A Stikine Kiksa’di man offended the frog people by kicking a frog, leading them to capture his soul. The frog chief, Frightful-face, revealed that the frogs were of the same Kiksa’di clan and spared him as kin. Upon release, the man’s body revived, and he recounted his ordeal, solidifying the Kiksa’di’s connection to frogs as spiritual kin.
Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909
► Themes of the story
Supernatural Beings: The man’s encounter with the frog people, who possess the power to capture his soul, highlights interactions with mystical entities.
Divine Punishment: The man’s disrespectful act towards the frog leads to his soul being taken, serving as retribution from higher powers for his transgression.
Moral Lessons: The tale imparts a lesson on respecting all creatures and recognizing the interconnectedness of life, especially within one’s own clan.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Tlingit people
A similar story is told by the Ganaxa’di of Tongass.
Myth recorded in English at Wrangell, Alaska, in January-April 1904
A man belonging to the Stikine Kiksa’di kicked a frog over on its back, but as soon as he had done so he lay motionless unable to talk, and they carried his body into the house. This happened at Town-of-the-frogs (Xixtc-xa’yika-an), so named because there are many frogs near by.
The reason why this man lost his senses was because the frogs had taken his soul. They had it tied to a house post, and some of them said, “Let him starve right there where he is tied.” Others said, “No, don’t let him starve there. Feed him and let us see what the chief says.” This chief’s name was Frightful-face (Yaku’ldi). When he at last came in his canoe, they said, “Frightful-face has come.” Then all went down to his canoe to welcome him, and, when he reached his house, they told him the news. They said, “This man disgraced us terribly. He threw one of our women down and kicked her over.”
► Continue reading…
The woman was called Woman-in-the-road (Deyexca’gu). When the chief looked up, he said, “Untie him and bring him here.” Then he said to the man, “We belong to your clan, and it is a shame that you should treat your own people as you have done. We are Kiksa’di, and it is a Kiksa’di youth who has done this. You better go to your own village. You have disgraced yourself as well as us, for this woman belongs to your own clan.”
As soon as he had left the frogs’ house, his body lying at home came to. He had thought all the time that his body also was in the house of the frogs. Then he got up and began to talk. He said, “Something strange has happened to me. The frog people captured me on account of that frog that I kicked over in front of the house the other day. They had tied me to the chief’s house-post, and some wanted to kill me at once, while others wanted to starve me, and still others wanted to wait until their chief, Frightful-face, came home. When the latter at length arrived, they said to him, ‘We have a man in here who has been throwing down one of our women. We have been waiting for you to see what shall be done with him.’ I listened to all they said. Then the frog chief said, ‘Untie him,’ and all minded him. As soon as he had heard about it, he said, ‘See here, young man, what is this you have done? Don’t you know that we belong to your clan and that this woman you have done that to is of the same clan? If it were not for that, we would not let you go. As it is you may go.’”
All of the Kiksa’di were listening to what this man said, and it is because the frog himself said he was a Kiksa’di that they claim the frog.
Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page
Dreamtime Whispers 