[3] Haida, kꜝał, identified by Doctor Newcombe, of Victoria, as the kelp crab (Epialtus productus, Randall). [↑]

[4] Another version says that the land-otter brother-in-law also turned the man’s canoe over when he was ready to work upon the inside. Canoes were first roughly shaped upon the outside and then turned over so as to be hollowed out on the inside. [↑]

[5] If a land otter forgot to take along the mat used to cover the knees of a canoe-man while paddling, he was sure to be killed by human beings. [↑]

[6] One way of concluding a story. More often they say Hao ʟan l’ g̣e′ida, “Here it comes to a stop,” Hao ʟ a′sga-i kundjū′ga, “Here it comes to a point,” or something similar. See the conclusions of the various stories. When a story is too long to be told at one sitting, they break it off by saying, Lᴀ ʟ sītꜝē′djî, “Let us make a knot.” [↑]

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How something pulled a row of eagles into the water

[Told by the chief of Kloo, of Those-born-at-Skedans]

There lay the town of Skedans. The nephew of the town chief there sat around whittling. He came to have many boxes of arrows. And one day he put shavings into the fire in front of his uncle’s wife. Then he saw her genitals.

Then he looked on as they were gambling. His uncle also sat there. By and by a flicker came flying about. It showed red when it spread its wings. Then he said “Just now I saw something in the house exactly like that,” whereupon his uncle became ashamed.

Then his uncle had a block of cedar cut out, and they shaped it like a canoe. Then they scraped off some pitch, put it into the cedar, warmed it, and made him sit on it. Then they went out with him to the open sea and put him in it. He was crying. He cried himself to sleep.