The story of Kanuk, a hero and ancestor of the Tlingit Wolf tribe, portrays him as an eternal being residing on Tikenum Island. He encounters El, another ancient entity, and demonstrates his superiority by conjuring a dense fog. Inviting El to his home, Kanuk guards a precious well of fresh water. El, transformed into a crow, attempts to steal the water but is thwarted, resulting in the crow’s black coloration.
Source:
Tlingit Myths
by Frank Alfred Golder
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
vol.20, no.79, pp. 290-295
October-December, 1907
► Themes of the story
Creation: The narrative delves into primordial times, discussing the origins of the world and the establishment of natural elements, such as fresh water.
Trickster: El employs cunning tactics to deceive Kanuk, including placing dung around him to create a distraction and attempting to steal water in the guise of a crow.
Origin of Things: The tale provides an explanation for the crow’s black coloration, attributing it to El’s actions and subsequent punishment by Kanuk.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Tlingit people
Kanuk, the hero and ancestor of the Wolf tribe of the Tlingit, is represented as a mysterious and eternal being, older and more powerful than El. Once upon a time Kanuk lived on a treeless island, Tikenum — sea-fortress — not far from Cape Ommaney. On that island is a small, square, stone well of fresh water, covered with a stone. Inside the well, on the stone, is a narrow horizontal line of a different color than the rest. This mark dates from the time, and indicates the quantity of water El drank and stole out of the well. The well is known as Kanuk’s Well, because formerly, when there was no fresh water elsewhere on the earth, Kanuk kept it in the well and guarded it jealously; he even built a barrabara over it and slept on the cover of the well.
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One time Kanuk, while out at sea in his canoe, met El there in his canoe and asked him, “Have you been living long in this world?”
“I was born,” said El, “before the earth was in its present place; and have you been living here long?”
“Since the time when the liver came out from below,” said Kanuk.
“Yes,” said El, “you are older than I.”
While continuing their conversation, they went farther and farther from the shore, and Kanuk, thinking it a good time to demonstrate his strength and superiority, took off his hat and put it behind himself; instantly such a thick fog appeared that one, sitting in one end of a canoe, could not see the other end. During that time Kanuk paddled away from his companion. El, unable to see Kanuk, and not knowing which way to go, began to cry to him, “Achkani, Achkani,” but Kanuk made no answer; he called many times with the same result; finally, El, weeping, implored Kanuk to come to him. Kanuk then coming up to him, said, “What are you crying about?” Saying this, he put on his hat and the fog raised.
“Nu Achkani (my father-in-law and brother-in-law), you are stronger than I,” said El.
After this Kanuk invited El to go home with him to his island; there they refreshed themselves, and fresh water was one of the many things that El had. It tasted so sweet and good that he could not get enough to satisfy him, and he was too bashful to ask for more. When dinner was over, El commenced to tell about his origin and the history of the world. At first Kanuk listened attentively, then drowsily, and at last fell into a sound sleep in his usual place on the cover of the well. While he was sleeping El quietly placed some dung under and around Kanuk, and then going outside, called, “Achkani, wake up, look around you; you are, it seems, not well.”
Kanuk woke up and felt around, and believing what El said, ran to the beach to wash himself. In the mean time El pushed the cover oil the well, and drank all the water he could, and, changing to a crow, tilled his bill with water and started to fly out by way of the chimney, but was mysteriously held back when almost at the top. Kanuk, returning from his wash, made a fire, and began smoking his guest until he turned black. This explains why the crow, who was formerly white, is now black. Finally Kanuk, pitying El, let him go, and he (El) flew away to his earth, and dripped the water on it, as was mentioned before.
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