Haida texts and myths

by Unknown

On the next evening something again came to him with food. That time it brought mussels to him. He put those, too, into the fire. Minks ran away from it. For a second time he returned to her her empty basket. A mink which had changed itself into a woman brought him food. They gave it to him in order that when he ate it he would become a gā′gix̣īt. But he was too cunning. Although he knew that something had changed its form [to harm him], he did not touch it (the woman).

During all that time something kept tapping upon his buttocks. During all that time it could not get into him, and it said: “Ho Qō′łkꜝē’s anus is stopped up tight.” But he only heard the voice. He always held the dog’s ulna. And he did not let the stone ax go. The woman came in every evening. He had her then sit directly opposite to himself.

At one time, when she came in to him, she brought him the following news: “To-morrow your friends are going to come for you.” During all that time he urinated nowhere but in his box. On the next day many people, as many as ten, came to him by canoe. In it his sister sang a crying song: “Ha, brother Qō′łkꜝē.” He looked out of the hemlock house.

During all that time he wore the dog’s head. Again he did not sleep. While they were still out at sea he went down to meet them. When they got in front of him, in truth, his younger brothers were there. His sister was also there. He recognized them all. They feared for some time to go in to him. [[360]]

And, after they had remained there for a while, they came in to him. Then, as he pulled it up, he thrust the dog’s bone into the end of the canoe. It went in easily. And, when he passed down to the middle, the same thing took place there. The whole canoe was like that.

Then all got off, and he tied all their paddles together and went up to the house with them. He then brought them into the house and stood them on end near the door. He then had the canoe people sit in a circle. His sister sat with them next to the door.

And he intended to let them wash their hands in urine after they had sat there for a while. He put it first in front of the one nearest to the door. While he washed his hands he turned his head away and snuffled. As each washed his hands he did the same thing. He then knew that these were Land-otter people. He picked up his urinal and put it back into its place behind him.

After that he put the paddles into the fire. Lo! minks ran away. When he clubbed those that had come after him, they did not any longer conceal the fact that they were land otters. He straightway placed himself just inside the door and clubbed the land otters to death. But he did not touch the woman. The Land-otter people changed themselves to make him a gā′gix̣īt. If he had gone with them he would have become a gā′gix̣īt.

During all that time he fasted. Again he did not sleep. He feared to. During all that time the woman brought him food. And every time he put it into the fire different things ran away from it.

At one time, when she came in to him, she again said that they would come for him. By and by ten more persons came after him in a canoe. Again a woman sang a crying song in it. “Brother Qō′łkꜝē” were the words she put into it. He again went down. Those, too, were afraid for some time to come in to him.