[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.