Haida texts and myths

by Unknown

Now, Sʟᴇg̣otsg̣ā′noē intended to marry this girl. Before he went there the crane visited him. He gave him a medicine which caused water to gather in his mouth so that it cooled the stones. When he reached the chief’s house he chewed this medicine and was able to swallow the stones without any injury.

He came to a place where there were rock slides all the time. Then he chewed a medicine called xu′ntsd’ala, and he came to a place near Skidegate. Then he took his strap of mountain-goat wool. He threw it over Skidegate straits and stepped across it, using it as a bridge. Then he threw it down once more, and thus reached her house. He thought: “I wish the girl would come outside to-night.”

Then she went out of the house and sat down on the beach to defecate. The boy assumed the shape of a burl, which lay on the beach in front of the house. The girl said to her slave: “Carry the burl into the house,” because she wished her father to make a hook from it. The slave carried it home and told the chief that his daughter wished him to make a hook out of the wood. Then the chief asked for his ax, intending to split the wood. When he hit it his ax broke. Then the chief was sad. He took another ax, but it broke also. Then he threw the wood into the fire.

In the evening the chief’s daughter retired to her room, which was separated from the main room by a large plank. When the wood was burned the boy in the shape of ashes flew into the girl’s room. There he assumed his human shape. She asked him: “Who are you? I want to marry no one but Sʟᴇg̣otsg̣ā′noē.” Then he replied: “I am Sʟᴇg̣otsg̣ā′noē.” Then she was glad and allowed him to lie down with her. They talked all night. Early the next morning the chief rose. He spat and he thought: “Who is talking to my daughter? I don’t want anyone to become my son-in-law except Sʟᴇg̣otsg̣ā′noē.” Then his daughter shouted: “He has arrived!” Then the old chief was glad. [[249]]He spread mats on the floor of the house and put four stones into the fire. When the stones were hot he took a dish and ordered his slaves to put the stones into the dish. They placed it before the young man, who sat down on the mat. Then the girl said: “You always try to kill my suitors by means of the red-hot stones.” The youth chewed the medicine which he had received from the crane and rubbed his body with it. Then he took the stones up in a ladle and swallowed them one after the other. They fell right through his body. The floor of the house was made of stone, and the stones broke it. The young man was not dead. Then they fed him with salmon and berries.

On the following day the chief said to his daughter: “There is a devilfish at the point of land just beyond our village. I have tried often to kill it, but I can not do so. Tell your husband to try to kill it.” The young man started in his canoe, and reached the place where the devilfish was living. Four times he chewed his medicine and rubbed it over his body. Then he threw his harpoon at the eye of the devilfish. As soon as he had done so he fainted, and the monster swallowed him. But he was not dead. He merely thought: “I wish your stomach would burst,” and at once the stomach of the devilfish burst, and it was dead. The bones of many people were inside. They dropped to the ground when the monster died. Those who had been killed recently were still partly covered with flesh, while those who had been killed long ago were only bones. He chewed some of his medicine and spat on the remains. Thus he resuscitated them. He took the devilfish and carried it to his father-in-law. He threw it down in front of the house. It was so heavy that the house almost fell down.

On the following morning the chief said to his daughter: “There is a tree not far from here. Let your husband go and fetch its bark.” The young man took his stone ax and went to the tree. Then he saw that the bark was sliding up and down all the time. Again he chewed his medicine. Then he spat at the tree three times. Now he struck it with his ax. He fainted right away. When he recovered his senses he found that he was inside the tree. Then he only thought: “I wish the tree would break.” At once the tree burst, and with him the bones of many people which the tree had killed fell to the ground. He resuscitated them. Then he took the bark and carried it to the house. He threw it down in front of the house and almost destroyed it.

Then his father-in-law was very sad because he could not overcome his son-in-law. He did not speak a word. On the following day he said: “Go and cut some alder wood for my fire.” He gave him an ax, and the young man went. As soon as he struck the alder he fainted. When he recovered his senses he found that he was inside the tree. Again he thought: “I wish the tree would burst,” and he himself and many people whom it had killed came out of it. He [[250]]resuscitated them. Then he took one-half of the tree on his shoulder and carried it home.

On the following morning the chief said to his daughter: “Let your husband catch the sea otter which lives not far from here.” He gave him a harpoon. Then the young man went out. Soon he reached a cave in which the sea otter was living. He chewed the medicine and rubbed his body four times. Then he threw his harpoon. He fainted right away. When he recovered his senses he found that he was in the stomach of the sea otter, and he only thought: “I wish it would burst,” and the sea otter’s stomach burst, and with him the bones of many people dropped out, whom he resuscitated.

The old chief had not been able to overcome Sʟᴇg̣otsg̣ā′noē. After a while the latter became homesick. He lay down and did not say a word. Then the old chief asked his daughter: “Why is your husband sad?” She replied: “He is homesick. He wishes to return to Tʼī.” “Hm!” replied the chief. After a while he continued: “Take my large canoe and accompany him to his home.” The young man went out to look for the canoe, but he could not find it. He only saw an old rotten tree with long roots. When he returned to the house, the old man asked: “Did you find my canoe?” “No,” the young man replied, “we have only seen an old rotten tree.” “That’s it, that’s it!” said the old man. They returned, but when they reached the place they could not find the canoe. They saw nothing but an old rotten tree. They returned to the house; and, when they informed the old chief that they had not been able to find the canoe, he told them: “When you reach the tree again, say, ‘Go into the water.’ ” They turned back, and, on reaching the tree, said: “Go into the water, canoe of my father.” At once it was transformed into a large canoe. It was full of geese (x·īt) which were crying all the time. They were the oarsmen. The old chief gave them vast quantities of provisions, and they started, the geese paddling the canoe.

During all this time the youth’s finger was very thick and sore. In the evening they camped. While they were asleep a great many spirits which the crane had held captive in his finger by means of sorcery escaped, killed his wife, and scattered over the whole world. From that time the whole country of the Haida has been filled with spirits. Then the boy said: “Future generations shall always see the spirits which were living in my finger.” Sʟᴇg̣otsg̣ā′noē traveled on, and nobody knew what became of him. If he had not visited the old chief, he (the latter) would still continue to kill people.