next two of which are set angling down the river and the third two are set angling up the river so as to make it in a shape like the old style of a worm fence made of rails; this is also done for the purpose of bracing the whole structure against the current of the river. As soon as the posts are all driven Lock and Lock-nee place the first long stringer in its right place, which is on the north side of the river, then the workers soon place the rest of them and tie them with hazel withes. Then smaller posts are driven at the corners for each trap, at the corners two posts are driven, one angling down the river and they are placed so as to leave the crotch, in which a pole is placed. The traps are about twelve feet wide and fourteen feet long commencing so the center of the first trap will be in the center of the first worm of the main frame work and this is started first on the north side of the river. When the posts are all driven for the traps which are many of them for the corners and side and also to brace against the current of the river. The top pieces are placed and braced, then poles are withed to the sides and ends all around each trap. The mat or woven work of small split poles are taken in and placed, unrolled, letting them close up, close to the frame work of the structure. These traps are set on the down river side of the main structure so that all of this mat work has to be put on the inside of the frame work of the traps. Then all of this matting is tied with hazel withes very carefully. These traps are not put up close together, there is a place of about six feet left between each trap so that a canoe can be run between them. This matting is placed all the way across on the upper side of the main frame, except on the south side of the river where there is an open place of about twenty feet in width, this only has the main beam over it and is left so all can pass up and down the river in their boats, and also a chance formany salmon to pass up river. They place boards along the main fish dam so as to leave a good foot walk all the distance across the river from one bank to another. They put in a gate at the lower end of fish traps and one at the upper end of each trap, and at this time the water begins to roar so that when close to the dam it is deafening. Now there are so many families to each trap, so the upper gate is closed down and the lower gate is opened. We are now up to the noon hour of the tenth day, when there is a long pole some twenty to twenty-four feet long set just at the south side and end of the fish dam and just on the lower side, on the top of this pole all of the fancy work that the boys have been making is tied and there is a mound of sand heaped around the foot of this pole to a height of three or four feet and from eight to ten feet across. Now it is about four o’clock in the afternoon and Lock and Lock-nee are with the Nah-quirlth, busy as bees putting the final touches to the fish dam. And of all the tribes, the women are the most anxious and are from place to place asking the others how the girl Normer is, if she is well, can she go and if she is going, when out comes Normer from her place where she has been kept from view all these days. She has in the palm of her right hand a small basket in which is a small piece of acorn dough, and she goes in a swift run on a broad smooth trail in an easterly direction for a distance of five hundred yards to this pole, which she runs up to, facing it, then going around to the right she sets the basket on top of the mound, close up to the pole. All are watching for her and as soon as one sees her they all shout at the top of their voices. Then Lock runs to hide as he does not want to see her at this time. Now she turns and goes back at the same swift speed and at this time all of the girls that she sent for are in their place where they dance. The ground is all fixed, having been scooped out leaving a depression some four feet deep and twenty feet across, gently sloping to the center. Normer comes up to the dancers and passes on in a westerly direction down the river until she comes to a woman who has been a Normer before her and tells her where to turn to the river, where she bathes herself, then turns back and walks to where the girls are dancing and sits down in front of them and urges them to sing louder and dance faster. These Wa-clures stand erect moving the body forward and backward by the actionof the knees, raising first one foot and then the other. Normer keeps watch of the sun and as it is getting low and it is getting time for all to come, she raises to a kneeling position and bids the Wa-clures to sing louder and dance faster, they then move very lively. Normer is the absolute ruler of her people as she is the child of God’s own purity. Then comes Lock with Lock-nee closely behind and thirdly comes the boy, Charrah, with the same basket that Normer left at the pole and which is now full of water, and as Lock walks up to Normer the girls all drop down and hover over Normer, then Lock and Lock-nee drop over them, then the boy who has the basket of water lowers his hand and throws the basket, water and all as high up in the air as he can and the water comes down over them in a shower. As the boy throws the basket and water up in the air he and all of the boys drop down over the others, hovering over Normer like a swarm of bees hovering over the queen. This is done for her protection, for now come all the workers, each one having a long pole on the top of which are tied the bark ribbons and fancy carved Indian pipes that the boys made, and as they come running up they form a half circle around the heap letting the long heavy poles fall over them with a crash which is done so quickly that it is very hard to see how it is done, and just as quickly the whole heap raises up out of this place and place themselves in fours for the next move. At this time if Normer was silly enough she could command every man, woman and child to lie flat on their abdomens and go without eating for another twenty-four hours, as all must obey her commands, no matter what they might be. Now the fish dam is completed and all go to their camps. Normer goes to the lodge with Lock, while Lock-nee secures and takes to her the first salmon taken from the fish dam and Lock-nee cuts out from the middle of this salmon enough for her supper, while no one else can eat of the salmon until the next day. Every thing now becomes quiet for an hour, as they are all taking their evening meal. Then first one than another will begin to inquire about Normer and her health. Now all depends upon Normer, if she is strong enough she quietly goes out and cleans off the ground this same evening but if too tired she puts it off until morning. After making her plans she then gives her orders to Lock and he in return gives it out to the people and they allbegin to prepare. After Normer has cleaned the ground she makes a small fire just in front of the dancers and on which she places the incense roots, then as the dancers come up and take their places she sits there with her hair hanging loose, down on each side of her face, and with beads over her neck and hanging down over her breast, she has on a white buck-skin dress trimmed with beads and shells, all of which are made by her own hands as we use only of our own make. She does not use feathers of any kind. Normer sits there a model of beauty with the teachings that have been hand-down through the many generations, that if she should, while carrying out her duties, lose her virtue, or disobey any of the laws of her God, that she would be struck dead for doing so. Now the dance starts and this is the beginning of the White Deer-skin dance. This place is about ten miles up the river from the place where the White Deer-skin dance is held but is started first at this place after the finishing of the fish dam. Normer starts it here and then all go home, but Normer, Lock, Lock-nee, the girls and the boys remain here, Lock and Lock-nee taking charge of the fish dam and all stay here as long as the fish dam holds intact, except the last day of the White Deer-skin dance when Lock calls all of them and asks if they want to see it the last day, if they decide to go not one of them must eat the last day and all go together and return in the evening when they all eat. Now all is fun and mirth with all of them that remain at the fish dam, Lock and Lock-nee leading them all in the plays and fun of every nature. Normer stays with Lock and Lock-nee but she now goes out and plays and jokes and has her share of the fun, and all have their regular meals. This place where the fish dam is put in is called by them Cap-pell and is a bar of some twenty or thirty acres, high enough so the river never over-flows it and yet it is very level. It is a pretty place, being situated on the south bank of the Klamath river. There are two villages on this pretty spot, one being Cap-pell which was very large in the ages gone by and which contained a very large number of Indians. The other village was called Sy-ah and was very ancient, being the place where the lodge was situated. The house they stay in is called Lah-wa-alth and the house where Lock and Lock-nee sleep is called Ur-girk.
I will say to the white race that my people, or any other Indian tribes as far as I know them, do not use the name of our Creator when using profane language, as we would feel it a disgrace to do so, even to think of such a thing. We never use the sacred name of God, only in our prayers.
The following are a few expressions sometimes used: Kee-mol-len-a Ta-ga-ar-a-wah-ma, (bad talk) pointing the right hand, with the fingers extended, toward a person and at the same time saying: Woo-saw-ah, means that the person is badly born, and they never forgive you for this. Another is: Char-reck-quick-cal-lah, and means: “I wish you were in hell”, and for this also they never forgive.