THE DEMON SKANA
The Makahs of Cape Flattery tell many stories of animals quite
allegorical in their nature, which differ in details only from the
legends of the other West coast tribes. One of their leading characters
is the demon Skana. According to the Indian belief he can change himself
into any form. There are many stories told of him. A long time ago the
Indians were seal hunting in calm weather on a smooth sea. A killer
whale kept close to the canoe, and the Indians amused themselves by
throwing stones from their canoe ballast at him. The creature, tiring
of this treatment, made for the shore, where it grounded on the beach.
The curious Indians were attracted by a smoke which they saw curling
up from the beach, and put for shore that they might learn its cause.
Upon reaching the shore they were much surprised to find a large canoe,
instead of Skana, on the beach, and that a man was on shore cooking some
food by an out-door fire. He asked them why they threw stones at his
canoe. “You have broken it,” said he; “now go into the woods and get some
cedar to mend it with.”
After they had complied with his request he said to them: “Turn your
backs to the water and cover your heads with your skin blankets, and
don’t look till I call you.” They obeyed, and heard the canoe grate on
the beach as it was being hauled into the surf. Then the man exclaimed:
“Look now!” They looked and saw the canoe just going over the first
breaker, the man sitting in the stern. They looked again and the canoe
came up outside of the second breaker a killer, and not a canoe, with the
man, or demon, in its belly. According to James G. Swain this allegory is
common to all the tribes of the Northwest coast, and even in the interior
where the salmon takes the place of the ocra, which never ascends fresh
water rivers. To the north the Chilkat and other tribes carve the figure
of a salmon, inside of which is the full length figure of a nude Indian.
A casual observer might mistake this for another Jonah story taught the
Indians by the missionaries, but it is said to too far antedate their
arrival.
James G. Swan tells the story of one legend of the man in the moon, which
is common to the West coast Indians, and quite interesting.
The moon discovered a man about to dip his bucket into a brook after some
water, so it sent down its arms, or rays, and grabbed the man, who, to
save himself, seized hold of a big salal bush, but the moon being more
powerful took the man, bucket and bush up to himself, where they have
ever since lived, and can be seen every full moon during clear weather.
The man is a friend of the wind god, and at the proper signal empties his
bucket, causing it to rain on the earth.