"I excelled in my training as an angulkuk, and soon after attaining Fostern rank, I was scouted out by a pack. I was collected after dusk one day, by a group of people wearing hemlock boughs and with their faces painted black. I was taken to the Klukwalle house, a cedar plank lodge at the end of the Caern reserved for use by this pack, and left there. I was told which foods I may eat without bringing misfortune to me and my lineage.
"The next night of my initiation, A fire was built in the Klukwalle house, and the pack members, now wearing masks of the sah-koob, the Kwa'laba-kuth, and the Pukwubis. They sang their tse-ka songs, and I was not yet allowed to take part in the ceremonial.
"The third morning, I was cut, imitating Ha-sass, who drained his own blood to elude the wolves. I was praised for my bravery when I took the mussel shell and made the cuts myself, five gashes down my arm, and three more intersecting the first at right angles. My face was then painted black, and I was led bleeding before the sept members, my first public ceremonial appearance. I was taken back to the Klukwalle house, to await the third night of tse-ka songs. During that night, I fell into He-quat'luck, or Wolf-frenzy, and dashed about the house, howling. After this, there was a feast, open to all the sept members.
"On the fourth day, there was another masked procession of the caern by the pack members, but this was joyous rather than somber. Some wore Wolf masks, some Woodpecker masks, some wore the masks of Thunderbird, of Bees, Wasps and Raccons. Still others wore the costume of the Deer Dancers. As the masked ones proceeded into the Klukwalle house, they were captured and the masks forcibly removed, thus exorcising the Wolf spirit and calming the He-quat'luck.
"After that, on the next day, a potlatch was held to celebrate my initiation. I performed my first dance as a member of Klukwalle, and was given a Sah'koob of my own. The Wolf mask is not one traditionaly worn by women, so this was an honor. The one who gave it to me was named The-Song-The-Rain-Sings, and was to become my mentor among the Klukwalle. And this was how it happened"
As recounted by Sarah Redbird.
This is adapted from a Quillayute Klukwalle ritual.
This is a fairly powerful rite, in which, according to the symbolism of the original Klukwalle, or Wolf Dance, the object of the rite recieves the Wolf spirit into his or her body once each night for a period of four nights, and through this, learns some secret of the Wolf spirit. (The word Klukwalle, derived from the Klakiutl word "tlu'gwala", means "to find a treasure", or, in the case of the Klukwalle ritual, to gain special powers or favors from spirits.)
The subject of the ritual must fast for six days, and on each of the last four days, a fire is built in the Klukwalle lodge. The subject lies on the floor, while the shamman/theurge sings and shakes a rattle, the song calling the Wolf spirit. The spirit arrives, and attempts to take possession of the subject's body. I guess this would be a test of the spirit's Gnosis vs. the subjects Willpower, or since there is no reason to perform this ritual on an unwilling subject, maybe vs. the local gauntlet. When the wolf spirit takes control of the subject's body, he/she begins to tremble, and then rises, growling and crawling like a wolf. He/she makes four circuits of the fire, after which the spirit leaves the body, as the subject rises to two legs and begins to dance. As the subject and other participants sing, the subject eventually goes back to sleep in the Kulkwalle lodge. This is repeated the same way for four nights, and at the end of the ritual period, the subject has gained some knowledge of the way of the Wolf, a warrior spirit.
The ritual must be performed correctly. According to Quillayute stories, recieveing the Klukwalle spirit incorrectly can result in death.