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.

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    The people he restored to life after they had been dead for very many years had very deep set eyes and did nut got well at once. After that he went to a town where the people were all well and killcil some of them with Ins blanket. Then he went to the other people in that place and said, “How are your friends? Are they deatl?” “Yes.” “Well I know a way of making them well.” He went up to them again with Ids blanket and brought them back to life. They were perfectly well. This man went around everywhere doing the same tldng and be- came very famous. Whenever one was sick in any place they came after him and offered 1dm a certain amount for his services, so that he became the richest man of his time. 9. WOLVERINE-MAN There were people living in a certain town on the mainland. You know that in olden times the people did not use guns. They hunted with bows and arrows, and horn spears, and it was very hard work to use them. So, when they were going huntmg, they had to fast and wash their heads in urine. That is why in all of these stories—which I am telling you just as they were tokl in the olden times—food was very scarce and hard to get. Success depended on what things were used and how people prepared themselves. One day a certain man at this place began preparing himself by washing his head in urine, and the following morning he tlressed and started up the valley carrying his horn spear. At the head of this valley he saw a flock of mountain sheep, but he could not get at them, so he camped over night. In the morning he saw that a wolverine (nusk) was among these sheep killing them off. Next evening he reached the top of the mountain and started into the brush to camp, but came to a house with the door wide open for him. On the inside hung pieces of fat from all kinds of animals the wolverine had killed. He wanted to go in very much, but instead he sat down in the brush near by and waited. Presently a man came along carrjdng a pack. This was Wolverine- man (Nu'sgu-qa). He said, trader, you are hero. Wliy don’t you step inside?” Then they entered, and Wolverine-man took off his clothes and began vTinging them out just like a human being. Then he heated some hot rocks, took his half basket, chopped up the bones of a ground hog and put these into it along with the cooking stones. Then he said to the man, “ Give me that kAndALa'x. Give me that klAXA'kaok.” These wore liis own words which he was teaching to this man, and they mean, ‘ ‘ Give mo my dish. Give me my little spoon.” So, when one went up to the top of this mountain in olden times he called his dishes and spoons by those names.
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