[16] Tow is an English spelling of the Haida name Tao. Whether the same or not, it is identical in form with the word which means “grease.” [↑]
[17] The Haida expression is “upward,” which means toward the Stikine country. [↑]
[18] See “[Story of the Food-giving-town people],” and [notes]. [↑]
How the Seaward-sqoā′ładas obtained the names of their gambling sticks
[Told by Walter McGregor of the Sealion-town people]
His father was a chief in Sealion-town.[1] His name was Poor-chief’s-son.[2] One time his father was going to have a potlatch. Then his father went to invite the Tsimshian. While he was gone, Gasî′na-ᴀ′ndju[3] began to gamble. After he had gambled for some time, he lost all of his father’s property. Then he put a bladder full of grease into his gambling-stick bag. And he put it on his back and went away.
After he had traveled for a while, he went in[4] at White-rocks. As he went he ate all kinds of leaves.[5] Presently he wanted to defecate, and he defecated at a rotten stump. And after that he again went about eating leaves. After he had gone along for a while, he passed over the bones of two human beings upon which moss was growing.
And, after he had gone on a while longer, he came to where two streams flowed down from Djū′tcꜝîtga,[6] near which lay the fresh bones of two persons. One stream was red. The other was blue. Djū′tcꜝîtga’s manure made it red, they say, and his medicine made it blue. Those who drank from the red one died there.
Then he took the grease out of his bladder, and he greased his insides. Then he put his head into the blue one. After he had drunk for a while, he lost consciousness. When he came to himself he was standing in front of a big house with a two-headed house pole. And they told him to come in. At once he entered.