Part 20

Like the preceding, this story is compound, there being in reality three distinct tales. The first and longest is that to which the title properly belongs, and the main theme, the story of the person abandoned to die who was supernaturally helped and became a great chief. It is popular from Yakutat bay to the Columbia river. The second part, the story of the man who married a grizzly bear, was appended because the hero is said to have belonged to the same town as the principal character in the first part. It is a favorite Tsimshian story, and is referred to for the origin of the secret societies. Another version, obtained by Professor Boas from Charlie Edenshaw, chief of the Stᴀ′stas, is appended. The concluding section, telling how the woodpecker obtained its brilliant plumage, seems to be altogether out of place here, but my informant asserted that it was always told in this connection at Skedans. It is the only part of the story manifestly Haida.

SACRED-ONE-STANDING-AND-MOVING, STONE-RIBS, AND UPWARD

[Told by John Sky of Those-born-at-Skedans]

In Sealion-town [336] one began to bathe for supernatural power. All sorts of weak things came through him [making him worthless]. He stayed with his eight younger brothers and his mother.

By and by his younger brothers disappeared. It was not known whither they had gone. Morning came and his mother wept. Again when day broke she wept. One day, when she stopped crying, she said: “My eldest boy is as if he did not exist. When morning comes my mind is always the same” (i.e., without gladness).

After she had said this to him for some time he got tired of hearing it and said to his sister: “Sister, pour salt water into the box my mother owns so that I may bathe in it.” Then she put on her belt. She laid her mother’s stone box down near the door and poured water into it.

Then her brother crept over to it and just managed to crawl into it. After he had stayed in it for a while he could not keep his buttocks under water. Then his sister pressed down on his back with the poker which lay near the fire. After she had pressed down upon him for a while she took away the stick. There was a small depth of water over his back. Now she pressed him down again, and, when she removed it from him, his back was well under the water. Then he broke the sides of the box by stretching.

And again he called to his sister: “Sister, pour some water into another of your mother’s boxes.” Then she again poured some into one. He got into it and stretched his knees out in it. He broke that, too, at the joints.

And again he called to his sister: “Sister, pour some water into another.” Then he broke that also at the joints. He did the same thing to another one. He broke four with his knees.

Then he went into the sea. After he had remained there for a while something just touched him. He reached for it. He seized the tail of a flounder. Now he called to his sister: “Sister, roast and eat this.”

And after he had been in the water a while longer something again touched him. He reached for it. He seized half a halibut and threw it over to his sister. Then he said to his sister: “Roast that. Do not steam it.”

He seized a porpoise tail and a white porpoise [337] tail. After he had taken all kinds of sea animals he also threw up a whale’s tail. And he said to his sister: “Steam that one however.”

After he had been in the water a while longer something touched him. He reached for it. He felt nothing. And, when the same thing happened again, he grasped farther away. Then his hand nearly slipped off from [the something], and he seized it in both hands. When the something had pulled him out of Skidegate inlet he tried to stop at Łg̣a′-ixa, [338] but then something cracked at the bottom of the island. He held something nice which was almost transparent, and put it around his head. That was Łg̣o′tg̣o-g̣ao [339] (the hair of him who tries the supernatural powers of men).

After he had put it around his head he swam up the inlet. He swam in front of Gū′łga [340] and passed over to Xā′na. [341] The water was shallow and broad like a lake, and he traced a channel in it with his hand and remained at its mouth.

After he had remained in the water for a while something came walking toward him, making a booming sound as it advanced. Some one stood on the shore opposite him. On the right side he held a knot and a branch of g̣ōdañxō′sgî. [342] On the other side he carried a piece of common seaweed and some kwē′aogia′g̣adañ. [343]

“Come hither, grandson.” At once he went to him. Then he said to him: “Now, grandson, turn your breast (or ‘face’) to me.” Immediately he turned his breast to him. He struck him with the knot. It was as when something is rubbed into fine pieces. And he struck him with the g̣ōdañxō′sgî. It became like the other. Then he said to him: “Now, grandson, turn your back to me.” And so he did. He struck him with the kwē′aogia′g̣adañ. He did not feel it. Then he struck him with the seaweed. He nearly knocked him over. Far off he recovered his balance.

“Wait a while, grandson. We will wrestle with (lit., “feel”) each other,” he said to him. “Now, grandson, let us try each other.” And they laid hold of each other. After he (the man) had shoved him about he almost threw him down. Then he turned away smiling. “Grandson, yours has more strength. Swim down the inlet.”

He went along; he went along and presently swam ashore at Sealion-town. Then he dried himself by the fire and went to bed. After he had been in bed for a while, and day had begun to break, he went out.

Then he followed an indistinct trail. After he had gone along for a while, he saw a shrew [344] trying vainly to cross an old log. Then he put her across and kept his eyes upon her. She entered a bunch of ferns lying some distance away.

Now he went to it. He moved it aside with his hand. To his astonishment there was a painted house front there with the planks sewed together. And she said to him, “Come in to me, grandson. News has come that you want to borrow something of me.”

Then she hunted in her box. She bit off part of something for him. “Now, my son, here it is.” And she said to him: “When you get home and go up to Gū′łga lake, take along your bow. There you will shoot a mallard. Blow up its stomach and put its grease into it. I know that what destroyed your younger brothers lives there. You are going to restore your younger brothers. Eat some [of the grease].”

He went home and entered the house. After he had remained seated there for a while, he went to bed. And next day early in the morning he went up to Gū′łga lake. [345] Male and female mallards [346] were there. They were pretty. He prepared his bow and shot just over the head of one of them. It fell as when something is dropped. Then he got it ashore, made a fire for it, plucked and steamed it. He saved its entrails.

Then he went down upon the beach and picked up a big clam shell. Then he steamed the duck and put the duck grease into the clam shell. He took out the duck meat to eat. Then he put a [hot] stone into the duck grease. At that time the duck grease boiled over. All the things that live in the forest said: “Be careful! the duck grease might spill.” Thus they made him ashamed. He did not eat the duck meat. When the duck grease settled down, he put it into the entrails.

This is why, when the earth quakes, the Raven people tell [him] to be careful of the duck grease. They say so because Sacred-one-standing-and-moving was a Raven.

Then he went away. He saved the feathers and the duck grease. And he came home. Then he went to bed.

When next morning tore itself, he went to Gū′łga, took two children thence, and went into the woods at the end of Sealion-town. When he came to the lake, he looked about, pulled up two cedars entire, fastened them at the butt end with twisted cedar limbs, did the same at the top, and held the two trunks apart by means of a stick. He laid it in the lake, bound the legs of the two children, and placed them between. [347]

When they moved, a wā′sg̣o [348] came out on the surface in the space between. Then he knocked out the stick and his head was caught, but he pulled [his trap] under. The cedar came to the surface broken as when something is thrown upward.

Then he went home and stood up the dead children with the pole in front of the house. He kept them for the next day. And again he went thither and took the two children. After he had looked around for a while, he pulled out a large two-headed cedar, stump and all. After he had split it, a wren jumped around him chirping: “Tcꜝê tcꜝê, my sinews.”

Then he went to get it, pulled out its sinews, spliced them together, and fastened the butt end and the top with them. And he put it all into the water. After the children had been again suspended above it for a while, the wā′sg̣o came up and got them. Then he knocked out the cross stick and he (the wā′sg̣o) carried it down. After he had carried it down, he floated up dead with it. Then he went to him and pulled him out.

He pulled him up on the shore and was going to cut him on the top of his head when it thundered. It also lightened. And the same thing happened when he started upon his back. But, when he started at the lower part of his back, nothing happened, and he cut him open along the belly. His younger brothers’ bones burst out from it.

Then he fitted together his younger brothers’ bones and spit the medicine Mouse-woman [349] had given him upon them. Immediately they got up. And then he said: “Sit down where you used to.” They were glad to see each other.

After they had been there for a long time one disappeared. The next day another disappeared. All eight of them disappeared in the same manner, and he felt sad.

Then he went to Gū′łga, passed along to the point on the side toward the upper end of the inlet, and to his surprise heard the buzzing of distant conversation on the other side. Then he pulled off the ribbon with which he used to tie his hair and threw [one end of] it across. Upon this he walked over and [found] a crowd of spectators at the door of the middle house, in which people were talking. Then he passed through them and looked in.

In the rear of the house a certain thing hung, under which one lay face up. Out of it flames played at intervals. It was sizzling there. While he looked on the person was driven out by the fire. The supernatural beings filled the whole space in the rear of the house.

After he had sat there for a while, one stood up. He said: “Get Stone-ribs, and settle him under it (the earth) forever.” He heard what they said. By and by one went out. After a while he came back, and they asked him: “Is he coming?” And he said: “He is near.”

Presently he came in. Like a son of one of the supernatural beings, he wore a copper coat. He also had on a marten-skin coat. And as soon as he had entered he lay under [the fire]. It was burning upon his breast. Out from it sparks went.

A certain one stood near the door and another on the other side. In the rear of the house sat his mother, Djila′qons. The one standing on the side toward the door said: “They are talking about it. They are talking about it.” [350] The one on the opposite side also said: “The supernatural beings who talk about the places which they are going to inhabit in the future also talk about this.”

She called for one of the servants who sat among them. “One-who-moves-heaven-by-the-rapidity-of-his-motion, go and call Swimming-russet-backed-thrush. I want to ask whether I went with him.” He said that he went with the chieftainess. She asked to have him called so that she might cross-question him about it.

There was no one to have his seat under this island. Then one day passed for Stone-ribs. Another day was about to pass for him. The supernatural beings acted as if shivering. They were afraid. They feared that he, belonging to the wrong side, was going to settle beneath them. [351]

Again those standing near the door spoke. They spoke as they had done before. And One-who-moves-heaven-by-the-rapidity-of-his-motion went to call Swimming-russet-backed-thrush. By and by he came back. Then she asked him if he were coming, and he said: “He is coming.” “Perhaps I went with him at Goose creek, where I dug out wild-clover roots, or perhaps I went with him at Łg̣ē′djîs.” At that instant he came in. He was good-looking. He had been gambling. He held his hand to his face with fine cedar bark in it. He wiped part of his face clean. As soon as he went over to the chief woman he pushed himself into her blanket. She was looking at him. She looked longer than was necessary. [352]

Another day dawned for Stone-ribs. It was broad daylight for him, and the supernatural beings were as if shivering with fear at the prospect of having him settle down beneath them. Just before daylight he was driven out by the burning.

Now, after they had thought for a while, one stood up, saying: “Let them send for Sacred-one-standing-and-moving. They say that he bathed in the ocean so much in order to settle down under it.”

Then he went out of the house, threw his ribbon across again, and ran over upon it. And he said to his mother: “They are setting out to get me. You will go with me. She-upon-whose-feet-property-makes-a-noise will also go with me.” As soon as he had finished saying this, they came for him. And he said he would come by canoe by himself.

Then he went to get his wā′sg̣o skin, which he kept between the two heads of a cedar, and he put it on while he was still in the house. He walked about, too pretty to be looked at by anyone. Then they started across. His mother steered, and his sister was in the bow. He stood in the middle as they went. And his sister got off, then his mother, last himself.

They went up. His sister went ahead. She held the [duck] entrails in her hands. His mother had the feathers inside of her blanket. When he entered, the supernatural beings held their heads down to him. He looked grand. He entered wearing the wā′sg̣o skin.

And as soon as he entered he lay down underneath. He was sizzling from the fire. Again it burned at intervals. When it stopped burning, his sister greased [his skin] with the duck grease. His mother put feathers upon it.

By and by one night was counted for him. Then the supernatural beings fastened their eyes upon him. Lo, another night was about to be counted for him. At this time the supernatural beings talked about the places where they were going to settle. They divided themselves up. At that time one among them stood up. He said: “Where is the sister of the supernatural beings, Woman-people-want-to-have, going to have her place?” “I do not know. I do not know. I shall have my place with my children a little way behind the chiefs among the trees.” [353]

By and by, when day began to break, they were looking on. Presently the Raven called. It was daylight. But then they discovered him enter and lie down under it. [354] Then he came to have his place under it (the island).

Then they went for Fast-rainbow-trout [355] and Marten. And they put a string on him (Fast-rainbow-trout) and sent him up with it. Then it was not long enough. He spliced hemlock roots to it. Marten went down with the lower end. [356]

Now the supernatural beings separated, leaving the town of X̣ᴀ′i­na [357] for the various places they had already talked about settling in.

Now Stone-ribs traveled about upon this island. After he had traveled for some time he entered the house and said to his mother: “Mother, toward Cape G̣ᴀ′ñxet [358] some one calls for me, weeping.” And next day he went about upon this island hunting birds. He went about upon it as one does upon something small.

And again he said to his mother: “Mother, she calls, wailing for me as if she would never cease.” Then he said to her: “I will go and help her.” And she said to her son: “Don’t, chief, don’t; they might call you skᴀ′mdal.” [359] “That is all right, mother; I am going to help her.” [360]

Then, very early next day, he started off again, passed Qꜝā′dᴀsg̣o, [361] went around Skedans point, and came to Broken-shells-of-the-supernatural-beings. At that time he took quicker steps. Then he ran over to Village-that-stretches-itself-out. And he went along down the inlet. Then he came near some white shells. Seaward, to his surprise, an eagle was trying to catch something and almost succeeded several times.

Then he looked at it. Again it almost caught it in its flight. And after he had thought about it he went down to it. And, when he got there, a halibut was swimming about in the standing water. There were stripes of copper along its edges. Out of its nose hung a weasel. Now he caught the halibut in his hands. He was very glad to have it. And when he was going to split it around the edges with his finger nails it thundered; and when he was about to do the same thing along the under side it again thundered; and when he was about to split it along its upper surface it again thundered and lightning shot about. Then he [split] it along its tail; and when he had finished skinning it he put it on.

Then he went into the pond before him. Bullheads shot away from him. When he opened his mouth, lo! the bullheads all went into it. And he opened his mouth. From his mouth they came strongly and quickly. They floated about dead. He got out of it and put it in his armpit.

He had two coats. He had a copper coat and he had a marten-skin coat. Before he started off, he practiced before his mother with them on, and, when he nearly burst his mother’s house by swelling up, she cried to him to stop.

He started and came to Łg̣adᴀ′n village. [362] Then he skinned the woman’s child, and lo! he was born instead. He grew up as rapidly as a dog. Immediately he began to walk. One day, as soon as he came in from out of doors, he wept so hard that they could not stop him. She tried to stop him in every way. He would not be satisfied.

After he had cried for a while, he said: “Ha, bow-shaped object; ha, bow-shaped object.” At that time she tried to stop him all the harder. As he wept he made the motion of handling a bow. By and by his mother pounded up some copper ornament she wore and she also finished arrows for him.

He was hunting birds. He did not sleep. And, one day when it was fine weather, they went for shellfish. They did not take his mother with them. Then, after it had been stormy for a while, it was again calm, and they went for shellfish.

Then he asked his mother if she owned a canoe. And, when his mother said that she did own one, he went along with them and his mother to get shellfish. While they were still going along the leading canoes had already landed. He landed his mother among the canoes which were floating about and remained floating back of them.

Now, when the baskets of those who had gone first were full, he lay down in his canoe, and, using the canoe as a drum, beat upon it with his bow. Then they made motions toward his face from the shore. They spoke in low voices. And they loaded their canoes and went off in terror. Before they had reached the village he told his mother to hurry up. Then she put the mussels in the bow. His mother seated him at the very stern, and they went landward from Qꜝā′g̣awa-i.

As they went along in fright, he (Qꜝā′g̣awa-i) [363] came after them. And, when he came near, he opened his mouth for them. But, as he was carrying them into his mouth in a current, [the boy] took his bow, pushed his lips together, and shoved him back, and he went under the water. They went on.

When they came to her, his mother said she was saved by blowing through her labret hole and putting her feet into the water. He listened.

After they had lived there for a while, it became stormy weather again. It was bad weather. When the mussels became spoiled for food, it was again calm, and they again went out after mussels. Some time after, he and his mother went out. After the baskets of those ahead had been filled, he struck upon the edges of the canoe. And again they opened and closed their hands to him for him to stop. After he had watched them for a while, they went away in fright, and he too went after them.

After they had gone on for a while, [Qꜝā′g̣awa-i] again pursued. He had five fins. Again, as soon as the current flowed into his mouth, they floated inward. Then he (the boy) closed his lips with his hands and shoved him back.

And, when they landed, they came down to meet her. They asked whether he came to the surface, and she said that she blew through her labret and put her foot into the sea. That was how she was saved, she said.

And again it was bad weather. After bad weather had lasted for some time, he went to a point toward the end of the town, entered his halibut skin, and went into the water. Presently he came to a broad trail, and, having traveled upon it for a while, arrived at the town of Qꜝā′g̣awa-i.

After he had peered into the houses, he looked into his (Qꜝā′g̣awa-i’s). In the rear of the house between the screens, which pointed toward each other, sat his daughter. He fell in love with her, so that he shook with desire.

Then, after he had gone around the town for a while, evening came, and he entered his house. He sat down in the rear of his house. His skin clothing had five fins upon it. He looked at it. Then they went to bed. And, as soon as he went to her, they lay together.

Then day broke and the town people went fishing. After the sounds had lasted for some time, he rose. To his surprise they were fishing right in front of the town. Then he went into his halibut skin. And, after he had swum around the edges of the canoes for a while, he opened his mouth for them and closed it quickly. They went quickly into his mouth. And, after he had kept his lips closed around them for a while, he opened his mouth.

Now he went up and went toward the place he started from. Then he went in. After he had sat there for a while, it was again evening, and he again went to meet the woman. He was very fond of her. He went to her and came back often. And as he lay with [Qꜝā′g̣awa-i’s] daughter, he listened to them talking about himself and nothing else.

When they were out fishing, he entered his skin. He opened his mouth for two [canoes] and spit them out shoreward.

And again he went away, and, after he had sat in the house for a while, evening came, and he went down to her. And he lay with [the chief’s] daughter.

He (the chief) was preparing to go out fishing with the others. They brought out his skin clothing, and they brought out his war spear and his arrow box. They put pitch on the points of these [arrows] in case he (Stone-ribs) had too much power for him. And he heard him say he was going to break his head with his teeth.

Presently day came, and he heard the sound they made as they went out fishing. When it stopped, he arose, swam off again, and came out on the surface near two canoes at one end. Then one waved a paddle. They did this for Qꜝā′g̣awa-i. He had not let out fishing lines. Instead his canoe floated quietly among them.

He went thither, and those who were there pointed into the water with their paddles. “It is lying right there,” they said to him. Then he seized his spear. He looked at it. It was too small, however, and he picked up an arrow instead. Then he speared it. He struck it in the side and pulled it up. Then he said: “Is this the thing that destroyed you?” and they said to him: “Do not speak like that. That is it.”