Then they said to him: “Hurry, Big-tail, and come.” And he entered the house of Ku′ndjîgit.[36] “Is it you, Big-tail?” And he said it was, and he was glad to see him. And now he saw the inside of his house. He saw whale tails lying piled one over another in all four corners. He was proud of the inside of his house. He had the most whales of all the supernatural beings. That is why he showed it to him. He did not speak through him.
This story is one of the most important for an understanding of shamanism among the Haida. The word used for “tail” here is applied to the tail of a fish or whale, and the word for “big,” qō′na, also involves the idea of great power. [[305]]
[1] Mouse-woman belonged to the Qā′gials qē′g̣awa-i of Skedans; he was born into the Seaward-Sqoā′ładas. [↑]
[2] Fasting, drinking sea water, etc., to assist the shaman. [↑]
[3] This supernatural being lived under a reef in front of Dead Tree point. He is said to have been identical with Qonā′tc (see the story of [He-who-travels-behind-us].) [↑]
[4] The outer (i.e., eastern) point of Alliford bay on the southern shore of Skidegate inlet. [↑]
[5] Welcome point is just east of the preceding. ↑ [a] [b]
[6] That is, what will happen when one uses the songs belonging to this dancing hat. [↑]
[7] One of the elaborate kind, with rows of weasel skins hanging from the back part. He obtains sea otters with this instead of whales. [↑]