Part 1
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY: W. H. HOLMES, CHIEF BULLETIN 29
HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS SKIDEGATE DIALECT
RECORDED BY JOHN R. SWANTON
WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1905
CONTENTS
Page. Introduction 5
Texts with free and interlinear translations:
Moldy-forehead (Skidegate dialect) 7 Îłdī′nī (Masset dialect) 15
Stories accompanied by texts:
How Shining-heavens caused himself to be born 26 How Master-carpenter began making a canoe to war with Southeast 32 Canoe people who wear headdresses 36 Tcꜝîñ qā′-idjît 44 The girl who fed a raven 48 Sounding-gambling-sticks 52 Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa 58 Story of the Food-giving-town people 70 Story of Those-born-at-Skedans 86 Story told to accompany bear songs 94 Fight at the town of Da′x̣ua 100 War between the West Coast Haida and the Tlingit 104
Myths in English:
Raven traveling 110 A-slender-one-who-was-given-away 151 The one abandoned for eating the flipper of a hair seal 173 Sacred-one-standing-and-moving, Stone-ribs, and Upward 190 Supernatural-being-who-went-naked 210 He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side 227 He-who-travels-behind-us (or Qonā′ts) 235 He-who-got-supernatural-power-from-his-little-finger 238 Łᴀguadjî′na, or Łg̣añā′ʻogaña 252 He who hunted birds in his father’s village 264 The story of him whose sister brought him food from the land otters 269 How something pulled a row of eagles into the water 271 The story about him who destroyed his nine nephews 277 The story of one who saw an eagle town 281 The one they abandoned because he was the first to spear sea lions 282 The man who married a killer-whale woman 286 He who was abandoned by his uncles 288 The story of those who were abandoned at Stasqa′os 290 He who married the daughter of the devilfish chief 292 Those who were fasting to become shamans 294 Big-tail 296 The story of him through whom Łᴀ′gua spoke 305 Cloud-watcher 308 Story of the shaman, G̣ᴀ′ndox’s-father 311 Djila′qons 316 Story of the House-point families 318 How the Seaward-sqoā′ładas obtained the names of their gambling sticks 322 How one of the Stasa′os-lā′nas became wealthy 325 Stories of the Pitch people 327 How a red feather pulled up some people in the town of Gunwa 330 How one was helped by a little wolf 333 Gunanasî′mgît 336 Story of the two towns that stood on opposite sides of Nass river 341 Slaughter-lover 348 The woman at Nass who fled from her husband 352 The rejected lover 354 He who gathered food for an eagle 356 Qō′łkꜝē 358 Two children’s stories 362 A raid on the Tlingit 364 War between the West Coast and Ninstints Haida and the Gîtî′sda 371 Raid by the Ninstints Haida on those of the West Coast 373 Fight between the Kaigani and West Coast Haida 375 Wars between the Stikine and Sitka Tlingit 377 Fights between the Town-of-Tcꜝā′ał-gîtî′ns and the Middle-gîtî′ns 380 Fights between the Tsimshian and Haida and among the northern Haida 384 War between the Eggs-of-Skî′tg̣ao and the Inlet-rear-town people 391 Wars with the Niska and Tsimshian and conflicts between Haida families 393 Fight between Those-born-at-Qā′gials and Those-born-at-Skedans 401 War between the Pebble-town people and the Slaves 404 War between the people of Kloo and the people of Ninstints 408 A fight between the Xā′gi-town people and Sand-town people 413 Wars between the people of Ninstints and the people of Skidegate 415 Wars between the peoples of Skidegate and Kloo 418 Wars between the towns of Kloo and Kitkatla and between the Kloo families 425 War between the people of Kloo and the Tsimshian 429 War between the people of Kloo and the Bellabella 434 War between the people of Kloo and the Gîtî′sda 444
ILLUSTRATIONS
Page. Fig. 1. Diagram of bear deadfall 69 2. Plan of large salmon trap 188 3. Drying frame for fish; horizontal and vertical plans 189 4. Traditional device used in the capture of the wā′sg̣o 207 5. Diagram of marten deadfall 262
HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS Skidegate Dialect
Recorded by John R. Swanton
INTRODUCTION
The following texts and myths were obtained on the Queen Charlotte islands, British Columbia, during the winter of 1900–01. They comprise all those procured at Skidegate, the more southern of the two towns on these islands still regularly occupied, which is made up of people from a number of towns that formerly existed along the eastern and western coasts, whose speech differed in certain particulars from that of the Haida on the northern coast. Since, however, all now live at Skidegate, their language is conveniently called the Skidegate dialect. For a similar reason the language of the northern Haida is called the Masset dialect, although it is spoken also in three Alaskan towns—Howkan, Klinkwan, and Kasaan. For study and comparison one text in each dialect has been given with interlinear translation, and twelve others with translations on the page opposite. Although the remaining stories were also obtained in Haida, English versions only are given, but they are kept as close to the original as possible.
I have tried to handle the translations in such a way as to assist the philologist without too far obscuring the meaning. Where obscure passages occur the notes will usually clear them up.
My interpreter was Henry Moody, who belongs to the principal family of Skedans, Those-born-at-Qā′gials, and has since become its chief.
For identifications of many of the plants and animals named in these stories I am indebted to Dr. C. F. Newcombe, of Victoria, British Columbia.
ALPHABET
For convenience in study phonetic signs have been adopted similar to those employed in the publications of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition on the tribes of the northwest coast of America, and for a more particular explanation of them the reader is referred to those publications. The vowels are ā, a, ä, ᴀ, ē, e, ê, ī, i, î, ō, o, ū, u, pronounced in the continental manner. There is, however, no real distinction between corresponding e and i vowels on the one hand and o and u vowels on the other. Apparently, two continental sounds answer to one Haida sound that lies midway between them. Very slight u- or a- sounds accompanying consonants occur in the Masset dialect and in Tlingit words, and are indicated by u and a. Â (English aw) and ô (like o in stop) sometimes occur in songs. The consonants are the following:
+--------+------+--------+---------+------- | Sonans | Surd | Fortis | Spirans | Nasal -------------------+--------+------+--------+---------+------- Velar | g̣ (ʻ) | q | qꜝ | x | ... Palatal | g | k | kꜝ | x̣ | ñ Alveolar | d | t | tꜝ | s | n Dental | dj | tc | tcꜝ | ... | ... Labial | b | p | ... | ... | m Lateral | ʟ̣ | ʟ | ʟꜝ | ł | ... -------------------+--------+------+--------+---------+------- and l, h, y, w. --------------------------------------------------------------
A laryngeal catch (ʻ) takes the place of g̣ in the Masset dialect: x is also pronounced softer, more like h. The fortes are accompanied by a slight pause or explosion in utterance, and the laterals are related to l’s, coming nearest in intonation, however, to the combinations dl and tl or kl; x is like German ch in ach; x̣ is formed farther forward; ñ is identical with ng in thing. The remaining sounds are similar to the English sounds which their signs represent. Prolongation of a sound is indicated by ⁺. Hyphens are used to separate some compound words, but more often to mark that two successive vowel sounds do not form a diphthong. A pause or the omission of a vowel is indicated by an apostrophe.
TEXTS WITH FREE AND INTERLINEAR TRANSLATION
MOLDY-FOREHEAD
[Told by Tom Stevens, chief of Those-born-at-House-point]
During a famine a child asked his mother for something to eat. Then his mother cut off the upper part of a dog salmon for him, and he thought it was not enough. He said it was too small and began to cry.
After he had cried for a while he went out with it. He chewed it up and put it into a swampy place by the beach. Then the dog salmon swelled up there, and there was a great quantity of it. He was sorry at having lost it. Then he began to cry.
After he had cried for a while two persons came and stopped there in a narrow canoe and invited him to get in. Then he got into it. After he had gone along with them for a while the town came in sight, and they landed in its very middle, before the chief’s house, and he went up with them. Then they had him sit in the rear of the house and gave him some food. A person sitting in the corner of the house, who was half rock, [1] said to him: “Do not eat that. I am half rock because I ate it.” So he did not eat.
He went out to play with the children. One day there was such a great quantity of salmon eggs about that he sat down and, inside of his blanket, put them into his mouth. Then a child looked at him and shouted, “Moldy-forehead is eating our excrement.”
Then the one who was half rock said to him: “When you are hungry go over to the stream that flows by one end of the town. Then take out one of the salmon that come up into it. Cut it open, and, when you have made a stick for it, roast it and eat up all the parts. Put its bones into the fire. [2] Look about the place carefully [to see that none are left out].”
Then he went thither and did as he was directed; and, after he came away, the eye of the chief’s son became diseased. Then the one who was part rock told him to look around in the place where he had eaten salmon, and when he did so he found the hard part surrounding the salmon’s eye with the stick stuck through it. He put it into the fire; and when he came back not the least thing was ailing the one whose eye had been diseased. It had become well. The souls of the Salmon people were what came into the creeks there.
Then the person who was half rock said to him: “When you become hungry, go thither. Take care of the bones. Put all into the fire.” And, when he became weak from hunger, he went to it as directed, took salmon, made a fire for them, and ate them there. One day the rib of some one became diseased. Then he again searched there. He found a rib. That he also burned. When he returned the sick person had become well.
One day, after he had been there for some time, people came dancing on their canoes. [3] Then they landed and began to dance in a house, and the one who was half rock said to him: “Now go behind the town. Then break off a young hemlock bough. [4] Shove it into the corner of the house over there where they are dancing. Do not look in after it.”
Then he did so, and when he felt strange (curious) about it, he looked in. His head got stuck there. He barely could pull it away. His face was half covered with eggs. He scraped them off with his fingers. And he pulled out the hemlock bough. The eggs were thick on it. Then he went to the end of the town and ate them at the creek.
Then the Herring people started off. Some time after that the Salmon people also began to move. They started off in one canoe toward the surface of the earth. [5] They loaded the canoe. Some stood about with injured feet and eyes bound up, wanting to go. The people refused to let them. After the provisions had been put on board they hunted about among these, found some one, pulled him up, and threw him ashore. They did not handle such carefully. One of these had hidden himself. In the fall many of them have sore feet and their eyes are sore. [6]
Then Moldy-forehead also got in with them. After they had gone along for a while they saw floating charcoal. [7] Part of them were lost there. After that they also came to where foam was floating. There some of them were also lost.
After they had gone along for a while from that place they came to the edge of the sky and, standing near it, they counted the number of times it descended. After it had closed five times they passed under it, and the canoe was broken in halves. It was split in two. [8] Then few were left, they say.
After they had gone on for a while longer they saw what looked like many stars. Those were the salmon inlets, they say. Then three, four, or five got off the canoe. Where the inlets were large ten got off. Then they came to where people stood at the mouth of the creek. After they had been there for a while they stood up and the people said “Ē′yo.” [9] Then they made them ashamed, and they sat down. People kept saying “Ē′yo” to them.
When it was evening he saw his mother with pitch on her face [10] weeping. He also saw his father walking about. After they had gone along for a while they said they had built a fort for them. Two went up to see it and said it was not quite finished. After that they went up again to see it. They said it was not quite finished; but the next time they went up to see it they said it was finished.
Then it was fine weather, and they pulled off a pole from inside the edges of the canoe and shook the sky with it. At once rain began to fall. Those in the canoe were happy. They prepared themselves. They shook their insides with anger, because they were going to fight the fort. That [the fort] was a fish trap, they say. At once they started up in a crowd.
He recognized his mother and swam ashore in front of her. Then his mother tried to club him, and he escaped into the creek. And when he did the same thing again he let his mother club him to death.
And when his mother started to cut off his head for immediate cooking the knife clicked upon something on his neck, and she looked. She recognized the copper necklace her son used to have around his neck. [11] Then she put him upon a clean board. And his father stayed in the house [instead of going fishing]. She put him on the top of the house.
After four nights had passed over him a slight noise began in his throat. The top of his head came out. As the nights passed, he continued to come out. By and by the salmon skin was washed off him by the rain, [12] and he entered the house. Then he became a shaman. They sang for him.
They moved away, and the next year they came to the same place to get salmon. When the salmon came again and ran up a shining one was on top. Then he told them not to spear it, but it was the very one they tried to spear. By and by he made a spear for himself and speared it. When he had pulled it ashore, and the salmon died, he, too, died. He did not know that it was his own soul.
Then they made him sit up and sat above his head. They dressed some one to look like him, who went round the fire while they sang. [13] They also beat his drum. At the same time they sang for him. After four nights were passed they put him into a pool where salt and fresh water mingled, where he had directed that he should be placed. They laid him upon the plank on which he used to lie. Then they put him there (in the pool). They also put his drum there. After this had turned around to the right for a while it vanished into a deep hole in the bottom. And now, when there is going to be plenty of salmon, they hear his drum sound in the deep place.
Here the story ends.
As might have been expected, this story was a very popular one along the salmon-frequented North Pacific coast, and several different versions of it have been already recorded. An excellent one was obtained by myself in English from an old Kaigani, derived from the Tlingit, among whom it appears to have originated. This will be found in volume V of the Memoirs of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, part I, pages 243 to 245. Apart from linguistics, the story is interesting from the point of view of Indian psychology. It was related by the present chief of Those-born-at-House-point (Na-iku′n qe′ig̣awa-i), once the leading family of Rose Spit and Cape Ball, on the eastern coast of Graham island.
QOL-Qꜝᴀ′LG̣ODA-I
Moldy-forehead
[Skidegate dialect]
Nañ g̣axā′hao qꜝodᴀ′s giên awu′ñ at A certain child this [there] was a famine when his mother of
qꜝosigwā′ñag̣ᴀn. Giê′nhao 1 sqā′gi qul l’ asked for something to eat And then dog salmon upper part of his
a′og̣a lᴀ gi qꜝeitʟai′yag̣ᴀn giên g̣a lᴀ łtꜝē′gᴀñᴀsi. 2 mother him for had cut off and in he thought it was not enough.
Kꜝaᴀ′ng̣adᴀñ lᴀ sī′usi giên l’ sg̣ā′-iłx̣idᴀs. 3 It was too small he said and he began to cry.
Lʼ sg̣ā′-ił qa′odihao lᴀ dᴀ′ñat lᴀ qā′x̣ułs. Giên He wept after it with he went out. And
sug̣ā′g̣odia g̣ei lᴀ 4 la abā′gies. Giên wa swampy place on beach lay into it he put the chewed [salmon]. And it
g̣a sqagia′-i g̣a tcᴀ′tsg̣asʟasi giên qoā′nasi. 5 Si′łg̣a lʼ in the dog salmon in swelled up and there was much. Afterward he
gū′łsi. Giê′nhao lᴀ sg̣ā′-iłx̣idañ wᴀnsū′gᴀñ. 6 was sorry on account of it. And then he began to cry they say.
Lʼ sū′di qa′odi lʼ xē′tgu ga tcꜝaastiā′ñga ʟū tᴀ′mdju gug̣a′ 7 He cried after him before some two companions canoe narrow in
ga-isʟʟꜝxa′s giên la g̣ᴀn ʟꜝ g̣agoyî′nʟ̣g̣as. Wai′giên gū′g̣ei lᴀ came and floated and him for they invited in. And into there he
8 qaʟ̣′g̣asi. Giên lᴀ dᴀ′ñat ʟꜝ ʟuqā′ qa′odi lnagā′-i went. And him with they went by canoe after the town
qea′ñgag̣eiłsi 9 giên ya′ku tā′djîg̣a ʟꜝ î′sg̣oas nᴀñ qꜝō′las came in sight and middle very they landed the chief
xē′tgu ᴀ giên ʟꜝa at 10 lᴀ qa′îłs. Giên tadjx̣uā′ in front of landed and them with he went up. And rear part of house
lᴀ ʟꜝ qꜝā′otcꜝidas giên lᴀ ʟꜝa ga 1 him they had sit and him they something
tā′dax̣idaiyas. Na-i ku′ngida′-i g̣a nᴀñ tꜝē′djî had begun to give to eat. The house the corner in a certain one half
łg̣ā′ga qꜝaoa′wasi 2 hᴀn lʼ sū′udas: “Gᴀm ha′osi tā′g̣ᴀñ. Łᴀ rock sat as follows him said to: “Not those eat. I
ga tā′gᴀn hao dī 3 tꜝē′djî gîñłg̣ā′gaga.” Gañā′xᴀn gᴀm lᴀ things ate for this me half am rock.” So not he
tā′g̣ᴀñᴀsi. 4 was eating.
Ḷꜝa ał lᴀ nā′ñgasg̣agᴀñᴀs. Gaatxᴀ′nhao Them (the children) with he was going down to play. One time
kꜝā′wa-i qꜝoldjū′g̣adasi 5 giên lʼ qꜝā′was giên g̣olᴀ′ñałañ salmon eggs was a great heap and he sat and inside his blanket
lā′g̣a xag̣ā′tcꜝas. Giên 6 nᴀñ g̣ā′xa lʼ qêns giên la g̣ᴀ′nstᴀ his put into his mouth. And a child him saw and him at
kia′gañas: “A Qolqꜝᴀ′lg̣oda-i īʟꜝ 7 nā′g̣ē tagā′⁺.” 8 shouted: “This Moldy-forehead our dung eats.”
Giên nᴀñ tꜝē′djî łg̣ā′gas hᴀn lʼ sū′udas: “Dᴀñ qꜝō′da And the one part was rock as follows him said to: “You are hungry
giê′nᴀ 9 lnagā′-i gia′ogi g̣ᴀnʟ̣ koaʼtꜝᴀ′mdᴀgasi g̣a qā′-idᴀn. Ḷū when the town at end of stream flows narrow to start over. When
g̣ei tcī′na 10 skug̣a′si sg̣oā′na ʟ̣′stagiłîn ʟ̣ū lʼ qꜝā′dañ giên la into salmon come up one of bring ashore when it cut open and him
g̣ᴀn ʟ̣gwa-i 11 ʟ′g̣ołg̣añ giê′nᴀ lʼ kî′tsgîłîn giên lʼ ʟ′gusi for stick make when it roast at the fire and its parts
wa′ʟ̣uxᴀn ᴀ tā′gᴀñ. 12 Tcꜝā′nuwa-i g̣ei łᴀ lʼ skū′djî all of them eat. The fire into you (imp.) its bones
sī′sgañ. Qo′nxᴀnᴀ sila′-i g̣ei dā′yiñᴀñ.” 13 put on fire. More than do it (carefully) the place into search around.”
Giê′nhao g̣a lᴀ qa′-idesi giên gañā′xᴀn lᴀ wa′gañ wᴀnsū′gᴀñ. 14 Giên And then to he started and as directed he did they say. And
stᴀ lᴀ qā′ʟꜝxaga-i ʟ̣ū giên nᴀñ ē′ʟꜝxagidas gi′tg̣a xᴀ′ñē stꜝē′g̣ias. from he came when and the chief(’s) son’s eye became sick.
15 Giên nᴀñ tꜝē′djî łg̣ā′gas tcī′na lᴀ tā′gᴀs sila′-i g̣ei lᴀ la And the one part was rock salmon he ate the place into it him
daiyā′ñg̣axałs 16 giên gañā′xᴀn lᴀ îsî′si giên tcī′na xᴀ′ñē told to hunt around and so he did and salmon eye
g̣ada′oxa ga stagī′dᴀñᴀs 1 ʟ̣gwa-i gīdjiga′-i sila′-i g̣a la around something is ring-shaped the stick shoved in the place in he
qē′xas. Giên lᴀ la îsg̣ā′sg̣as. Giên 2 siłgiā′ñ lʼ qā′ʟꜝxaga′-i found. And it he put into the fire. And back he came
ʟ̣ū nᴀñ xᴀ′ñē stꜝīʟdjā′was gᴀm gī gī′nᴀ 3 x̣ᴀ′tᴀsg̣ᴀñᴀs. when an eye was very sick not to thing smallest was [matter with].
Lā′g̣a lʼg̣ea′lasi. Tcī′nᴀs xā′-idᴀg̣a-i g̣ā′łᴀnda-i hao 4 ʟꜝdᴀg̣ᴀn His became well. Salmon people the souls these there
skū′g̣adaiyañ wᴀnsū′ga. 5 came into the creeks they say.
Giên nᴀñ tꜝē′djî łg̣ā′gas hᴀn î′sîñ lʼ sū′udas: “Dᴀñ And one part was rock as follows also him addressed: “You
qꜝō′dᴀłs 6 kꜝiäł łᴀ g̣a qā′-idᴀñᴀñ. Skū′dji łᴀ da′-ixᴀn become hungry every time you to set out. Bones you carefully