Haida texts and myths

by Unknown

When his uncle started off he cut the ligaments[3] with the knife and pushed it open. Then he threw half of it around and carried half of it off on his shoulders and threw it down in the house. He had destroyed all of his supernatural helpers, they say.

Then he spread out a bearskin for them and had them lie there. While he slept his uncle and his friends took him up and put him into a box. Then his uncle put cords around it. And they took him far out to sea toward the middle of the ocean. And there they threw him into the water. Again he rejoiced and went home.

After he had floated about for some time he felt himself float ashore upon the sand. When he was about to burst the cover by stretching he heard two women talking together, saying as follows: “Cloud-watcher,[4] a box has floated ashore.” And, when he heard it, he did not burst the box. [[279]]

The two women removed the lid and pulled him up. Then Cloud-watcher’s elder sister said as follows: “I will marry him because I saw him first.” Then they led him home, and they led him into their father’s house. They were glad to see him.

After they had given him something to eat he went out. And, after he had walked about in the town for a while, he entered the middle house. Numbers of eagle skins were hung there, and he entered one made of fine feathers. He flapped his wings. He almost went through the doorway. He seized the boards along the side of the door. Then he came out of it quickly. And he entered his father’s house. His father-in-law said: “I wonder why my skin tickles as if they were playing with my feather clothing.” He was town mother, they say.

Next day, very early, he heard eagles making a noise. Then he went out to look. The eagles sat in rows upon something raised high up in front of the house.[5] On it they made a noise. After they had spent some time sharpening their talons they went hunting. After they had been gone for a while and evening was come they returned with spring salmon in their talons. Some of them had red cod and pieces of whale.

Next day he heard them scream again in front of the house, and he told his wife he wanted to learn to hunt. Then she also told her father. And his father-in-law said: “Now, my child, I will lend your husband the one I used to go out fishing in when I was a youth.” Then he brought out a box. He picked one out of it covered with small, fine feathers. And, when he gave it to her, he said to her: “Tell your husband not to go toward something small which sticks out near by.”

Then he flew seaward with them and got a whale jaw. He came in before them. They caught all kinds of things. His father-in-law was pleased with him. Then they cooked the whale. When they began to eat it they pulled an old woman shaking with age out and said to her: “Drink whale broth, old woman.” And she did as they told her.

The day after that he flew out again with them. And he felt different (i.e., powerful). And he took a whale jaw. On the other side he took a spring salmon. He flew home before all. They got all sorts of things. And, when they again began to eat the whale, they led in the old woman, and she drank whale broth.

When he went to hunt with them the day after he nearly touched the thing which stuck out of the water with his claws and finally seized it. After he had flapped his wings, as he held it, for a while he vanished under the water. Then another seized his wings. He, too, was nearly dragged under. And one brought news to the town that he had seized the wrong thing.