Part 32

There he saw his uncle. Then his uncle asked him: “Did you see the one standing there with a black skin? He shoots down on those people below who treat each other badly. Then the land below is also full of smoke, and there is sickness everywhere.”

Then his uncle [638] spoke to him through the doorway. “Why are you here?” “Sᴀqaiyū′ł brought me around in that thing.” “Be watchful. If one always watches, he, too, will live here. The black man always keeps watch on those who are foolish.”

At that time his uncle said to him: “Some time ago one came down through me. And he lived in this town. Now he lives far inland. They fear to mention his name.” His uncle talked with him for a while. Again he said to him: “Do not let his name be mentioned again below. You can not mention his name [for it is too great]. If a child mentions his name tell him to stop.” [639]

Then he went down again with him in the thing with wheels. At that time he awoke in the sail house. Not a long time afterward he died.

This is the end of it.

This story is of exceptional interest, both from the insight it gives into native beliefs generally and for the picture presented of the influence exerted on those beliefs and over the external life of the people also by the coming of white men. G̣ᴀ′ndox was evidently this shaman’s daughter, and the name appears to be Tsimshian. After he became a shaman, however, he was known, as was customary, by the name of the spirit who was speaking through him at the time. He belonged, like two of the shamans in the preceding story, to the Town-of-Djī′gua-People of Old Kloo.

I was fortunate in having obtained information regarding this shaman from one who knew him intimately, and to whom, it appears, he confided some of his spiritual experiences. The shaman is well known to all Skidegate Haida, and many other stories are told regarding his predictions. For some of these, see Memoirs of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, volume V, part I, page 39.

DJILA′QONS

[Version obtained by Prof. Franz Boas.]

Ten men intended to catch fish near Q’a′daso near ʟō [New Kloo]. They went there in their canoe and caught the fish by means of snares which were attached to the points of poles. One of these men wore a hat showing a design of a cormorant (k·ʼā′lo) belonging to the Eagle clan. Whenever he caught a fish his hat fell down into the water, so that he did not catch any thing more. Finally he grew angry and scolded the water. He took his hat and said: “I strike your vulva with this hat, Djila′qons.” Finally the people went ashore, where they made a large fire, intending to eat the fish. [The name of the fish was Tā′ʟat, the charr (or rainbow-trout)]. They roasted them. After a little while a large frog came up to the fire. They took it and threw it into the flames, and laughed when they saw it burn. After a short while there was a clap of thunder, and the frog burst. After a little while the same frog came back. They put more wood upon the fire, and threw the frog into it; but when it was red-hot it jumped out of the fire.

Now they returned to their village. They saw a man walking along the beach, following them. He shouted: “When your canoe reaches yonder point of land, one of you shall die. At the next point of land the second one of the number shall die, until you are all dead. Only the steersman shall reach your village, where he shall tell what has befallen you, and then he, too, shall die.”

After a little while they heard a large man coming, who struck his abdomen, and the sound was like that of a drum. Then they laughed at him. They struck his abdomen with sticks in order to hear the noise. He said: “I wish to help you,” but they did not listen to him. He said: “A fire is coming. It is going to burn everything.” After a while they saw an animal coming, with a beak like that of a mosquito.

Another day a few men went out hunting seals. They met a seal which looked up at the sky and said: “This cloud looks as though all the people were going to die. The same thing happened long ago.” [All these were prophesies of the general destruction of the tribe.] Then the man returned without killing the seal.

Now the whole town was burned. The fire came from the water, burning everything. All the people were killed. Only a young girl who had just reached maturity hid in a cellar near the doorway where the people used to urinate. She alone was saved. Her name was Yēʟʼukx·īna′ng. Then Djila′qons came from out of the water. She took her staff, beat time with it, and sang a mourning song. She found the young girl, who became the mother of the Djʼēguaʟlānas.

This is one of the most important Haida family stories, Djila′qons being considered the ancestress, or at all events special patroness, of all those of the Eagle clan, while from Sounding-property, the sole survivor of the town of Djī′gua, were descended the following four great groups of Eagles: Those-born-at-Skedans and the Town-of-Djī′gua-people of Old Kloo, the Witch people of Cumshewa, and the Sealion town people of Kaisun. Besides these several claim to have branched off from the above, and the Lā′na tcꜝā′adᴀs claim her as their ancestress because a man of their family took her over to the Tsimshian. They are not, of course, regularly entitled to the distinction.

A version of this story obtained by myself was printed in the Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History, Jesup North Pacific Expedition, V, part I, pages 94–96, and another was printed by Professor Boas in his Indianische Sagen von der Nord-Pacifischen Küste Amerikas, Berlin, 1895, pp. 310, 311. My story-teller gave the following as one of the crying songs used by Djila′qons at this time: Wâ â hâ â g̣adā′g̣a-łîña′-i⁺hēyē, etc., the whole being accompanied by weeping, sobbing, and the labored breathing that accompanies. The two words mean “those who were going to have property,” the thought being “Oh! those that would have had property if I had let them alone!”

STORY OF THE HOUSE-POINT FAMILIES

[Told by Tom Stevens, chief of Those-born-at-House-point]

The son of the town chief of House-point was half crazy. The children of the town played at G̣ałna′s, [640] and all went home, and he came after them. And in the place where they had been playing something with four faces was rolling around, [exclaiming]: “Great-crazy-days, Great-crazy-days.” Then he ran to catch it, but he did did not see whither it went.

One time he threw stones at it. After he had done this several times he saw whither it went. Then he chased it. He chased it, chased it a while, and it went into the ocean before him. And he also jumped right in after it. After he had pursued it along upon a trail in the ocean for a while, he chased it out in front of “Upset-canoe” [641] and it sat waiting for him on the beach. Then he sat near it. It talked to him there.

Then it took a bag off of its back, laid it near by, took out of it a partly finished canoe and taught him how they were going to make them. It told him how they would stretch it and would build a fire inside.

Then it took cedar bark out of its bag. It told him its name was g̣a-i. [642] It told him they would use this for houses. And it told him they would sew together the canoes with the cedar limbs and fasten the cross seats in place with them.

After it was through telling him, it struck the man with its elbow. Yū′iyā′⁺. It pushed him down. It became a bird and walked down from him flapping its wings. It dived and came up far out. But then he saw a Redhead [643] floating on the water out at sea. That it was that was helping the people to settle at House-point.

And afterward he came home. And he told his friends. Then they began to make a canoe. As he told them, they fastened down the seats with cedar limbs. When it was broken, they sewed it together with them. And, when he explained to them about the cedar bark, they also took that. They put cross sticks [644] in the pieces and made houses. This is how they began to live under cedar barks. And at that time they also began fishing in the ocean.

And it also taught him other things in the same way. It told him how they were going to fasten halibut hooks with roots. And it told him that they should pull off cedar bark and weave mats out of it. It also told him that they should twist it into ropes and use it that way in fishing.

After some time had passed, they had snares set for eagles. And they sat in holes under these. When any were caught in them they broke their wings, and at evening they took as many as they knew were theirs.

One day a man caught one with slender claws. And, when he went for all at evening, one of his eagles was lost. The Tsimshian bought the feathers. That was why they gathered them. Then they reported to one another that one had a hawk. [645] And he who missed one of his own heard it was his and went to ask for it. Then they would not give it to him, and some quarrels took place.

Then they put on their weapons. They put on ta′oga-i, [646] gorgets, helmets, war coats, and two thick hides, one over another. [They had] war spears. The young men had bows. And they came together. After they had fought there with each other for a while, they stopped and moved apart. [647]

After a long, quiet interval, a person went to Peoples’ town [648] to gamble and [saw] another come out from Peoples’ town wearing marten-skin blankets with the fur turned out. His gambling-stick bag hung from a wooden float. He reported it to them, and they ran thither. Then he kept crying: “G̣ᴀngūdā′ñ. My seed. My seed.” [649]

From the town one went to sell a copper worth ten slaves called “Upsetter-of-the-town.” And, when they were on their way back, there was a great smoke at the town, and they ventured guesses about it. One said that the town was being burned. Another said that some kind of clam was being put into the fire.

When they got close in front of the town of Łgīła-a′la, [650] they were pushing one [prisoner] down to the beach. His name was Letting-go-of-each-other. The Inlet people [651] had burned the town. The war chief was called Burnt-forest. [652]

And, when they saw them coming, they chased them seaward. And they paddled toward Cape Ball to escape. Then they got near it and fastened the copper to the paddle. And, when they held it up high, they tried to catch them all the harder. Then they upset themselves and swam downward. Chief Points-meeting-in-the-water and chief Going-after-property were drowned at the bottom. Afterward Burnt-forest dove after the copper and recovered it neatly.

Then they (the people who were drowned) went and sat in front of Chief’s [653] house. They begged him for a flood. He asked them to come in. They refused. The warriors started home and camped beyond Raven creek. [654] The weather was calm. Toward evening two tidal waves rolled in out of the ocean. The first one came in and broke. The canoes with their skids even drifted away. The last one even washed away the trees by their roots. Half of the warriors were lost. And he (Burnt-forest) escaped along with his copper into the woods and carried it off on his back.

Then, by washing away the front of Tow hill, [655] the waves washed dentalium shells to the surface. The Inlet [people] dug them. They paddled north [656] with them to sell them for slaves. They bought slaves.

After that, when they quarreled with one of Those-born-at-House-point, he would say in answer: “Well! Inlet people ceased moving their own bucket handles because my uncles drowned themselves.” The Inlet people had plenty of slaves.

And a man of Those-born-at-House-point made figures of the supernatural beings on his house. The ends of the roof poles had images of human beings on them face up. This house was washed away five times. Then he named himself Chief-who-renews-his-property.

[The following short story, obtained by Professor Boas from Charlie Edenshaw, chief of the Stᴀ′stas at Masset, is added for purposes of comparison and as containing supplementary material.]

After the deluge, Naēku′n was the first place to emerge from the waters. People were holding a council to determine which way to go. While they were still deliberating a two-faced man came and asked them why they could not make up their minds, and told them which way to go.

At that time the Raven traveled all over the earth, and one day he found a cockle which was being thrown about by the waves. He heard a noise inside the shell. He went near to see what it was. He hid near by and discovered many children in the cockleshell. He opened it and found many people. Then he made towns. One of these he called Yaku lanas, another one Kuna lanas, and he gave all the families of the Haida their names. On the beach he made a town, Tas lanas; and in the woods he made one which he called Sʟeng lanas (“rear part of the house”). [657]

My informant, who is now chief of Those-born-at-House-point, began by saying that when the flood raised by Raven’s uncle subsided a woman was sitting upon House-point (i.e., Nekoon or Rose spit). This woman had four teats, each of which was owned by one of the Raven families of House-point, the Eggs of Skî′tg̣ao Rear-town people, Point-town people, Those-born-at-House-point. After her people had begun to increase they pulled grass over themselves, began to twirl one stick upon another to light fires and, since they had no canoes, floated their fishing lines off from the great spit. The story-teller probably intended these particulars to be included as part of his relation. I also have a Masset version of that part of the story which deals with the war at House-point.

HOW THE SEAWARD-SQOĀ′ŁADAS OBTAINED THE NAMES OF THEIR GAMBLING STICKS

[Told by Walter McGregor of the Sealion-town people]

His father was a chief in Sealion-town. [658] His name was Poor-chief’s-son. [659] One time his father was going to have a potlatch. Then his father went to invite the Tsimshian. While he was gone, Gasî′na-ᴀ′ndju [660] began to gamble. After he had gambled for some time, he lost all of his father’s property. Then he put a bladder full of grease into his gambling-stick bag. And he put it on his back and went away.

After he had traveled for a while, he went in [661] at White-rocks. As he went he ate all kinds of leaves. [662] Presently he wanted to defecate, and he defecated at a rotten stump. And after that he again went about eating leaves. After he had gone along for a while, he passed over the bones of two human beings upon which moss was growing.

And, after he had gone on a while longer, he came to where two streams flowed down from Djū′tcꜝîtga, [663] near which lay the fresh bones of two persons. One stream was red. The other was blue. Djū′tcꜝîtga’s manure made it red, they say, and his medicine made it blue. Those who drank from the red one died there.

Then he took the grease out of his bladder, and he greased his insides. Then he put his head into the blue one. After he had drunk for a while, he lost consciousness. When he came to himself he was standing in front of a big house with a two-headed house pole. And they told him to come in. At once he entered.

The chief [664] in the house said to him: “News of you has come, grandson. You gambled away all of your father’s potlatch property.” Then the chief had a small box brought to him, and he took a hawk feather out of it. Then he put it into the corner of his (the youth’s) eye. After he had twisted it around there for a while, he pulled it out and took out blood [665] and moss from it.

After he had finished both he said to him “Let me see your gambling sticks,” and he gave them to him. He squeezed them. Then blood[665] came out. And, after he had touched his lips to his hands, he cut around the middle of one of them with his finger nail. It was red. And he said to him: “Its name shall be Coming-out-ten-times.” And, after he had touched his lips to his hands again, he cut around on another of them near the end. The end of it was red. Then he said: “Its name shall be Sticking-into-the-clouds.”

As soon as he brought out his gambling sticks to him, he named them. He continued to name them: “Thing-always-carried-along,” “Always-running-off,” “Bloody-nose,” “Shaking-his-head-as-he-goes-along,” “Common-one,” “Rattling-bone,” “Elderberry-roots,” and “Russet-backed-thrush” (?). [666]

Large canoes were piled up in the corner of his house. That meant that the Tsimshian had come during his absence. And two young fellows who looked transparent were in his house. He said that one should go with him. “This one will go with you. He will take away your djîl when you gamble first. [667] Do not choose the fine cedar bark out of which smoke comes. Take that that has no smoke. After you have counted seven, take the one out of which smoke comes. Then begin with ‘Coming-out-ten-times.’” After he had got through telling this to him, he said to him: “Go home.” Lo! he awoke.

Then he went out at the same place where he had started in. Below the stump from which he had defecated lay a sea otter. He looked at the sea. The sea otter was drifting shoreward. Then he went down to it, took it, and dried it. And he went from there to Sealion-town.

When he had almost reached it, he came to some dogs fighting with each other for a gambling-stick bag which lay on the left side of the place where the broad, red trail came out. The dogs fought for the fat which was in it. And he looked into it. A small copper was in it. He took it, and he came home.

And he came to the ten canoes of the Tsimshian who had arrived. He went in to his mother and ate as usual. He also drank water.

Next day gambling began. He went out and staked the sea otter. They tried to get ahead of one another in playing for it. The Tsimshian wanted to gamble with him. Then one came to gamble with him. The Tsimshian handled the sticks first. And he did not take the one which smoked. After he had counted seven he took the one which smoked. He got the djîl.

Then he took up “Coming-out-ten-times” as they had told him. [They said] “He is losing as he always does.” Then he handled the sticks. He counted ten. He had “Sticking-into-the-clouds” and this one [besides his blank] left. [668] With them he won. He stopped missing it. He handled the sticks. Then he held the blank over his shoulder. He took it away. [669] They did not see it.

He won every single thing from the Tsimshian. After he had all of their property he also won their canoes. By and by a little old man behind the crowd of his opponents, who had just bathed and had the right side of his face marked with paint, wanted to gamble with him. And, after they had staked property, the Tsimshian handled the sticks. Smoke came out of both heaps of cedar bark. Then he selected that which smoked the most. He got one of those with many marks. [670] And he handled them again. He took the one with the smaller smoke. Again he got one of those with many marks. It was a good day for him (the Tsimshian). That was why he (Gasî′na-ᴀ′ndju) could not see his djîl. He was the only one who beat him.

Then his father’s potlatch was over. They gave the Tsimshian their canoes. Then he had the breast of his son tattooed. He had the figure of a cormorant put on him. He had its neck run through him. He had its wings laid on each side of his shoulders. He had its beak put on his breast. On his back he had its tail put. He was the only Raven who had the cormorant for a crest. No one had it that way afterward. The Tsimshian went home.

He had his father’s house pole made like Djū′tcꜝîtga’s. At that time he named the house “Two-headed-house.” The Seaward-Sqoā′ładas own the gambling-stick names.

All Haida families do not have distinctive family myths as is the case among the Kwakiutl and Bella Coola. Some, however, have stories telling how they obtained the right to certain names, crests, etc., and the following is one of that number. It explains the origin of the names employed by the Seaward-Sqoā′ładas, a Raven family of Skidegate inlet, for the sticks in their gambling sets, and at the same time how the Sealion-town people, an Eagle family, obtained the right to a certain style of house pole with two heads. One of the old Kaisun houses, Na-qā′dji-stîns, “Two-headed-house,” was named from a pole of this kind which stood in front of it.

HOW ONE OF THE STASA′OS-LĀ′NAS BECAME WEALTHY

[Told by Walter McGregor of the Sealion-town people.]

His name was Sqî′lg̣aᴀlᴀn. [671] His wife belonged to the Seaward-sqoā′ładas, and her name was A′łg̣a-sīwa′t. They were camping at Djiłū′.

And, when the tide was low, he went seaward. He heard some puppies yelping. He looked for them. He could not find them. Then he began to eat medicine. After he had eaten medicine for a while, he went seaward again. Again he heard the puppies yelping.

After he had gone toward the place where they were yelping the yelping sounded behind him. After he had done this for a while he found two small pups among some stones lying in a pool of salt water. Then he pick them up and stood up planks on edge for them around a hollow between the roots of a tree behind the house. And he had them live there. He hid them. He named one of them Found and the other Helper. He fed them secretly.

When they became larger they went into the water early one morning. They came shoreward together. They had a tomcod in their mouths. They gave it to him. He said he had gone out to look for it very early. And he brought it into the house.

Again they swam seaward. They brought in a red cod in their mouths. When they started off again they brought back a halibut in their mouths. When they became larger they brought in a piece bitten out of a whale. All that time he said he had found the things. When he had a quantity of food he carried the whale to his brothers-in-law [672] at Skidegate as a gift.

They were nearly starved at Skidegate when he came and gave them what he had. The day after he arrived he went for firewood. When he brought it in the food was all gone. He wished to eat some salmon eggs put up in bladders which his mother-in-law owned. She did not give them to him. At that time he kept repeating: “I guess there will be plenty in the dogs’ house.” Then his mother-in-law said: “I wonder what sort of dogs have grease all over their house.” His mother-in-law was stingy.

Next day he again came in from getting wood and said the same thing as before. And his mother-in-law again said: “I wonder what sort of dogs have grease all over their house.”

Next day he started for Djiłū′, and his mother-in-law went with him. After they had gone along for a while they came to a porpoise floating about, and his mother-in-law wanted it. He paid no attention to her. After they had gone on for a while longer, they came to a hair seal floating about. His mother-in-law also wanted that. He paid no attention to her.

After they had gone on for a while from there, they came to pieces bitten out of a whale floating about. Those his mother-in-law also wanted, and he said: “Nasty! that is my dogs’ manure.” And after they had gone on for another space of time, they came to a jaw good on both sides. Then he cut off two pieces from it and took them in.

Now he landed at Djiłū′, and he would let his mother-in-law eat nothing but fat food. When his mother-in-law went down to get sea eggs he spilt whale grease around before her upon the sea eggs. He also spilt whale grease around in the water. He was killing his mother-in-law with mental weariness. [673]

Then the dogs brought in two whales apiece. He (each) had one laid between his ears and one laid near his tail.

His wife became two-faced (i.e., treacherous) to him. She discovered that the dogs always went out at daybreak. Then she allowed urine and blue hellebore to rot together.