Haida texts and myths

by Unknown

After he had gone on for some distance a sea anemone (?) looked out from under a rock. He became fascinated at the sight of the corners of its eyes, which were bluish, and said to it: “Say, cousin, come and let me kiss you.” And the sea anemone said: “I know your words, Raven,” and made him angry. Then he threw aside the stones from it and steamed it [in the ground]. When it was cooked he ate it while it was still hot. Then his heart was burst with the burning. That is why ravens do not eat sea anemones.

After he had gone along from there for a while he came to a town. Having looked into the house [he saw] no people there. Then he entered. Halibut and slices of smoked hair seal lay on the drying frame. Only old wedges lay near the fire. But when he started to carry off the halibut and slices of seal a wedge threw itself at his ankle bone; on the other side the same thing happened, and he fainted with the pain. Then he threw them from his shoulders and went out. And he looked into a house near by. And he entered that, too. There were plenty of hair seals and halibut there. On the wall was some design drawn with finger nails. Then he started to carry some out. When he came to the door something pulled his hair. He saw [[135]]nothing. After they had pulled his hair until they made him weak, he went out. These were the Shadow people, they say.

After he had traveled thence for a while he came to a house in which the Herring people were dancing. The air (weather or sky)[78] even shook above them. And when he looked in the Herring people spawned upon his mustache. Then he ate the fish eggs. They tasted bad, and he threw away his mustache.[79] Then, having pushed in a young hemlock he had broken off, he drew it out. The fish eggs were thick upon it, and he ate them. They tasted good. He started the use [of these limbs].

After he had gone on for a while he came to one who had a fire in his house. And he did not know how to get his live coals. And [the man] had bought a deerskin. “Say, cousin, I want to borrow your skin a while.” And he lent it to him. It had a long tail, they say, and he tied a bundle of pitch wood to the end of the tail. Then he came in and danced before him. As he danced his face was turned toward the fire only. After he had danced for a time he struck his tail into the fire and the pitch wood burned. Then his tail was burned off. That is why the deer’s tail is short. Then he went into his own skin and flew away with the live coals. His beak, too, was burned off. And they pursued him. They could not catch him and came back. He got the coals neatly.

On traveling thence he found a devilfish’s nose (i.e., mouth) drifted ashore. And he took it and came to Screech-owl. And he said to him: “Say, cousin, let me borrow your beak a while,” and he lent it to him. Then he stuck the devilfish nose he had found in its place and said to him: “Say, cousin, yours looks nice. You are fit to travel about with the supernatural beings.”

After he had traveled on for a while his cousin (Eagle) came to him. And, after they had traveled together for a while they came to an abundance of berries, which Eagle consumed before he got there. On that account he was angry with him. And he went quickly to the beach, found a sharp fish bone, and stuck it into the moss ahead of him (Eagle). “Run into Eagle’s foot,” he said to the bone. And he said to Eagle: “Now, cousin, go right on here before me.” And as he went along there the bone stuck into his foot. “Cousin, let me see it,” and he pretended to take it out with his teeth, but instead commenced to push it in farther. “Wā-wā-wā, cousin, you are pushing it in.” “No, cousin, it is because I am trying to pull it out with my teeth.” By and by he pulled it out and said to him: “Cousin, wait right here.” Then he examined the ground before him [to select an easy path]. And he ordered a chasm to form. It did so. And, breaking off a stalk of łqeā′ma,[80] he laid it across the gulf and put moss upon it. He made it like a dead, fallen tree. Then he went back toward Eagle, carried him on his back, and started over with [[136]]him upon the dead tree. When he got halfway over he let him go. “Yauwaiyā′, what I carry on my back is heavy.” He burst open below. Then he went down to him and ate his berries. He ate all and started off.

After he had traveled for a while he came to a woman with a good-sized labret weaving a water-tight basket, and he asked her: “Say, skᴀñ,[81] have you seen my cousin?” She paid no attention to him, and he again said to her: “Say, skᴀñ, have you seen my cousin?” Again she paid no attention to him. “Skᴀñ, I can knock out your labret.” “Don’t. Over yonder is a qꜝa′ła[82] point, beyond which is a spruce point, beyond which is a hemlock point, beyond which is an alder point. At that point in front of the shell of a sqā′djix̣ū[83] on which he is drawing is your cousin.” Then he started over, and it was as she said. “Say, cousin, is that you?” [he said], and he pulled him up straight, and they started off together.

After they had gone on they came to a town. They (the people) were glad to see them. Then they began giving them food. When they gave them berries to eat they asked Eagle: “Does the chief eat these?” And Raven said: “Say that I like them very much.” But Eagle said: “The chief says he never eats them.” And they only gave them to him (Eagle). And again they gave him good berries to eat, and he said: “Those, too, the chief does not like.”[83]

When he was going on from there he came to a town in which the chief’s son, who was the strongest man, had had his arm pulled out. A shaman came to try to cure him. The chief’s son was the strongest man. In trying strength with people of all ages by locking hands with them he could beat them. By and by, through the smoke hole came a small pale hand, and [they heard its owner] say: “Gū′sg̣a gᴀ′msiwa” (Tsimshian words meaning “Let us have a try”). And he put his fingers to it. It pulled off his arm. They did not know what it was. And he (Raven) alone knew that one of Gū′g̣ał’s[84] sons had pulled his arm off. Then he flew to Gū′g̣ał’s town, went to an old man who lived at the end of the town and asked him: “Say, old man, do you ever gamble?” And he said he did. “They say they pulled off the arm of a chief’s son. I wonder where the person who did it belongs.” And he said: “Why, don’t you know? It was done by the one of Gū′g̣ał’s sons who is always doing those things. The chief’s son’s arm is in a box behind the screen in his father’s house.” And he (Raven) said: “Well, although everybody knows those things, I was asking this.” Then he pulled off his (the old man’s) skin and entered it. And next day he took a gambling-stick bag and walked with a cane to the middle of the town. When he sat down he heard Gū′g̣ał’s sons say: “You are always on hand, old man; we will gamble with you.” The eldest wagered him his hair ribbon, and they gambled with him. They lost the ribbon to him. Then it was too late to go home, and he [[137]]said: “I will stay right in your house.” And they said to him: “All right, old man, sleep in our house so that we may gamble with each other in the morning.” Then he entered, and they seated him near two good-looking women. They gave him something to eat. “Old man, you are always ready,” they said to him, and they went to bed. Then he broke wind. The women laughed at him every time as they whispered together. By and by, when they were asleep,[85] he flew lightly toward the screen and felt of the chief’s son’s arm which was in a box. Then he waited for daylight and flew over it. As he did so the ends of his claws touched the top of the screen. It sounded like a drum. Then he lay down quickly. “Alas! it is the one who is always doing such things. Does the old man lie there as before?” And the women said: “Yes; he lies here. He has been breaking wind all the time. Now, he is snoring.” And he asked again: “Is the chief’s son’s arm in the box?” And the women said: “Yes; it is here.” Then when they were asleep again and day had begun to break he flew up easily behind the screen and seized the chief’s son’s arm in his mouth. And when he flew away with it the ends of his claws touched the top of the screen. When it gave forth a drumming sound all looked up. He flew through the smoke hole. The chief said: “Alas! it is he who is always doing such things.” Then he came flying to the chief’s son’s father’s town and began to act as shaman around the chief’s son. He washed the arm, which had begun to smell badly [from decomposition]. Then they handed him a new mat [and he laid] the chief’s son’s arm in place under it. At once his arm was restored. They gave many things to him and much food as well.

He started from that place also. After he had gone along for a while he came to a town. The town people were glad to see him, and he went into a house. A good looking woman lived in the house. Then they went to bed, and he went over to the woman. When he came to her she asked him, “Who are you?” “I am one who came to this place for you.” But the woman absolutely repulsed him. Then he went away from her. And when the woman slept he went to her again and put dung inside of her blanket. Then he cried: “I went to the chief’s daughter, but, finding something terrible there, changed my mind.” And the woman awoke and said: “A′-a-a a-a′, don’t tell anybody about it. I will give you a substance that my father owns but always keeps secret.” And he said: “[Give me] some.” Then she gave all to him. And the woman said to him: “Don’t lose it. With that you will have good luck. And when you see anyone, you can adorn him with it,” she said to him. This is what causes people to be good-looking.