[Told by Jimmy Sterling of the Stᴀ′stas family]
After the parents of a certain child, which was in the cradle, had gone
about for a while with him they landed to get mussels. There they
forgot about him. And they started away. When they had gone some
distance from him they remembered him. They came back toward him. When
they came near they heard some one singing for him. Crows sat above him
in flocks. And when they got off to get him he acted in the cradle like
a shaman. They took him aboard. Then his parents came to the town with
him.
After some time had passed and he had grown to be a boy people began to
die off on account of him. But his elder brothers and his uncles were
numerous. His uncles’ wives did not love him. Only the wife of the
youngest gave him food. His old grandmother was the only one who looked
after him. After they had been in the town for a while, and his friends
were entirely gone, he and his grandmother made a house out of old
cedar bark by a creek flowing down near the town. And he went there
with his grandmother to live.
Afterward he went to the town, and the wife of his youngest uncle gave
him food. When he grew old enough he hunted birds. All the time they
lived there his grandmother got food for him. And he also made a bow
for himself. He continually hunted birds. He continually whittled.
After he had hunted birds for a while he saw a heron sitting with a
broken beak. He told his grandmother about it. And his grandmother said
to him: “When you again see it sharpen its bill. When people sharpen
its bill it helps them, they say.” [66] When he again saw it he
sharpened its bill. And after he started away and had gone some
distance it said to him: “I will help you, grandchild.”
After that his grandmother began to teach him how to make deadfalls.
[67] And then he began to set them at the head of the creek for black
bears. They ceased to see him at the town. Sometimes he went to the
town, received food from his youngest uncle’s wife alone, and started
off with it. They refused to have him at the town. There was no house
into which he could go. His youngest uncle’s wife gave him food because
they refused to have him. He kept going there.
After he had set deadfalls for a while one fell on a black bear. He
carried it to the house. He did not waste the smallest bit of its fat.
He smoked it and ate it. At this time they began to live well for the
first time. As he became stronger he increased the number of his
deadfalls. Now he again went to get [bears], and he killed another. He
did not waste the smallest piece of the fat of that other one. And they
also enlarged the house. He smoked the meat in it. He also put meat
into boxes [to keep it]. Now he began [regularly] to get bears. Every
time he went to look at his deadfalls bears lay in them. They lay in
all ten deadfalls. They then made their house bigger.
When it was thought that they were dead of starvation his youngest
uncle’s wife had them go to look, because she thought that they had
died. Instead, his house was full of fat food. And the one she sent to
look came back and told her how he was situated. They then kept it
secret.
One night, after they had lived there for a while, his grandmother,
having remained awake, thought that her son was acting like a shaman.
She did not ask her son about it on the morrow. All this time he took
black bears from the deadfalls. Another time, when his grandmother lay
awake at midnight, her son again acted like a shaman. At this time he
started off with the end [of an unseen rope]. After some time had
passed he again acted like a shaman at midnight. His grandmother also
perceived that. During all that time his grandmother did not question
him. After he had acted like a shaman for a while Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa named
himself through him. They had forgotten that he had acted like a shaman
at the time when they abandoned him in the cradle. It now happened
again. Now Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa mentioned his name through him.
In the morning his grandmother questioned him for the first time. His
grandmother then asked him: “Tell me, child, why did one whose name the
supernatural beings never [dare to] think of mention his name through
you?” Then he explained to his grandmother: “I began dreaming about him
at the time when I sharpened the heron’s bill. On account of him it is
easy for me to gather things.” This was the reason why his friends were
gone. When Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa speaks through one his friends die, they say.
His grandmother then made him a dancing skirt out of an old mat. She
took off the edge on one side and fastened something to it. [68] She
also made a shaman’s bone for him. In the evening he performed like a
shaman. His grandmother led the songs for him. She sang for him. Now he
began to perform regularly. At this time people began to come secretly
from the town to look at him. But he still concealed their condition as
much as possible. They did not know how the inside of his house looked.
At that time food had begun to give out at the town. They were starving
there. He then began to give food in return to the wife of his youngest
uncle who had given him food. They came thus to know about him.
Then a chief’s son became sick in the town, and they began to get
shamans for him. In the evening they began to dance around him. He who
was going to be Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa heard the noise of the drum and went over.
He then looked into the place where they were performing. He saw that
he could be saved. The thing that caused his sickness was plain to his
eyes. But those who were performing around him did not see it. They
were unable to save him. During all that time he was acting like a
shaman in the place where he lived.
After some time had passed he sent his grandmother. He sent over his
grandmother to say that he would try to cure the sick man, but when she
repeated it (his words) to them they thought he could do nothing. They
even laughed at him. Those who had stolen a look at him while he acted
like a shaman then told the people about it. They said they had better
get him, and they got him.
As he was about to start he dressed himself in his own house. He wore
the shaman’s dancing skirt and the shaman’s bone that his grandmother
had made for him. He then started thither. He came through the doorway
performing like a shaman. Now he started to perform around the sick
man. And he saved the sick man. At this time he ceased to try to hide
himself. He came to the town. When he was there they began buying the
meat of him. And he got a great deal of property in exchange, and the
property that he received for being called to the sick was also much.
At this time he grew prosperous. He began to provide in turn for the
one who had given him food. During all this time they employed him as
shaman. The fame of him spread everywhere.
After some time had passed he saw that the Land-otter people were
coming to get him. During all that time he drank sea water. He had many
nephews. As soon as he saw that they were coming to get him he asked
his nephews which of them would go with him. He began at once to
collect urine. He also put blue hellebore into it.
Before this, [69] whenever many shamans were gathered together, they
made fun of him. Afterward, he had his nephews sink him in the ocean.
They went out to let him down. And they let him down. They tied a rope
to him, and they floated above him for a long space of time. They were
right over the deep place waiting for him to jerk the rope. By and by,
when he jerked the rope, they pulled him up. At this time he saw the
bottom of the Tlingits’ island. He was under water there for many
nights. He saw of the shamans’ houses, the one that lay deepest. At
this time he came to have more shamanistic power.
When he came back from this [adventure] he saw that the Land-otter
people were coming to get him. Thereupon he asked of his nephews which
one would go with him. They tried to get ahead of one another. “I am
the one who will go with you,” each said to him. The very youngest, who
was good for nothing, was always near the door. He used to urinate in
bed. “I will go,” he said. But his elder brothers laughed at him. After
some time had passed they came after him. At midnight they came by sea
and got him. He told his nephews that they were coming to get him that
night, and he told all of his nephews to keep a sharp lookout. “Let the
one who thinks of going with me remain awake. They will come to get me
to-night.” Now the one that urinated in bed slept near the door.
There was the picture of a mallard on the rattle that he owned. He had
it made for himself when he became a shaman. On this night they came
and got him.
They came in and took him out. He was unable to awaken his nephews. The
Land-otter people placed sleep [70] upon them. But when he tried to
awaken the worthless one, he awoke him. And Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa took him by
the arm. They got him for the son of the chief among the Land-otter
people who was sick. It was the Land-otter people who put his nephews
to sleep. From the youngest only they could not pull away [the soul].
He now took his drum and the urine he had let rot, and they started off
with him. They had him lie on his face in the bottom of the canoe. They
did the same thing to his nephew. After they had gone along for some
time they said that the bottom of the canoe had become foul, and they
landed to clean it. This meant that their fur had become wet. The
cleaning of the canoe was done by their twisting about. They then got
in again, put them on the bottom, and started off. After they had gone
along for a while longer something touched their heads. This, they
felt, was the kelp under which [the otters] were diving with them.
After they had gone along for a while longer they said that they were
near the town.
They then took the coverings off them. When they came in front of the
town sparks were coming out of the house standing in the middle. A
large crowd of people waiting in that house also made a huge volume of
sound. Landing, they said to him: “Get off, Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa.” Now he got
off with the rattle which had the picture of a mallard on it and let it
walk up in front of him. When it went up before him it entered a
different house from the one where the crowd of people awaited him, and
he entered after it. And he held his nephew tightly. They said then
that they were glad to have him. “Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa,” they said of him,
“truly he is a shaman.” In this one lay the person for whom they had
brought him, but they waited in a crowd for him in a different one.
This was the way in which they tested him to see how much power he had.
When he entered he saw many shamans gathered in the house. He plainly
saw a bone spear on the surface of the body of the sick man. Just
before this some persons had gone hunting from the town where
Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa lived. They speared a white land otter with a bone spear.
The creature that carried it away in him was sick here. Then he tried
to cure him. Now he had given the following directions to his nephew:
“Even if they push you away from the drum hung on the side toward the
door, make motions with your head in that direction. It will still
sound.” And he also thought, “I wonder what will sing for me.” In the
front part of the house were always two persons with big bellies and
black skins. These said to him as follows: “They know about it, great
shaman. They will sing for you.”
He began at once to act like a shaman. After he had danced round the
fire for a while he pulled out the spear, and [the sick otter] stopped
moaning. After he had again acted for a while he pushed it back into
the same place. They were anxious to see him when he acted like a
shaman, hence the house was full. They pushed him (his nephew) from the
drum, and even then he used his head to beat it. The drum still
sounded. At that time they said good things about him: “Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa,
great shaman, Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa.” He now stopped performing.
Then they went to bed. He awoke in the night and tried to stretch
himself. He pushed his feet against something that was near him. It was
the crooked root of a tree. He felt large roots running in every
direction. On the next day, when morning came, they again got up.
He looked toward the door. In the corners of the house on either side
hung halibut hooks. One having the picture of a halibut had a halibut
hanging down from it. One having the picture of a land otter on it had
a red cod hanging down from it. They gave those [fish] to him to eat
when they fed him. All the shamans around the ocean were in that house.
The next evening he again began performing. They gave him many elk
skins. There was a big pile on the side near the door. Many boxes of
grease also lay near it. After he had danced round the fire for a while
he pulled out the spear. He pushed it in again. He pulled it out, and
he stopped performing. He again put it in, and [the otter] again began
to suffer.
During all that time he had the urine mixed with blue hellebore, which
he had let decay together, hung by him in a water-tight basket. After
he had performed for a while the great shamans that were around the
house made fun of him. After he had gone round the fire for a while he
was doubled up as he moved, and they imitated him near the fire. He
then called for his power, and by its help stood upright. The people in
the house made a great noise at this. He then again ran round the fire,
took urine in the hollow of his hand, and, as he ran about, threw it at
them. All the shamans around the ocean were nearly choked by the bad
stench and said to him: “Don’t, Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa. You do not treat us
well.” Large clams spurted water at him. Small clams spurted water
toward him. Everything was different (i.e., hostile) toward him, owing
to those people whom they had got as shamans. As he ran he pointed the
spear that he had pulled out at the faces of the shamans of all
countries who were about the house. They did not see it.
Now he thought, “I wish they would give me the halibut hooks. I might
then save the chief’s son.” Then the broad, black men reported what he
thought: “If you give him those halibut hooks he says that he might
save the chief’s son.” Throughout the long time during which he
performed he thought in this way. During all that time they did not
want to give them to him. Every morning halibut and red cod hung from
them. He was there many nights. By and by they gave him the halibut
hooks. He now performed again, and he pulled out the spear for the last
time. The chief’s son was saved.
On the next day they took him back. They launched a big canoe. At once,
they began to put the elk skins into it, with the boxes of grease. The
halibut hooks he also had under his arms as he lay there. They now
started back with him. They arrived with him during the night at the
place whence they had fetched him. They put off the elk skins and the
boxes of grease. On the following day, when it was light, although he
had held the halibut hooks firmly, there was no trace of them. This was
the first time that people learned about halibut hooks. Where they had
landed the elk skins on the beach only seaweeds were piled up. The
boxes of grease, too, were nothing but kelp heads in which was a large
quantity of liquid. The canoe was a large rotten log lying there.
This is the end.
Tcꜝaawu′nkꜝa is both the name of a supernatural being and the name of
any shaman through whom the supernatural being spoke. It is a Tlingit
name and the story is evidently Tlingit also, though Tlingit spirits
often “spoke through” Haida shamans.