Tlingit myths and texts / recorded by John R. Swanton.

  • John R. Swanton
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Tlingit myths and texts / recorded by John R. Swanton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    117/466 page 105
    After they met this man the girl’s brothers asked her to make a small net for them. This net was patterned after a spider’s web which Spider-spirit (Qaststla'n yek) showed to KAcklA'nk!, saying, “You are to take this as a pattern.” Then they took the old man to the creek and said, “Do 3mu feel this creek along here?” Putting a long handle on the net, they said to him again, “Dip this net into the water here. It is easy. You can feel when a fish gets into it.” They gave him also a basket their sister had made and said, “When you want to cook the fish, put it in here together with many hot rocks.” After showing him how to cook his fish the}’’ left him and came to another cam]-). There another old man lived who said to them, ‘ ‘ Do you see that mountain ? ’ ’ There were two mountains close togetlier. “A ver}’’ had person lives over there named Long-haired- person (CAkulyA't!).” So, after the brothers had gotten a great deal of food together for the old man, they left their mother and sister with him and went out to look for Long-haired-person. After a while they came upon good, hard trails made by him along which he had set spears with obsidian points, and presently they saw him coming along one of these with his long hair dragging on the ground. lie had a hone in his nose and swan’s down around his head and wrists. Then he said, “Come to ni}’’ house. I invite you home to eat something. I know you are there.” He said this although he could not see them. Then the bo}’’s came out to him and called him “brother-in-law,” and he said, “It is four days since I saw you, m}’’ brothers-in-law. Your story is known everywhere.” This Athapascan shaman’s spirits were telling him all these tilings. So he took them home and gave them all the different kinds of food to which the}^ were accus- tomed, not treating them as a wild man would. Then thej^ said to him, “You see the old person that lives near by. Do not do an} harm to him. lie is our grandfather. If you see that old blind fellow doivn yonder, give him food also. Treat him like the other.” Presently the shaman said to the brothers, “Let us make a sweat house.” In olden times people used to talk to each other in the sweat houses, and the shamans learned a great deal from their spirits inside of them. That was why the shaman wanted them to so in. But, when they were imside, and he and KAcklA'nk! had showed each other their spirits, it was found that IvAcklAYkl’s spirits were the stronger. Now they returned to their mother and sister and took them to the head of the Taku river, where they spent some time in hunting. Then they crossed to tliis side and, moving along slowly on account of their sister, they came to a place on the Stikine called in Athapascan riAkli'ts, where they also hunted. Their destination was the Nass. Coming down along the north hank of the Stikine to find a good place
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3