These people Raven had to kill to deprive them of their power. Some groups of people had knowledge that others did not possess. This knowledge was the remains or fragments of the (general) knowledge possessed by all people before the Flood. The knowledge of one thing was retained by one group of people, and of another thing by another group. Raven made this knowledge the common property of all people by obtaining possession himself and then giving it away to others. He allowed nothing that was of value to mankind to remain the sole property of any particular family or group.

Raven travelled from north to south throughout the Tlingit country. The Tlingit at that time extended along the coast a long way north and south, farther than in historic times. Raven went beyond the Tlingit to the south, and is said to have turned back from the country of the Mink people [possibly the people who have Mink as one of the heroes of their myths, the Kwakiutl and Coast Salish]. The latter people, therefore, must have had a different transformer. Raven came back up the coast again, and finished many details of his work to which he had not attended on his way south. Either on the way south or north he is said to have visited the Haida. He worked a long time on the coast. When he had finished on the coast, he ascended the rivers into the interior. He went up the Stikine to its head waters, and it is said he also went up the Nass, Skeena, and Taku Rivers, and all the principal streams. He was tired when he reached the interior, and did not do much work there or stay long. It seems he lost much of his power towards the end. He ascended one river after another, and did not cross the country between them. He always kept close to the main streams. He never travelled beyond the sources of any of the rivers, and therefore he did very little work among the Kaska and other interior Indians to the east. [The principal transformer of the Kaska appears to have been Beaver]

When Raven’s work was finished, he travelled out to sea towards the setting sun, and disappeared. No one knows where he went, or where he is now if alive; but some people believe he lives now with Kanu’gu and other great gods or chiefs of the ancients, on an island or country away out in the ocean, where the weather is made.

The birth of Raven

A number of people were living together near the sea. Among them was a man, gifted with magic power, who did not live with his wife. He did not allow any other man to go near her, and watched her very closely. He had a married sister, who gave birth to a boy who grew very rapidly. When he was old enough to travel about, his uncle asked his mother for permission to take his nephew hunting, and she consented. They went out to sea in a canoe. When they had gone some distance, the man told the boy to sit on the prow of the canoe. Then he rocked it, and the boy fell into the water and was drowned. The man returned home, and told his sister the boy had fallen overboard and been drowned.

His sister gave birth to another son; and when the latter had grown a little, his uncle asked the boy’s mother to let him go hunting. He drowned him in the same way. Thus he killed every son to whom his sister gave birth. At last she gave birth to another son. This was Raven. He played in a manner different from other children. He was fond of carving wooden toys representing canoes, people, fish, and other things, and played with them. When he was still a small boy, his uncle asked his mother to allow him to go with him hunting. She refused several times, saying, “He is my last child, and I do not want to lose him.” At last the boy said to his mother, “Let me go! I shall not meet with any harm.” She then assented, and he went. Before leaving, he hid a toy canoe under his blanket.

His uncle asked him to sit on the prow of the canoe, and rocked the canoe until the boy fell into the water. He remained underneath for some time; then, after coming to the surface, he made the toy canoe assume large proportions, and paddled home in it. His uncle had preceded him, and told his sister that her son had been drowned, and that he was just as foolish as her other sons had been. Soon afterwards the boy arrived, and told his mother all that had happened. He said, “Uncle killed my brothers in the same way that he tried to kill me.” She was glad that he had returned, for she had given him up as dead.

After some time the uncle asked the boy’s mother to allow him to go again. She consented, and the boy went. His uncle tried to drown him, but he escaped in the same manner as before. A third time he asked him; but this time he refused to go, saying, “You always try to kill me.” His uncle went alone; and when out at sea a considerable distance, the boy ran to his uncle’s wife’s house and played with her. He noticed that she always kept her arms down. He tickled her to make her lift her arms. At last he clutched her abdomen, and then she raised her arms. A bluejay flew out from one armpit, and a woodpecker from the other. She died immediately. Her husband knew at once that something was wrong, and came home. When he found his wife dead and the birds flown, he became very angry, and chased the boy, intending to kill him. The latter put his small canoe on the water. At once it assumed large proportions, and the boy embarked and escaped.

After this he became Raven. He began to travel over the world, and never returned to the place where he had been born.

Origin of the tides

Now the people in many parts of the country had no food. Game and all kinds of food were in the possession of a few persons (or families), who alone controlled these things. Thus many people were constantly starving. Raven followed the shores of the ocean in his canoe. As he went along, he noticed many things underneath the water which the people could eat; but, owing to the depth of the water, this food was out of reach. At last he came to a large man sitting down on the edge of the water. He asked him why he was sitting there; and the man answered, “If I get up, the ocean will dry up.” It seems, he was sitting on a hole in the earth through which the water poured when he arose. Raven told him to get up, but he would not do so. Then Raven took him by the hair, and pulled him up so far that he was able to put a rock underneath him. The rock was sharp; and when the man sat down again, it hurt him, and he jumped up farther. Raven then put a larger sharp-pointed rock under him. Thus he continued until the man was sitting almost upright. The ocean went down a long way, and exposed the beach. Raven said to the man, “Henceforth you must get up twice a day, and let the sea go down as far as it is now, so that people may obtain food from the beach. Then you will sit down again to let the water gather and come up. If you promise to do this, I shall not kill you.” At last the man promised, and thus the tides were made. The people were able to find many kinds of food in abundance along the shore, and they no longer starved.

[According to another version, said to be of Tlingit origin, he called the Tide-Man his partner. He pushed him over unawares, and struck his backside with devil’s clubs. When the Tide-Man tried to sit on the hole again, the devil’s club hurt him so much that he had to rise again. Then the sea began to ebb and to rise.]

Origin of fresh water

At this time there was no fresh water in the world except the rain. All other water was salt. Raven visited some people, and asked them for water to drink. They said, “We have none. Water is very scarce. We get a mouthful sometimes from the man who owns it. Wealthy people who can pay for it get a little more.” Raven asked the name of the man, and where he lived. They told him that the man’s name was Kanu’gu, and they pointed out where he lived. [Kanu’gu or Kanu’ge. According to Tahltan information, this mythological personage appears to be a water-deity or sea-god of the Tlingit. He is said to have been the first man created (or the first man in the world). He is the most ancient of the ancients, and has been from the beginning of the world. He was on earth long before the Flood. He is eternal, and will never die. He is the only man who ever lived that never told a lie. Among the Tahltan, when a person’s word is doubted or certain information is in doubt, they say, “Kenu’ge told me,” or “Kenu’ge said it.” This saying is much in vogue among young people, and is always meant in a jocular way. The Tlingit are said to pray to Kenu’ge, asking for fine, clear weather. They make offerings to him when supplicating, and put their offerings or sacrifices in the fire or in the sea. When they pray to him, they turn seaward or to the west.] Raven went to Kanu’gu’s house and entered. He called him “brother-in-law,” and asked for a drink. Kanu’gu said, “Water is very scarce. I can give you only a mouthful.” Raven watched where Kanu’gu obtained the water, and saw that it was kept in a hole like a cellar in a strong house. Kanu’gu watched it all night, and slept by it in the daytime. When Raven had taken a mouthful, he went out and deliberated what to do. A shower of rain came, and Raven opened his mouth and caught as much of it as he could. He returned to Kanu’gu’s house, keeping the water in his mouth. Kanu’gu spoke kindly to him when he entered, and asked him how he had fared. Raven said, “I feel very full and swelled out. I am full to the mouth with the water I have drunk.” Kanu’gu asked him where he had obtained it, and Raven answered, “I found some in a certain place. There is much of it there. You are not the only one who possesses water.” Raven then spit out the water he had in his mouth, and Kanu’gu almost believed him.

Raven said, “I will work for you, chopping wood and doing anything you wish, for my food.” Kanu’gu agreed, and gave him tools with which to chop and split wood; and Raven cut and carried wood to the house. After working there a while, Kanu’gu became less suspicious of him. One day Kanu’gu was asleep, as usual, alongside the hole in which he kept the water. Raven went outside, collected some excrements, and put them under Kanu’gu, saying, “Brother-in-law, you have soiled your bed.” Kanu’gu was ashamed, for he thought he had really done it. Raven said, “My mother was always wont to tell me, when I did anything like that, that it meant I would have bad luck, that some of my friends or relatives would die or leave me, or that something bad would happen.” Kanu’gu did not know what to do. Raven said, “I know a medicine. If you take it, no bad luck will come to you.” Kanu’gu asked him what it was; and Raven said, “You must wash some distance away from the house with old urine. The Raven people do that, and wash one another.” Kanu’gu asked him if he belonged to the Raven phratry; and he answered, “Yes.” Kanu’gu then believed him, and, stripping off his clothes, asked him to wash him. Raven said, “You must open your eyes wide.” Then Raven poured the urine over the head of Kanu’gu, who for a while could not see. Raven ran quickly to the house, and drank as much as he could hold. Then he burst the tank and let the water run out. Just then a voice from the sky called, “Kanu’gu, Raven is stealing your water!” Kanu’gu reached his house too late to save his water. The tank was empty, and he saw Raven flying away up through the smoke-hole. He threw pitch-wood on the fire; and the smoke went up so thickly, that Raven could not fly for a while, and stuck on the crosspiece in the smoke-hole. Here he was covered with soot, and became quite black; and that is the reason why ravens are black. Before this happened, Raven was white. Now Raven flew off and scattered water all over the country, saying, “Henceforth water will run here and there all over the country, and every one will have plenty of water.”

Origin of olachen

Raven now went to a village of people, and asked them if they had any olachen. They answered, “No, we have no olachen. It is in possession of a man who lives a little distance from here.” Raven went to the house that had been pointed out to him, and entered. The owner believed that Raven was a distinguished person, and treated him hospitably. Plenty of food was placed before him, but very little olachen. Raven went out, and went to Sea-Gull, who had eaten olachen, and to Heron, who had also eaten olachen. He said to Sea-Gull, “Heron talks evil of you, and calls you bad names.” Then he went to Heron, and told him that Sea-Gull called him bad names. Thus he caused them to quarrel. He told Heron he would help him fight Sea-Gull. Heron said, “I push back the heads of people when I fight, and break their necks. I have done that often.” Heron attacked and fought Sea-Gull, and broke his neck. Sea-Gull then vomited up all the olachen that he had in his stomach, and Raven gathered it up and put it into his canoe. He also gathered up broken shells, and put them into his canoe to make it look greasy and as if covered with fish-scales. He also rubbed shells on his arms to make them look as if they were covered with fish-scales.

Now he went to the owner of the olachen, and entered his house. No one spoke to him. At last Raven said, “I am tired,” and Olachen-Man asked what he had been doing. He answered, “I have been working at olachen.” The man inquired where he had found them; and Raven answered, “You are not the only person who has olachen. I have plenty at my place.” Olachen-Man sent down some men to look at his canoe. They saw the olachen there, and what looked like the scales of fish all over the inside of his canoe. They came back and reported that the canoe must have been full of olachen. The house owner then thought that Raven must be a great man, and that it would be better to treat him well. He placed before him as much olachen as he could eat. He took the precaution, however, of locking him up in the house, intending to keep him until he had digested all the olachen that he had eaten; but Raven flew out of the smokehole and over to a tree near a stream. Here he vomited, and threw the olachen into the mouth of the stream, saying, “Henceforth olachen shall frequent the mouths of rivers, and all the people may eat them.”

Origin of daylight

At this time there was no daylight, or sun, moon, or stars. Raven went to a village and asked the people if they could see anything. They said, “No, but one man has daylight, which he keeps in a box in his house. When he takes off the lid, there is bright light in his house.” The people could not work much, for it was night continually. Raven found out where Daylight-Man lived, and went to his house. This man also had control of the sun, moon, and stars. Raven went into the house and came out again. He planned what to do to get daylight for himself and the people.

Daylight-Man had many slaves, and a daughter who had been a woman for three years, but she was still undergoing the ceremonies incumbent on girls at puberty. She lived apart in the corner of the house, in a room of her own, and was closely watched. She drank out of a white bucket every day, and she always examined the water before drinking, to see if there was anything in it. Slaves always brought the water to her. Raven changed himself into a cedar-leaf in the bucket of water the slave was bringing. The girl noticed it, and before drinking threw it out. He assumed his natural form again. Next day he transformed himself into a very small cedar-leaf, and hid in the water. The girl looked in the water, and, seeing nothing, she drank it all, and thus swallowed Raven. Mense sequente menstrua non habuit. Tribus post mensibus tumuit et ejus mater hoc animadvertit. Mater eam rogavit an persisteret menses habere et ea dixit eos non habuisse tres menses. Mater dixit, “Deinde gravida es et cum viro fuisti.” Ejus parentes eam rogaverunt sed negativ se cum viro fuisse [The following month she did not have her period. Three months later she became pregnant and her mother noticed this. Her mother asked her if she continued to have her period and she said that she had not had it for three months. Her mother said, “Then you are pregnant and have been with a man.” Her parents asked her but she denied that she had been with a man]; and they could not see how she could have been, as she had been so closely watched. After nine months she gave birth to a son. Her parents said they would rear the boy and acknowledge him as their grandson, even if he had no father. They said, if she told who the father of the child was, they would agree that he marry their daughter, they would treat their son-in-law well, and all would be well; but she persisted in saying that she had never seen man.

The boy grew very fast, and soon was able to walk and talk. His grandfather loved him dearly. One day he cried very much and wanted to be allowed to play with the moon. His grandfather ordered the moon to be taken down and given to him. The boy was pleased, and played with it until tired; and then they hung it up again. After a while he got tired of the moon and cried much, saying he wanted the sun. It was given to him; and he played with it until tired, then gave it back, and the people hung it up again. After a while he became tired of the sun, and cried for the Dipper (stars). Now they allowed him to play with these things whenever he wanted. After a long time, when he felt strong, he cried for the daylight. His grandfather was afraid to give it to him, because it shed so much light; besides, whenever it was lifted up, the sun, moon, stars, and everything worked in unison with it. It was their chief. At last, however, the boy was allowed to have the daylight, but his grandfather was uneasy when he played with it. When the boy lifted up daylight, much light would come; and the higher he held it, the brighter became the daylight. On these occasions, when the boy held the daylight high, the old man would say, “Eh, eh!” as if he was hurt or extremely anxious. The boy balanced the daylight in his hands to get used to carrying it.

At last, one day, he felt strong enough for the feat he intended to perform. He put two of the toys in each hand and balanced them. He felt he could carry them easily. Then, at a moment when the people were not watching, he flew out of the smoke-hole with them. He threw daylight away, saying, “Henceforth there shall he daylight, and people will be able to see and work and travel. After dawn the sun will rise; and when it sets, night will come. People will then rest and sleep, for it will not be easy to work and travel. Then the Dipper and moon will travel and give light. These things shall never again belong to one man, nor be kept locked up in one place. They shall be for the use and benefit of all people.” He threw daylight to the north, the sun to the east, the moon to the west, and the Dipper to the south. Since the introduction of daylight, people and game rise with daylight, and go to sleep with nightfall.

Raven and the salmon

Raven travelled along the seashore. He knew of the salmon in the sea; and when he called them, they jumped out of the water. He thought he would try to catch one; so he went ashore on the beach, and called, “Come, friend, and jump on my belly!” The salmon jumped, and hit him so hard on the stomach that he was rendered unconscious for a time. When he came to his senses, the salmon was just about to enter the water again. He did the same thing again, with like result. Then he built a corral of stones on the beach, and lay down in the middle of it. Now he called for the third time, and the salmon struck him and again rendered him unconscious. When he revived, he saw the salmon jumping about in the corral, trying to get out. He clubbed and killed it.

Now Raven did not know how to cut up salmon. He defecated, and asked his excrements for advice. As soon as they began to speak, he held up his hand, and said, “Hush! I know.” However, as soon as he began to cut the fish, he forgot what he had been told, and asked again. This happened many times in succession. At last, however, he listened to the end; and they said, “Make a cut around the neck to the bone, then around the tail the same way, then down the belly from one cut to the other. Take out the entrails and backbone, and then hang up until the skin is dry. Dry well. Then split well, spread out flat, and hang up to dry in the wind and sun.”

Raven creates the salmon, and teaches people how to preserve them

At this time salmon were numerous in the sea, but they did not go up the rivers. Raven said he would make salmon go up the streams. He took salmon-roe and flew with it to all the rivers and creeks, and put a salmon-egg in each. Now he said, “The salmon will breed and come back to these places again. These waters will be the same as their mother’s milk. The salmon must come back to them every year. The salmon belonging to one river or creek will always return to the same stream, because they were born there.” Raven now instructed the people how to make houses for drying salmon. Some of the people said, “Let us finish the house before we catch any salmon. If we catch salmon now, they will spoil before the houses are ready.” They thought of houses like those people lived in. Raven said, “No, the houses we shall build do not take long to put up, — only two or three days.” He taught the people how to make salmon-drying houses of poles, like those used by people at the present day. He said, “If drying-houses are made too tight, like dwelling-houses, the salmon will not dry well.” Raven taught the people how to catch, cut up, and cure salmon, and said, “Henceforth people shall have plenty of salmon for food. Salmon will he caught chiefly in the rivers and creeks during the periods of the run.”

Raven institutes birth and death

Now Raven thought of the people, how they died one at a time now and then, and that no children were born. They did not know how children originated. He thought that by and by there would be no people. He came to a village of Woodchuck people, et coepit cum virgine ludere. Cum pudenda ejus prehendit, ea fugit. She was afraid, for no one had ever done this before. He thought, “I will make this girl sick.” Soon afterwards her leg swelled. He asked her if she was sick; and she showed him her leg, which was swollen. He told her, “I know medicine that will cure that quickly.” She said, “Well, tell me!” He told her: “Go out a short distance from the village and whistle. When you hear an answering whistle, go to where the sound came from, and you will see something sticking out of the ground. Consides super illud et admittes in vaginam tuam [Sit on it and insert it into your vagina], and then you will at once become well.” Raven went to the outskirts of the village, and, covering himself with moss, supinus recubuit sua mentula eminente. Illuc venit virgo, ejus consiliis utens, et consedit super mentulam. Cum omnino introiit, corvus virginem subvertit et conscendens coiit cum ea. Nunc decrevit corvus homines coiturum esse, marem cum femina, et liberos et junctione eventurum et a femina parturum esse. [He lay down on his back, his cock protruding. There came the maiden, using his advice, and sat on the cock. When he had fully entered, the raven overturned the maiden and, mounting, mated with her. Now the raven decided that men would mate, a male with a female, and that children would come from the union and be born from the female.] Raven, however, forgot to tell the people not to be afraid when a woman should become pregnant, and that children would come naturally at the right time without any aid. After he had gone, the woman began to grow stout, for she was pregnant. After nine months, she thought she would burst. The people were afraid, cut her abdomen, and extracted the child. Subsequently the cut healed. Afterwards they did the same with other women. Finally, however, a woman would not allow the people to operate on her. She had been cut once, and she had been sick a long time from the effects; so she said that she would rather die than be cut again. After nine months she gave birth to a child. From that time on, the people did not cut any more women.

Raven now ordained that people should die and be born. One generation would die off and be followed by another, and so there would always be people. Had he said people would only be born, and not die, then people would always live, and now there would be very many people on the earth. Had none died and none been born, then there would always have been just the original people in the world.

Raven now divided the people into exogamic phratries. He put half the people on his right side, and half on his left. The former he called Katce’de; and the latter, Taxtlowe’de [Katce’de is the name of the Raven phratry among the Tahltan. It is said by some to be derived from the name of a place in the Tlingit country called Kate, meaning “cedar bark;” and by others, from the Tlingit ka, signifying “man” or “people.” Taxtlowe’de is the name of the Wolf phratry of the Tahltan, and is said to be derived from a Tlingit word meaning “back sand” or “sandy place back in the interior.”]. He said that the right-hand people, or Ravens, should always marry the left-hand people, or Wolves. It would not be well to marry otherwise. After this the people had the two phratries of Raven and Wolf.

Raven and Grizzly-Bear

Now Raven came to the house of Grizzly-Bear, who was a strong, fierce man, and fought and ate people. When people saw him, they always ran away. Raven said, “Halloo, brother-in-law! what are you doing?” and Grizzly answered, “I am fishing.” Raven said that he would help him; so he staid with him, and helped him catch salmon, dig roots, and so on. Presently he stopped the salmon from coming up the creek, and Grizzly became very hungry. One day Raven heated stones in the fire until they were red-hot, and then pretended to eat them. He took hold of them with two sticks, and passed them down in front of his body so that Grizzly could not see. The Bear thought it very funny that he should eat hot rocks. Raven said, “I am hungry, and these rocks are very sweet.” At last the Bear thought he would try them. Raven heated a large stone red-hot, and told Bear to open his mouth. He told him, “You must swallow the stone at once, for, if you hold it in your mouth, it is not sweet. When it goes down your throat, you will taste it very sweet.” He then threw the rock down the grizzly’s throat and ran away. Grizzly became very angry, and fought and attacked everything he saw. At last he died, the rock having burned his stomach. This is why there are stripes on the inside of the stomachs of grizzly hears. Having overcome and killed the Bear, the latter had now lost his power; so he transformed him to the hear we know as the grizzly at the present day. He said, “Henceforth grizzly bears shall not be so powerful, nor so fierce, nor will they fight and kill people so much.”

Raven paints the birds

Now Raven called all the birds to a great feast. He painted each one a different way, — the hawks, the owls, the eagles, the jays, and all birds, great and small. He painted Robin red on the breast. He painted Bluejay blue, and tied up his hair in a knot on his head. He tied up Ruffed-Grouse’s hair in a knot. He painted Bald-Headed Eagle white on the head, neck, and back, and the rest of his body black. And thus he painted all the birds in different ways. He told the birds, “I called you to a feast. Now I will cut up the bear and feast you.” Now he changed his mind about feasting them, and instead he worked himself up into a passion and wanted to fight them. They became afraid, and all ran away. So they have kept the colors in which he painted them until the present day. Those who had their hair tied up now have crests on their heads.

Raven paints his men for war

Raven wanted to go to war against Grizzly-Bear, and called all the young men together. All the birds came, and the smaller mammals. He dressed them and painted them for war. He armed them for battle. He painted some black, and put white and blue and yellow stripes and spots on others. He painted the head of the mallard-duck green, and the head of the loon as we see it today. He put a large necklace of dentalia on the loon, and smaller necklaces on some of the other birds. He tied up the hair of the bluejay and willow-grouse. He armed some of the birds with spears. These birds have long bills at the present day. The chipmunk he painted with stripes down the back, and he looked very handsome. Loon was to be war-chief, and Raven gave him a big spear to carry. This is why he has a big beak at the present day. Later he was changed, and Robin was made chief. Raven painted him all red in front.

When all were ready, Raven said he would feast them. He cooked a great deal of meat, and then ate it all himself. The birds were angry at this breach of faith, and Robin began to growl at Raven. Then the others began to growl. Raven became angry, and took up a stick and threatened them with it. They all then ran away, and hid in different places. The ducks went to the lakes, the grouse to the woods; some went to the mountains, and some to the rivers. Thus they were scattered. Before this the birds had all been together. Raven said, “It would not be well for all kinds of birds to be in one place. It will be better for people if the birds are scattered. Henceforth the birds shall be scattered throughout the country, and each kind shall live in a different locality.” This is why birds are scattered over the country now, some kinds in the mountains, other kinds in the woods, and others in the marshes and on the lakes and streams. This is also the reason why the birds are marked and colored as they are at the present day.

The tree eats the bear

When the birds had all left, Raven turned to the trees and the roots of upturned trees, and offered them a present of the bear. He said, “I will feast you with the bear meat the birds would not eat.” The trees and roots became angry, because they knew Raven was fooling them. Then a tree fell across the bear, covering it up, and nearly hitting Raven. Now Raven said, “I have done wrong. I should not have done this. I should not fool people. People must not fool or joke to the trees or rocks, or game, or anything in nature, for these things will seek revenge.” This is why Indians are careful not to offend anything. If they make fun of a tree, they may get hurt by a tree; if they mock or fool with the water, they may be drowned; if they laugh at the snow, a snow-slide may kill them.

Raven kills Pitch-Man

Now Raven came to the house of Pitch-Man, who was the only person who knew how to catch halibut. He owned a halibut-hook, which he kept hidden. The people did not know how to make halibut-hooks. Raven said to the man, “I will help you with any work you have to do.” He agreed, and Raven did a great deal of work for him. Raven noticed that he always went to a cool shady place when the sun rose or when it was warm weather. He slept in the shade all day, and in the cool of the evening he went fishing. He always returned from fishing before sunrise. One day Raven said to him, “I will help you fish.” They went to sea, and Raven steered the canoe. Pitch-Man fished, and always kept his hook in such a position that Raven could not see it. They fished all night. When daylight came, the man wanted to go home; but Raven refused, saying that they had not caught enough halibut. Shortly before sunrise he told Raven that they must go home, and he looked anxiously in the direction where the sun would rise. Raven said, “We will go soon, we will catch just a few more fish.” They continued fishing. Presently the man became sleepy, and was hardly able to talk. At last he fell sound asleep. The sun rose, the wind quieted down, and it became very hot. Then Raven saw that the man had melted. Raven went home, took the melted pitch, and threw it to the trees, saying, “Henceforth pitch will he found in the wood of trees.” Now he examined Pitch-Man’s hook, showed it to the people, and they copied it. After this people had halibut hooks and could catch halibut.

Raven and his sister

After this Raven met a woman who was his sister, et lusit cum ea, quam ob rem sunt hodie Corvi qui cum sororibus suis ludant [and he played with her, which is why today there are Ravens who play with their sisters] (viz., girls of the same phratry).

Raven tries to marry a princess

Raven continued his journey south along the seashore, and came to a river where the Mink people lived. These people were very wealthy, and their women were very pretty. Raven wanted to marry the daughter of a wealthy man or chief among them. He made a very large canoe, and got the birds to man it and act as his servants. He sat down in the middle of the canoe with a large hat on. He wanted the people to believe that he was an important man. He sent one of the birds to ask the wealthy chief for his daughter. He told the bird, “Say that you are my son; and if he asks my name, tell him ‘Skin-Bag’.” The chief asked the bird what was the name of his father; and he answered, “Skin-Bag.” The chief said, “There is no nobleman of that name known to us. Tell your father that my daughter cannot marry a man of low rank.” He asked his daughter if she liked her suitor; and she answered, “No.”

Raven went away, and in a short time returned again in a larger canoe manned by many birds, who pretended they were his slaves. He also had much property in the canoe which he had made, to be given to the chief as presents for his daughter. Raven tried again; but the chief said, “My daughter can marry a nobleman of rank only. Your master cannot tell his rank, and not even his parentage. I do not want his presents, or canoe, or slaves, because he is of low rank and unknown parentage.” The girl also said that she did not like him. Raven was persistent, however, and continued to return and ask for the girl. At last the people became tired of him, and drove him away. Raven did not know who his father was, or how he came into the world, perhaps because he left his home when he was so young.

Raven in the country of the Tahltan

Now Raven turned back from the Mink people, and travelled north again. Now he showed the people the best places to fish, and made some fishing-places better for fishing. He built a house of timber like those the Tlingit use, and told the people to construct similar houses to live in. Before this they had used shelters and camps of various kinds, and some people had no houses at all. He established villages in the most suitable places for the obtaining of food and for shelter.

He tried to make a good place for the Katce’de people at Kake, to be their headquarters. [These people are said to have been Athapascan (Tahltan), who migrated to the coast and settled at Kake. Later most of them migrated back again, and today their descendants form a large part of the Tahltan tribe.] He wanted to make for them a country without much rain, similar to the interior; but he did not succeed. He then said, “I will take these people back to their home in the interior,” He told them to go up the Stikine River and wait for him; and when he reached them, he would make for them a good dwelling-place. After a while he came up the Stikine River, and made a house or camp for himself on the south side of the river, just opposite the mouth of Tahltan River. The remains of Raven’s house may be seen there now as a cave in the cliff. It was changed into stone. He put up his large robe as a wind-break for his camp-fire, so that the smoke would ascend right; and this wind-break may now be seen in the form of a long cliff on the opposite or north bank of the river, west of the mouth of the Tahltan. Raven tried to make a large, fine, level place opposite his house on the north side of the river, just east of the mouth of the Tahltan, and attempted to build a bridge across the Stikine from this level tract to his house. The bridge always fell down or broke, and all that remains of it now is a rocky point extending out into the river. He tore up and destroyed all his work. The level place he had made with considerable labor he also tore up. This place is now all rough and cracked, and is known to the whites as the “Lava Beds.” Raven was angry and disappointed. He told the Katce’de, “I am tired, for I have travelled and worked too much. I am not able to do any good work. I cannot make good houses and village sites for you, as I have done for the Tlingit.” He made a brushhouse, and said to them, “You will live in this kind of house even when it is cold weather. Camp where there is plenty of dry wood, so that you can have good fires. There will always be plenty of dry wood in this country for you to use.” This is why the interior Indians (Tahltan and others) use brush-lodges, and camp in a different spot every winter, according to the supply of fire-wood to be obtained. Much fire-wood is required to keep warm in brush-houses during cold weather. Raven said that the country around the mouth of Tahltan River would be the headquarters of the Tahltan tribe (or of the Raven or Katce’de clan). [There is a Katce’de or Raven phratry, and also a Raven clan, among the Tahltan. It is not clear whether the phratry or clan is meant here, but probably only the clan.] To the west of the mouth of the Tahltan, near the trail, may be seen Raven’s tracks, and also the place where he urinated, both transformed into stone.

Raven and Kanu’gu

Now Raven returned to the coast the same way he had come, and took up his abode near Wrangell. He lived for a time there. He thought, “My work is finished, and I have managed to arrange everything better for the people.” He went in his canoe out to sea, and there met Kanu’gu. He took hold of Kanu’gu’s canoe and conversed with him. Raven said to him, “You are a very old man. How old are you?” Kanu’gu said that he did not know. Raven said, “Well, I am very old too. Do you remember very long ago, when all the rocks were rotten?” Kanu’gu said, “Well, you must be older than I am, for I do not remember that.” Kanu’gu then put on his hat, and a dense fog came on. Raven tried to reach the shore, but paddled around in circles. He then called out to Kanu’gu, “Brother-in-law, you are older than I am.” Kanu’gu was following him in the fog, but Raven did not know it. Kanu’gu took off his hat; and the fog lifted, and the weather became clear again. Kanu’gu said to Raven, “You have fooled people so much, that I thought I would fool you by making fog.” Raven said, “I have fooled people, but always so that good should come. I have made things easier and better for the people. I stole water from you, but for the benefit of the people.” Kanu’gu said, “Yes, what you have done has been of benefit to the people. It is good that you did these things. You obtained light, and this has been good for me as well as for others.” Now Kanu’gu and Raven separated. The latter is said to have gone out to sea, and is said to live on a rock or island somewhere far away out in the ocean to the west. Kanu’gu is said to live in the same place.

Raven and the Haida

Raven spent much time on the coast, instructing and teaching arts to the people there. The coast tribes were particularly his people and children. Therefore the Coast Indians have greater knowledge in many ways, and are better provided, than the Tahltan and other interior Indians. They have better houses, have boxes, and better tools, than the interior people. Raven had finished his work on the coast before he came to the interior. He was tired then, after his years of constant labor, and could not do much in the interior. However, he instructed the interior people sufficiently, so that they could get along. This is the reason why the coast country and interior countries are different now, also why the people are different. Their manners, customs, and beliefs are partly the same as on the coast, and partly different. This is because Raven was unable to do things well there.

Of all countries, Raven spent the longest time in the Haida country. He took great pains in teaching the people there. Therefore the Haida are more skillful than any other tribe. They can make all kinds of things even better than the Tlingit and Tsimshian. This is why the Haida are superior to all tribes in canoe-building, house-building, making of totem-poles, and carving.

Raven institutes the Kuwega’n ceremonies

Kuwega’n is the Tlingit word meaning “deer”.

Once the animals were in two groups, living in different places. The Moose, Caribou, Deer, and others, numbering very many people, lived together; and the Goat, Sheep, Bear, and others formed the other group. The latter group of people made war on the former, and, surprising them, killed them all excepting Weasel (or Ermine), whom they spared. She was a very light-skinned woman, and they made a slave of her. After they had brought her to their country, they treated her very badly and abused her. At last they took her to an islet in the sea, which was always covered over at high tide, and left her there. When she was nearly drowned, Raven came in a canoe and took her off. She became his wife, and told him of the fate of her kindred. He determined to go to her country and see for himself.

When they reached there, he saw the bodies of the slaughtered people still lying intact. He asked his wife to point out the bodies of those who had been slaves. She did as directed, and he separated them. He skinned all the slaves, and wrapped their skins around the paddles of his canoe. The corpses of the other people he arranged in a row along the shore. Now he went in his canoe with the woman, and took the steering-place. He told her to put her paddle in the water; and when he cried “Kuk!” [a Tlingit word or exclamation] she was to lift it up out of the water at once. “Then,” he said, “all the corpses will come to life, and will stand up.” In no case was she to bear down on her paddle; for, if she did this, the people would be killed more dead than they were now. His wife did as directed; and when he called the word, she lifted up her paddle, and all the corpses arose. The people were glad, and said, “You made us alive. You shall be our chief. We will give you presents and slaves. You may keep our daughter the Weasel, whom you have, and we will give you others for your wives if you wish.” Raven said that he did not care for more than one wife.

The people all went aboard their canoes to go and take revenge on the enemy. Raven and his wife went ahead of them in their small canoe, which was very strangely and prettily carved and ornamented on the prow. The people of the enemy village saw a great fleet of canoes coming, and thought it must be a war-party or some great party of strangers coming to visit them. They all gathered on the shore and watched the ornamented canoe, which was in the lead. Raven told his wife to hold her paddle in the water, and, when he called “Kuk!” to push it down. She did this, and immediately all the people fell down dead where they stood. Raven was sorry, and said, “It is not good that I should make all the people die in this way. If people keep on killing one another, soon there will be no people left.” The Deer people said, “What you have done is right. If they become alive, they will attack us again, for there are many bad people among them.” Raven called one of the dead men, made him stand up alive, and asked him to point out the bodies of those people who were good. Raven then called all of the latter to life, and left the others dead.

Now he told the two groups of people to make friends. They talked a long time, and tried to agree. At last the chief of the Deer people proposed that his side give a certain number of warriors to the other side as hostages, and the other side give to them the same number for hostages. “Then we will feast each other’s hostages and dance, wearing eagle-feathers. [The tail-feathers of eagles which have mottled plumage and are slow of flight are the kind used in the Kuwegan ceremony as emblematic of peace.] Afterwards we will exchange the hostages again, thus making kuwega’n and peace.” Raven said this would be a good plan, so they exchanged men. Moose, Caribou, and Deer, on the one side, were willing to dance; and Deer made the best kuwega’n. The men of the other side were not so willing to dance, especially Sheep and Goat, who refused to use the eagle feathers emblematic of peace. Raven then became angry, and, taking four eagle tail-feathers, he stuck two of them in the head of Goat, and two in the head of Sheep. They became horns. He said to them, “Now you will always wear feathers. Other people will be able to take off their feathers (i.e., antlers) when night (i.e., winter) comes, and put on new ones in the daytime (i.e., summer), and thus always have clean feathers [with reference to the shedding of the antlers of moose, caribou, and deer]; but you will always wear yours, and they will get old and dirty.” All the people now danced and made peace. For eight days they danced.

Thus was the Kuwega’n ceremony instituted. Raven told all the people, “Thus will you make peace after fighting. I have done much for you, and have often nearly lost my life trying to benefit you. I obtained for your use light, fire, water, and other things. It is not good if you fight all the time and kill one another.”

Raven makes the Wolf women good-looking

Raven made figures of men and women, an equal number of each. He divided them by sexes. Then he divided them in groups. There were four groups, — Raven men. Raven women. Wolf men, and Wolf women. Now he said, “Raven men will mate with Wolf women, and Wolf men will mate with Raven women.” A woman of the Wolf phratry happened to be outside the house at the time, and, hearing Raven talking, she listened to what he said. Raven said, “I have made the Raven women the best-looking. They are really very good-looking.” Raven had to go outside. The woman at once ran inside, and changed the group of Wolf-women figures to where the Raven-women figures had been. When Raven returned, he pronounced his decree on the groups, saying, “I have already established the relationship of the sexes and of the phratries. Now I decree that people shall take after the characteristics of these figures I have made. Having made the women of one side better-looking than those of the other side, henceforth they will be better-looking.” The Wolf figures, having been changed to the Raven side, they were thus made the best-looking. Raven did not find out his mistake until after he had uttered his decree; and thus the Wolf women were made good-looking, whereas it was his intention that the Raven women should be the best-looking. This is why women of the Wolf phratry are so good-looking at the present day.

Raven considers how to provide for the people

Raven thought very hard, and tried many ways of making conditions such that people would always have plenty to eat without needing to work. He failed, however, to devise any method by which this could be effected. Had he succeeded, things would have been easy for people in the world today; but, because he failed, people have to work hard to obtain their food. Sometimes, even when working hard, they manage to live merely from hand to mouth, and some of them at times have no food at all. Even Raven himself did not always have food, and therefore people sometimes starve at the present day.

The origin of birth and death

Emmons, Tahltan Indians, p. 119: “Then Raven told the little birds that he was going to make man, but they did not believe him; and as he asked each one, ‘Have you young inside?’ they all answered ‘No.’ Then he turned to the rocks and the trees, and asked them the same question, and they both answered affirmatively; whereupon he told them the young first born would be man, and they each told him that at the break of day a child would be born. And so in the morning the tree first gave birth, and the offspring became man: therefore as the tree springs from the seed, lives, and dies, so human life is but for a season. Following the birth of the tree, the rock brought forth its offspring, which was of stone, and which was rejected by Raven as having everlasting life.”

Once the Tree and the Rock were pregnant and were about to give birth. The Tree woman held on to a stick or bar, as Indian women do, while the Rock woman used nothing to hold on to. Her child, when half born, turned into a rock and died. Raven came along shortly afterwards, and found the women. He said, “I am very sorry. I have come too late. Had I been here, this would not have happened. Now people must die, because Tree gave birth, and Rock did not.” If Rock had given birth, and Tree had not, people would never die. People would then have been like rocks, and lasted forever. As it is now, people are like trees. Some will live to be very old, and decay and die, as some trees do; while others, when only partly grown, will die like young trees that die without decay and fall down. Thus death comes to people at all ages, just as among trees, and none lives very long.

Raven curtails the powers of game

The game-mother called all the animals home to see how fast they could run. [The Tahltan believe in a woman who is mother and controller of all the game-animals.] She made them run very fast. Caribou ran fastest of all, and said to his mother, “I can beat them all;” and she answered, “Good!” He ran so fast, that nothing could get near him. All the game ran so fast, that people could not get them. Many people were starving. Raven said, “Too many people are starving. I must try to curtail the powers of the game, so that people may be able to obtain food. I will kill the game with my glance.” The game-mother had called all her children home, and no animals could be seen anywhere by the people.

Raven travelled to the house of Game-Mother, which was very distant. Covering up his head, he entered the house and sat down. He said to Game-Mother, “The people have plenty of game where I come from. You have not done a wise thing. Calling your children home is no revenge on us, nor does it harm us, for the people are getting all the game they require.” She answered, “It cannot be as you say. I have all my children here, so the people cannot be well off for game.” Raven said, “No, all the game cannot be here,” and they disputed over this. Game-Mother called all the game into her presence to prove that they were all there. Raven said, “It is no use for you to call them here. I cannot see them.” Raven now said to her, “We kill game simply by looking at it. No matter how fast game runs, we can kill them.” Game-Mother would not believe this, so Raven opened his eyes and looked at the game, who were immediately shot by his glance. [Some say, “The same as if arrows shot out of his eyes.”]

The animals saw no bow and arrows in Raven’s hands, and did not know that they were shot. They all became sick. He said to them, “Now, run!” but they could not move. He said to Caribou, “Hold up your foot!” He looked at it, and said, “Oh, your lower leg is nothing but bone, that is why you can run so fast.” He took some of the flesh from his upper leg and put it on the lower. “Now,” he said, “run!” Caribou ran. Raven said, “That is all right. Men will be able to run you down sometimes.” This is why there is a little meat now in front of the lower legs of caribou, below the knee. Next he examined the Bear, and said, “Oh, your legs are too long! No wonder you can run!” He broke Bear’s leg in halves, and said, “Now your legs are short, and people will be able to catch you sometimes.” This is why the legs of bears are short and crooked at the present day. Thus he changed all the game-animals, so that the people should be able to hunt them and get them.

Now he addressed them, saying, “Your mother will still have the power of calling you home, but that is all. [She has the power of making game scarce in certain places. When this happens, the Indians believe that some one has not treated the animals respectfully or has failed to make full use of them as food, and that therefore their mother has called them home for a time or for good, as a warning or punishment to the Indians. In similar circumstances and for like reasons the interior Salish say that game-animals have gone home or back to their own world under ground, whence they first came.] None of you will be able to run as before. When you see a hunter coming, run a little, then slack up and look back, also stop sometimes. If you run hard, I shall kill you.” All the game-animals were afraid of Raven’s threat, and promised to do as he had decreed. This is why game is easy to hunt now. Then Raven said, “I have used my glance for killing things. I think this is bad. If people have this power, they will not be able to look at one another. Henceforth people shall not have this power.” [Some add, “except to a very limited extent.”]

Raven steals fire

Only the Rock people had fire, and they guarded it jealously. Raven decided that all people should have fire, and he went to see the Rock people. The latter recognized him at once, and, knowing he was a transformer and fooler of people, they drove him away. To make themselves more secure from Raven, they made a wide stretch of water all around their house. Raven knew he had no chance to enter the Rock people’s house or to approach without being seen: therefore he negotiated with the birds to steal the fire for him.

He tried all the water-birds, but none of them would pay any attention to him. Now he set a snare and caught Tu’tcasada’ (a variety of bird with a long beak, possibly the pelican). He opened his mouth, and told him that he would split his face, kill him, and keep him there until his body was cold, if he would not promise to steal the fire for him. Tu’tcasada’, like many other birds, was considered harmless by the Rock people, and was allowed to enter their house and warm himself by the fire in cold weather. Raven said to him, “Can you really obtain fire if you wish? “and he answered, “Yes, lean.” Raven pretended to doubt his word, and asked him several times. At last the bird became angry, and said, “I will show you that I am able to obtain fire.” Tu’tcasada’ went across to the Rock people’s house, and was allowed to enter as usual. When the people were not looking, he picked up a piece of fire in his beak and ran out with it. The people chased him, but could not cross the water quickly enough. Tu’tcasada’ flew across rapidly, and gave the fire to Raven, who thereupon threw it into the woods, saying, “Henceforth fire shall be in trees and wood, and all the people will have a chance to use it.”

This is why fire can now he made with wood, and also why fire can he made with rocks (by striking), because the Rock people first owned fire, and fire itself was originally rock. This is also the reason why Tu’tcasada’s beak is shorter now, for it was burned while he was carrying the fire to Raven. Formerly its beak was very long.

Raven ballasts the Earth

After the great Flood, people were afraid that the earth might tip again, and cause another flood. The earth was very light in those days, and rolled up and down, displacing the ocean. Water would thus rush to one place and stay for a while. Then the earth would tip, and the water would rush back again. This is said to have happened several times; and some people say that the great Flood that destroyed people came about in this way. Therefore, to make the earth secure and steady, Raven put a large piece of ice on the earth to weigh it down and prevent it from tipping. [This ice is said to be in the far north, according to some, and to be great glaciers in high mountains, according to others.] Since then the earth has not tipped, and has been steady.

Raven makes lakes

At one time there were no lakes. There were creeks and rivers, but no lakes. Raven wanted to make lakes and put fish in them. He made a depression in the ground for the water to collect in, and a lake began to form. He put fish in the new lake. After a time he returned to see if the depression had filled up, and how large the lake had grown to be. When he came to the place, he found the water all gone and the fish all dead, and in the depression lay a very large man with a great distended belly. He saw the Snipe there running about, and asked him who the man was and what he was doing there. Snipe told him, “He lies there nearly all the time. He is gorged with water, and very seldom gets up.” Raven then knew that the man had drunk the lake. He took away Snipe’s short bill, and gave him a long, sharp one. He told him, “You must help me. I will pay you. When the man sleeps, you must push your bill through his belly.” He did as told. The water ran out until the man was empty and the lake full. Fish were than able to live in the lake again.

Raven told Snipe, “Henceforth you will watch the lake. If the water goes down a little, you must run along the shores and keep them damp, then the lake will keep full.” This is why the snipe now has a long beak, and why snipes run about on the shores of lakes. Raven took water from the lake, and, filling his mouth, blew it out over the country here and there, thus forming many lakes. This is why lakes and fish may be found all over the country now.

Raven makes mud

It was fine weather; and Raven was travelling, sometimes in his canoe, sometimes walking. The weather made him drowsy, and he lay down to have a nap. He dreamed that a woman was sleeping with him. When he awoke, he saw nobody. Then he noticed his own reflection in the water, and thought it was the woman. He said to it, “Come on, come here!” but it did not move. He moved towards it, and then it seemed to approach. He went into the water and met it. He seized it, and felt in the water right to the bottom, but could feel no woman. When he left the water, he saw it again. He did the same a second time. At last he thought the mud at the bottom must be she. He went in a third time, felt about at the bottom, and brought up mud. He tried to form a woman out of this mud; but, happening to look at the water, he saw the reflection, just as before. He thought this mud could not be she, for he had brought it up, and still the woman appeared to be there in the water. He became angry, and threw the mud at the reflection, saying, “Henceforth you shall be mud!” Then he got in his canoe and paddled away in a dissatisfied and angry mood. This is why mud is soft, and people sink in it. Had Raven finished the working of the mud into something, or made it hard, it would be different now. This is also the reason that some women are good-looking; and why, because of their looks, men are attracted to them, hut the same women are soft and useless. The Indians say, “They are just like mud.”

Raven creates bear

Once Raven called all the animals together, and asked them which would be Bear. Tree-Squirrel said, “Let me be Bear!” Raven answered, “No, you will not do to be Bear. You would not make a good bear.” Because Raven refused his request. Squirrel began to cry, and this is why squirrels cry as they do at the present day. A man who could conceal himself well in the winter-time was chosen to be Bear.

Raven and Bear-Man

Raven went to the house of Bear-Man, who was wealthy. Bear invited him in, saying, “I do not have a very fine house, or much clothes and goods, but I have plenty of food, and will give you something to eat.” He placed all kinds of food in great plenty before Raven, who ate and ate, until at last he was quite full. When leaving, Raven invited Bear to visit him, and two days afterwards he went. Raven had just finished building a large, fine, new house; but he had no food, and the house was quite empty. Bear, who was well dressed and wore a big hat, sat down outside. Raven invited him in. Bear saw it was indeed a fine house, but he saw no food or anything inside. Raven called Willow-Grouse to bring a dish and put it down before the fire, but Bear saw no person and no dish.

[Some informants think Raven simply pretended he had Willow-Grouse as a servant, and a dish for grease, to fool Bear or to show off. Others incline to think he really had an invisible helper and an invisible dish, and possibly an invisible fire. Some say Bear heard sounds as if some one brought a dish and placed it at the fire.]

Raven then got up in front of the fire and held his hands out, as if to let grease drip into a dish; but, instead of grease coming, he burned his hands. For this reason there are no feathers on Raven’s feet now, and they look as if they had been scorched. Bear said, “There is no necessity to do that. I do not like to see you burn your hands. You had better stop. If you have no food to give me, I will return home and eat.” Since that time people sometimes have had no food in their homes, because Raven had none in his when Bear visited him.

Raven and E’dista or Big-Toad

Toad monsters of gigantic size lived at one time in the country. They lived partly under water, and partly under ground. Their breath came out through holes and cracks in the mountains. They lay concealed, having their bodies covered with water, mud, or earth. When people came alone, they opened their huge mouths and swallowed them. They lived by eating people and animals. Raven wanted to deprive these monsters of their power, because they killed people.

He went to the abode of one, and sat down beside him. He said, “Brother-in-law, my mother told me that my uncle swallowed people, but I don’t believe it. I don’t think there is any one that swallows people.” Toad said at once, “It is only I who swallow people.” Raven said, “That is strange. How do you do it?” Toad said, “I will show you. I will swallow you.” Raven said, “All right!” and when Toad opened his mouth, Raven jumped in quickly, before he had time to bite.

Raven killed him by cutting his insides. When he was dead, Raven wandered around seeking for a place to get out. At last he saw a small hole through which a ray of light was gleaming. It appeared very high and far away. He climbed and climbed, the hole appearing to get larger as he got closer. At last he saw the sky through it, and finally he emerged on the top of a mountain. He had come out through Toad’s breathing-hole (or nostril). Raven said, “Now I have killed one of you. All of you have now lost your power of killing people.”

Raven and Rabbit-Man

Kextsa’za was a rabbit or hare man who appeared in the form of a small, tame-looking rabbit. [Kextsa’za or kaxtsa’eza, the mythological name of Rabbit-Man. The word has some connection with the Tahltan word for “rabbit.”] By pretending that he could be caught or that he could not run much, he lured people off to the ice of a lake (or river). When the people got to the middle of the ice, he caused a fierce cold wind to come and blow the snow off the surface of the ice, which then became so smooth, that the people could not walk, and fell down and froze to death. A number of boys went hunting rabbits in the winter-time, and saw a small, feeble-looking rabbit, which they chased. The rabbit kept just a little ahead of them, and led them to a large sheet of ice. A strong, cold wind began to blow, and made the surface so smooth that they could not return, and all froze to death.

The people told Raven of the death of the boys, and that Rabbit had killed them. Raven said, “I will go and see him. I can easily beat him.” The people said that they did not think he could beat him. Raven went and met Rabbit. He asked him, “Can you swim?” and Rabbit answered, “Yes.” Raven said, “I don’t believe it. I can swim, but you cannot.” Rabbit asked Raven if he could walk on ice; and Raven answered, “Yes.” Rabbit then said, “Let us go on the ice!” Raven said, “Oh, no! not yet. You said you could swim. We shall try swimming first, that I may believe you, and then you will see me walk on the ice.” Raven made a narrow strip of water for Rabbit to swim in. Rabbit was afraid to swim, and made ready to jump it. Raven saw what he was going to do, and, just as he jumped, made the water very much wider. Rabbit jumped, and fell into the water. He could not swim much, and soon was tired. He was about to drown, when Raven said, “Hold up your feet, and I will help you.” Rabbit held up his feet, and Raven pulled off his sharp claws; for rabbits formerly had sharp claws or spurs on their feet, enabling them to run easily on the smoothest ice. Raven now put pads on Rabbit’s feet, like the soft pads rabbits now have, and said, “Henceforth you will be able to run on ice just a little, and you will have no power of killing people”.

Raven and Crow

This story is said to be told by the Tlingit, and probably came from them to the Tahltan.

Crow was a gossip and a tell-tale. He always told people what Raven said, thus forewarning them and foiling Raven. The latter determined to punish him. He disguised himself, got a large canoe, and sat in the middle of it like a big chief. He was dressed finely, and had many small birds with him, who acted as servants and paddlers. They came to Crow’s house, and asked for the chief. Crow said that he was the chief there, and invited Raven in. He asked the latter what phratry he belonged to; and he answered, “Katce’de” [this is the name of the Raven phratry of the Tahltan]. Raven then asked Crow the same question; and he answered, “I am Katce’de also.” Raven then said, “Well, then you will feed me well and keep me over night.” Soon Raven pulled out his tongue to a great length, and, putting a louse on the end of it, swallowed the louse, saying, “That is very sweet.” Crow thought this was a strange act, but that he would try to do the same. He put out his tongue, but could not get it very far out. It seemed much shorter than Raven’s. Raven said, “Brother, I will help you.” He took hold of Crow’s tongue and pulled it out of his head. He told him, “Now, talk!” Crow talked; but it was in a very small way, and no one could understand what he said. Raven said, “Now you are only a crow, but I am a raven. You cannot tell on me any more.” This is why crows now talk feebly and caw, whereas ravens talk loudly and croak.

Raven and his blanket

Raven met two men who were wearing robes of red-willow bark. He thought the robes looked very pretty, and he wondered how he could fool the men so as to obtain their blankets. “Oh!” he said, “I will steal them from them when they are asleep.” Now, with Raven and the ancients, one night was the same as one winter, and one day the same as a summer. He went at night to steal the robes of the Red-Willow men, but found they were awake, and that their robes could not be stolen. They were fast to their flesh, in the same way as bark is to trees in the wintertime. They slept in the daytime, which was the same as summer, when the bark of trees is loose. He peeled off their robes carefully while they were sleeping, and ran away with them.

He came to a lake, where he threw away his own robe. North-Wind took it down the lake out of sight. He put on the red-willow bark robes; but they were brittle and broke up, and wore out in less than a day. The bark of the red willow was very thick in those days; but, probably because Raven wore the blankets out, the bark is now thin. Now Raven was sorry he had thrown away his own robe. He called to South-Wind to blow, knowing he would blow back the robe; but there was no answer. Then he dressed himself in pretty clothes, and put fine feathers in his hair. He danced and sang, and asked South-Wind to come to a feast and see him dance. Soon he saw a black cloud advancing, and he knew that the wind was coming. He saw that the wind was bringing the robe. He caught it and hid it. The main body of the wind was a little behind. When it arrived, Raven said, “I am too lame to dance, my leg is sore.”

He made a sweat-house, and asked South-Wind to sweat with him. He said, “I have no covering for the sweat-house. Have you no blankets?” Wind answered, “Yes, we brought a blanket with us. We will give it to you to use.” South-Wind searched for the robe, but could not find it. Wind refused to sweat with Raven, saying it was too hot. Raven pretended to be angry, and called the wind “bad people.” Wind answered, “You asked us to a feast and dance, and now there is nothing.” Raven said, “I am sick, and that is why I ask you to sweat with me, but you refuse. You South-Wind people are used to heat.” South-Wind said, “Yes, we South-Wind people come from a warm country; but we ourselves are cool, and do not like to make ourselves hot. We cannot sweat.” Raven said, “You promised me a covering for my sweat-houses, and now you have told me a lie.” South-Wind said, “Perhaps the robe has gone back to our house.” Raven told him, “Well, you had better go back and find it.”

When the South-Wind people had departed. Raven danced and called North-Wind to blow strong. North-Wind came, blowing a gale, and blew the South-Wind people far away. This is why, when a south wind comes up, it blows only a short time before a north wind springs up and blows it back. The North-Wind people are stronger than the South-Wind people. Had Raven not acted as he did, but entertained the South-Wind people, and had he not asked North-Wind to blow them away, then in this country we should now have mild winds nearly all the time, instead of the cold winds we generally have.

Raven loses his nose

This story is said to be told by the Tlingit, and probably came from them.

The people had lines set in the sea, but they could catch no fish. Their bait and even their hooks and lines disappeared. One night some of them watched by sitting in their canoes and holding the lines in their hands. One of them felt something, jerked his line quickly, and caught Raven in the nose, for it was he who had been eating the bait. The people pulled the line up into the canoe so quickly, that Raven did not have time to disengage his nose; and, as he did not want the people to get him, he pulled back and broke off his nose. The people found they had caught some one’s nose, but they did not know to whom it belonged. They took it to their village and gave it to one of their chiefs, who was a wise and wealthy man. Every one went to his house to see it, but none recognized it.

Raven put on a lump of pitch for a nose, shaped and colored it, and then, pulling his hat down over his face, went to the village. He entered the first house. The people said, “You are a stranger;” and he answered, “Yes, I have come from a different place.” They asked from what country and why he had come. He answered, “Oh! I have come from a distant country because I heard something.” They asked him what he had heard. He said, “I heard you caught something.” They answered, “Yes.” He said, “I hear it is a very strange thing. I want to see it. I have come a long way to see this curious thing.” They directed him to the next house. Thus he went through all the houses, asking and being answered in the same way. At last he entered the chief’s house. There were many people there. The chief showed him the nose, and asked him if he could recognize it. He held it in his hand, and examined it very thoroughly and slowly, at the same time making remarks expressive of his wonder at the curious object. At a moment when the people’s attention was diverted, he flew up with it through the smoke-hole, and, sitting down on the high branches of a tree, he put it on. This is why the raven’s nose now has a mark as if it had been broken off.

Raven and the ghosts

Once, when Raven was travelling, he came to a house, and, looking in, saw no inmates. He noticed a fish-spear with a single-pointed harpoon-head of bone. He camped near by, and noticed the fish-spear lying in the same place near the entrance of the house every morning. It seemed as if it had been used during the night. Several times he went and looked at the spear. He tried to make one like it; but, each time he attempted to do so, he forgot how it was made. At last he thought, “I shall go there at dusk and steal it, and then I can copy it.” He went into the house, which was not lighted in any way, but he could see a little. He saw no signs of fire, and no people. He seized the spear-head, and immediately a stick struck him on the leg. He thought it must have fallen on him accidentally from above. He went away with the spear-head, and received a hard tap on the leg. He persisted, and moved farther away. This time he received such a blow on the leg, that he fell down with his leg broken. Then a voice asked, “Why do you steal our spear-head?” Raven answered, “I wanted to copy it. I notice that you are fishing; and I cannot fish, for I have no spearhead.” He added, “Where are you?” He felt about, but did not feel anything. The ghosts were talking to him, and he was in a house of ghosts.

The voice said, “I will help you.” The ghost then took half the lower rib from one side of his body, and gave it to Raven, telling him, “As soon as you sharpen it, it will change into a spear-head; but you must use it only at night. In the daytime it cannot spear fish.” Raven went off lame, carrying the bone. This spear-head obtained from the ghosts was shown by Raven to the people, who copied it; and from this model were spear-heads made like those used by the Indians now. This is why ravens have crooked legs and walk lame now. Had Big-Raven not been made lame by the ghost, ravens would not be lame now. This is also the reason why people and game have a small rib on their sides, underneath the others. This is the rib broken off by the ghost, and given to Raven to make the spear-head. This is also the reason why ghosts sometimes strike people and things at night, and also why ghosts are invisible. Had Raven seen them, they would be visible to us now.

Raven and Porcupine make the seasons

Once Porcupine and Beaver quarrelled about the seasons. Porcupine wanted five winter months. He held up one hand and showed his five fingers. He said, “Let the winter months be the same in number as the fingers on my hand.” Beaver said, “No,” and held up his tail, which had many cracks or scratches on it. He said, “Let the winter months be the same in number as the scratches on my tail.” Now they quarrelled and argued. Porcupine got angry and bit off his thumb. Then, holding up his hand with the four fingers, he said emphatically, “There must be only four winter months.” Beaver became a little afraid, and gave in. For this reason porcupines have four claws on each foot now.

Since Porcupine won, the winter remained four months in length, until later Raven changed it a little. Raven considered what Porcupine and Beaver had said about the winters, and decided that Porcupine had done right. He said, “Porcupine was right. If the winters were made too long, people could not live. Henceforth the winters will be about this length, but they will be variable. I will tell you of the gaxewi’sa month [name of a month in the Tahltan calendar corresponding to about December; the name is said to mean “rabbits eat on the top,” with reference to the top of the snow, as snow always covers the ground to a considerable depth in this month], when people will meet together and talk. At that time of the year people will ask questions (or propound riddles), and others will answer. If the riddle is answered correctly, then the person who propounded it must answer, ti’xta (fool-hen).” Raven chose this word because the fool-hen has a shorter beak than any other game-bird. “If people guess riddles correctly at this time of year, then the winter will be short, and the spring come early.”

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