The almost complete absence of a mythic element in this story suggests that it may be founded on fact. At least it must have been used to explain a relationship supposed to exist between the Fish-eggs, a branch of the great Stᴀ′stas family of Masset, which belonged to the Eagle clan, and some family among the Stikine Indians. [[15]]
[1] So the word Kꜝiū′stᴀ was somewhat doubtfully translated to me. It stood near the northwestern angle of Graham island opposite North island. [↑]
[2] A song supposed to have power in calming storms. [↑]
[3] Fearing to expose themselves to possible danger from an entirely strange man. There was no assurance of safety between man and man unless both were of the same family or peace was known to exist between their respective families. The verbs in this quotation have the past-experienced ending, -gᴀn. Had this been related by a person who had learned the facts from somebody else they would have taken the past-inexperienced ending, -an. [↑]
[4] Accidents like this were often supposed to be brought about by the unfaithfulness of a man’s wife, and it is not unlikely that the chief may have suspected that he had suffered in this way. [↑]
[6] This is evidently mythical. The same thing used to be said of the Pitch people. See Memoirs of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, volume V, part I, page 91. [↑]
[7] He speaks of his new friends as if they belonged to his own family at End-of-trail town. [↑]