Haida texts and myths

by Unknown

And he had two duck skins[6] on his back, one of which had the top of its head spotted with white. He seized one of them. He did not know what happened to him. Lo! he came to himself lying upon the edges of the retaining timbers in some house.

Then some one in the house said concerning him: “Throw him out. [[236]]Throw the thing he wants out along with him.” Then he again lost consciousness. When he came to himself he was lying near the ocean. A whale lay near him.

Then he cut it open, twisted a young tree, and fastened it to it. And he dragged it along and brought it before his grandmother’s house, and his grandmother cut it up. After she had cut it all up she steamed it. After she had got through hanging it up he had his grandmother make a big basket. She finished it.

Then she put the food into it. She put in all kinds of berries, salmon, roots,[7] and kinnikinic berries. And it was finished. Then he and his grandmother went up the inlet. And he hid the basket near the town. Then he entered his uncles’ house.

And, after his uncles had fished for herring for some time, they killed another porpoise. Then a slave again came in and commanded that they should spill none of the blood. Then [the chief] came in and seized it, and he carried it off. As he was going out with it, he took it away. He became so angry where he sat in the rear of the house that the floor planks were as if split into slivers by the finger nails.

Then he pulled it away from him again. And, when he picked it up again, he let him go outside with it. Then he twisted [the chief’s] neck round outside. And he said: “Wā-ā-ā, wā-ā-ā.” When he came near the end of the town [he said]: “Wā-ā-ā, he has killed me.” Then his voice was lost in the woods.

Now he had a crowd of people go over for the basket. And they could not lift it. Then he went to get it. And he brought it in. Then he began to call the people. Next day he called the people again, and the day after.

And he became town mother [instead of the old chief]. The one he sent off killed is He-who-travels-behind-us.[8]

[Sequel to the above, told by Edward of the Food-giving-town people]

Her brother (i.e., the old town-chief) was killed. Then she started from the town. And she put the two bracelets she wore into the middle of ʟgidō′[9]. And she said: “Through you future people shall see a portent.” When something terrible was going to happen, they saw them. Broad seaweeds lay upon them. They paddled off in terror. Although they (the people) had before been living quietly, they moved from that place at once. And she went up into the woods opposite. She became a mountain there. They call it Sea-otter-woman.