A woman named Lqaya’k’s wife mistreats her mother-in-law by placing hot herring milt in her hand. In response, her husband fills a canoe with herring and instructs his wife to retrieve them without assistance. As night falls, her cries transform into owl sounds. Her husband declares she will become an owl, and she flies away, becoming a creature that predicts bad weather and events in other towns.
Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909
► Themes of the story
Divine Punishment: The woman’s change into an owl. The transformation serves as retribution for her mistreatment of her mother-in-law.
Moral Lessons: The narrative imparts a lesson on the consequences of disrespecting elders and the ensuing punishment.
Conflict with Authority: The woman’s initial act of defiance against her mother-in-law’s authority leads to her eventual punishment.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Tlingit people
The story was obtained at Sitka.
When this town (Sitka) was first discovered the Kiksa’di were here, and we stayed on this (the north) side. This town (at the northern end) was named Mossy-town. There four men grew up, two of whom were named Lqaya’k and Kacka’lk. They married. Lqaya’k’s mother was named Kacka’lk’s-mother. Lqaya’k’s wife refused to give her mother-in-law herring to eat. After she had refused her twice she put hot milt into her hand. She told [her son], “She put hot milt from a male herring into my hand.” It burned her hand. For this reason her son carried down the canoe. He filled it with herring by means of a herring rake. When [the canoe] was filled, he brought them in. The herring rock is over yonder this side of Big-fort [the hill on which Baranoff’s castle stood]. He brought them in in the evening. He said to his wife, “Go down to it,” and she went down empty handed.
► Continue reading…
Then she shouted up, “Bring down the basket,” but her husband said, “Don’t listen to her.” Night came on. Toward morning the woman began to change her cries. “This way with the basket (kat)”, she said toward morning. Later still she began to say, “Hu, hu, hu, hu.” Her husband said to her, “You can become an owl from this time on.” So she started to fly off. She became an owl. She flew first among the trees. She was heard saying, “Sit in your holes,” after which he (her husband) went outside. He said to her, “You put milt into my mother’s hand. For that you can become an owl. Way back there for you is Owl’s-rock-slide.” This is why it is so. This is why we can always understand it (the owl). It always predicts bad weather. It always tells what is going to happen in other towns.
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Dreamtime Whispers 