Haida texts and myths

by Unknown

By and by the wind blew from the ocean. After he had floated for a time he floated ashore at Broken-shells-of-the-supernatural-beings.[1] Then he put his back to the sunshine, and the heat melted him off.

Now he rose and came to a town. And at evening he peered into the houses. After he had looked about for a while he looked into the chief’s house and [saw] a woman sitting between the screens which pointed toward each other. She was pretty. He looked in at her.

And, when they all were gone to bed, he went in to her. And the woman asked him: “Who are you? My father keeps me for him alone whom his uncle had taken toward the open sea.” And he said to her: “I am he.” Then she let him lie with her. While he was lying with her her father overheard.

Next day her father said: “Come! let us see who was talking with my child.” Then he said: “I wonder what supernatural being got in that way. I was keeping my daughter for him whom they said his uncle had carried toward the open sea.” “It is he, father, he says.” “Come down to the fire with your husband, child.” Then she went down with him, and his father-in-law gave him food.

And, after he had stayed with her for a while, he told his wife that he wanted to see his uncle’s town. Then his wife told her father. And he told his son-in-law to bring him a box which was near the wall. And, when he brought it over to him, he took four out of it in succession, and began pulling from the inmost the feather clothing of [[272]]an eagle. Then he gave him one among them in which fine black feathers were mixed with white.

Then he went outside, put it on (lit., went into it), and flew up to a high frame in front of the house. He flew easily. Then he flew down. Soon he looked down upon his uncle’s town. Then he sat at Skedans point. He looked from where he sat at his uncle’s town.

By and by some children came to him. And the children shot up at him with blunt arrows. But every time they shot at him he sat lower down. In the inside of [the skin] he made himself small. He changed himself many times in a way his father-in-law had given him directions.[2] For that purpose he had given him one all of fine feathers.

Presently the boys were forbidden to shoot, and the grown people began shooting at him. Every time they shot at him he came lower. When a big crowd was about him, he seized one person by the top of his head. And, when he flew up with him, some one else seized his feet. When he also went up another seized his feet. In the same way they all seized one another’s feet until he flew up with the whole town. Then he flew seaward with them and let them fall there. They became islands.[3] The town of Skedans became empty. Then he flew up.

And all the time he was at this town they entered their feather clothing just before daybreak and sat in line upon a kind of pole, which was in front of the town. After they had discussed the place they should go to they flew away. In the evening they flew back. They returned with all kinds of things. They took whale tails, white porpoises, porpoises; and halibut, red cod, spring salmon—everything one can think of.

One time he told his wife he wanted to go out for food with them. He wanted to go for the things they brought in. Then his father-in-law again gave him a [skin]. He gave him one that belonged to a young person. Then he put it on, flew seaward with them, and caught spring salmon. His father-in-law was pleased with him.