Another version
[Told to Prof. Franz Boas by Charlie Edenshaw, chief of the Stᴀ′stas]
Nenk·îlsʟasʟiñgai’s[88] mother was Gēʟîk·ᴇdzā′t (“Flood-tide-woman”). His father was ʟg̣ang̣ag·îñ (“Dorsal-fin”),[89] whose sister’s son was called ʟg̣anxē′la (“Hole-in-dorsal fin”). He was born in [[139]]Naēku′n. Now, Nenk·îlsʟasʟiñgai was crying all the time. The people tried to quiet him, and they gave him various things to play with, but he was not satisfied. There was a young girl, Qalgaitsadas (“Ice-woman”).[90] She also tried to quiet him. She took him in her arms, and he at once ceased crying. He touched her breasts and was quiet. After a little while she returned him to his mother. At once he began to cry again, but when she took him again he quieted down when he touched her breast.
The boy was growing up very rapidly. Now he was able to walk. ʟg̣anxē′la was his mother’s lover. When his father, ʟg̣ang̣ag·îñ, found this out he became jealous, and he sent his wife back to her uncle, Nenk·îlsʟas. Then she took her boy on her back and went to her uncle’s house. About noon she felt hungry. She was going to start a fire, but she did not succeed. She turned the fire drill until her hands were sore, but she did not succeed in making a fire. Then Nenk·îlsʟasʟiñgai went into the woods, where he took two large sticks. He struck the ends together, and at once there was a great fire. His mother was surprised to see it, but she did not make any remark.
In the evening they lay down and slept. Early the next morning they proceeded on their journey. In the evening the mother tried again to start a fire, but she did not succeed. Then the boy went to the woods and started the fire in the same manner as on the preceding day.
Finally they reached the house of Nenk·îlsʟas, which was located in ʟg̣aē′xa.[91] A large pole was standing in front of his house. Nenk·îlsʟas’s slaves were outside the house when Gēʟîk·ᴇdzā′t was approaching, carrying her child. They entered the house and told Nenk·îlsʟas that she was approaching. He remarked: “She is always acting foolishly, therefore she has been sent back.” He told his slaves to call her into the house. She entered and remained sitting near the doorway. She did not go to the rear of the house. Her uncle gave her food. The boy was defecating in the house all the time. His excrements were very thin and spread over the floor, so that the house smelled very badly.
The boy was staying with his mother. In the night, when everybody was asleep, he arose from the side of his mother, left the house, taking bow and arrows, and shot woodpeckers (sʟō′ts’ada). He gave them to his mother and asked her to make a blanket of their skins. His mother dried these skins and sewed them up. Then he began to shoot whales, which he took to a little river near ʟgaē′xa, named Xagusiua′s.[92] Then Raven came right down from the sky, intending to eat the whales. The boy tried to shoot it, but he was unable to kill it. Raven flew away, but soon returned. Again the boy tried to shoot it, but did not hit it. Finally, however, he succeeded in killing Raven. He hid its skin between the branches of a large tree.
One day the boy said to his uncle: “My fathers are going to come [[140]]from Naēku′n to look for my mother.” Then his uncle remarked: “I am afraid that boy is going to cause us trouble. Stop your talking.” But Nenk·îlsʟasʟiñgai repeated his former statement. The following day he said again: “My fathers are going to come from Naēku′n to see me.” Again his uncle begged him to be silent, but he did not obey.
After a few days the people from Naēku′n arrived. The beach was covered with canoes. Then his uncle felt greatly troubled. He had many slaves. The boy said to one of the slaves: “Go out and tell them to come ashore.” His fathers were the Killer-whales. Then they came ashore and fell down. His father and his cousin ʟganxē′la were among those whales. Then his mother took a bailer and sprinkled some water over ʟganxē′la, while she left her husband to perish. After some time the boy said to a slave: “Go out and call the water to cover my fathers.” Then the tide returned, and the whales returned to Naēku′n. The boy continued to shoot birds.
His uncle’s wife was making mats all the time. The boy was very beautiful, but he continued to defecate in the house. His uncle’s wife was sitting in the rear of the house. The boy had collected much red gum, which he was chewing. One day he returned home just at the time when his uncle had finished his dinner and was washing his face. Then his uncle’s wife asked him for some gum which was hanging out of the boy’s mouth. The boy fell in love with his uncle’s wife, who was sitting on the highest platform of the house. The boy crept silently up to the woman and encircled her, placing his head under her left arm, his body over her back, and his feet under her right arm. When the woman looked down she saw that he was very pretty. His uncle did not notice it. He (the uncle) was a great hunter, and he always brought back a great quantity of food. Every evening, when his uncle had gone out hunting, he visited the woman. [The boy was staying in the house all the time; his soul went out hunting birds and visiting the woman.] As soon as he reached the woman it thundered, and he was much frightened. He defecated, and the house was so full of excrements that the slaves had to carry them out in buckets. When his uncle Nenk·îlsʟasʟiñgai came home he was about to give the game to his wife. He asked her why it had thundered that day. “It is a sign that my nephew cohabits with you [he said].”