[32] One of the islands outside Skedans. [↑]
[33] Because the novices, or the beings inspiring them, were violent, and the people feared them. [↑]
[34] Payment of kꜝa′da, remuneration for having enslaved a person, was accompanied by dancing; payment of wał, remuneration for having killed or wounded a person, was not. [↑]
War between the people of Kloo and the Bellabella
[Told by Abraham of Those-born-at-Qꜝā′dᴀsg̣o]
One time, when they were ready to go fishing toward the south, Waters was dead at Sea-grass town.[1] A Tsimshian named Wās was a close friend of his and came to send food through the fire to him. He had four canoes loaded with boxes of grease. From him they learned the news. The Tsimshian told them that the Bellabella[2] of the whole inlet had their canoes all ready to make war on the Eagle people.[3] They did not believe the news.
After they had bought their grease they went away. Then the Kloo people also went southward, and after they had gone on for a while they landed at a long sandy beach, and a shaman named Dī′g̣a-koya′ku[4] performed there. His supernatural powers saw that the Bellabella were coming that day. He said that his powers had looked at something out at sea.
A Ninstints man who had been taken before acted as pilot for the Bellabella. His name was Youngest-chief’s-son. And toward evening the Bellabella saw the fires. They asked Youngest-chief’s-son: “Which have the bigger fire?” And he said: “The Ninstints people’s fire is the larger. The fire of Gîtku′n’s[5] people is the smaller.” The Bellabella then turned toward that.
The canoes then gathered near the camping place. After they were assembled [on shore] they ran out quickly. One then seized a woman who was behind the house, and she knocked the Bellabella down. The Bellabella still clung to her. The woman then seized a short stick and struck him on the head with it. She then ran away from the Bellabella.