Various adventures near Cross Sound

In the neighborhood of Cross Sound lies Kude’sqayik, a place rich with tales of ancient practices and mysterious events. Stories recount a tragic accident with a tree climber, encounters with a massive devilfish, and supernatural land-otters that brought chaos to hunters. The community’s struggles with strange disappearances culminated in retaliation against murderers. A shaman’s discovery of flint symbolizes resilience amid these haunting narratives.

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 narrative includes encounters with a massive devilfish and land-otters possessing supernatural qualities, reflecting interactions with otherworldly creatures.

Conflict with Nature: The characters face challenges posed by natural elements and creatures, such as the devilfish seizing their canoe and the land-otter causing disturbances, highlighting struggles against natural forces.

Moral Lessons: The community’s response to the tragic death of the tree climber and their subsequent actions convey lessons about revenge, justice, and the consequences of human actions within their cultural context.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

There is a place in the neighborhood of Cross sound called Kude’sqayik, which people used to frequent in olden times to hunt, catch halibut, and so on. People were then in the habit of traveling from camp to camp a great deal.

One time a man and his wife went out to get cedar bark off from some trees, and the man went quite a distance up into the woods from his wife with his stone ax and tree climber. This tree-climber was an apparatus composed of ropes, with a board for the climber to stand on. But, while he was high up in a tree, the board slipped from under the man’s feet, and the rope held him tight to the tree by his neck so that he died. Since he did not come back, his wife went home and reported that he was missing. Then they hunted for him everywhere, and finally a man found him hanging from the tree dead.

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The dead man was brother of a chief. So they took the board that had fallen from under his feet home, laid it across the neck of a slave and killed him to be revenged on the board. They kept the board and exhibited it at feasts. Afterward people were called for the death feast.

People continued going to the different bays hunting, and one day a canoe with two men in it anchored close by a cliff. While they were there one of them saw two huge devilfish arms moving across the bay. They ran ashore and hid under a rock, letting the arms pass over them, while the devilfish took the canoe into its hole under water.

Then the men started up the hill. On their way home they saw in a small creek what appeared to be a little halibut, but on coming closer they found that it was only a white rock which had that appearance.

After they had reached home and had reported what had happened, all the people began to chop at a log. Then they started a big fire and began to burn it. But, when it was half burned, they put out the fire by throwing hot water upon it. They were going to take it to the devilfish hole and drown it there. So they took it over to that place and let it down, but never saw it again.

Later four other men went hunting by canoe one autumn to a place called Watasa’x, where they encamped. By and by one of the party, on going to his traps, found a big land otter in one of them. He took the bough of a tree, twisted it around the land otter’s neck, and carried it home. He did not know what it was. As he dragged it home it went bouncing along behind him and at every bounce something whistled behind him. Arrived at camp he began to skin it. Then he said to his brothers, “Go and get your pot ready to cook it,” but, when they began to cut it up to put it in, something whistled. “That is just what I heard on the way,” he said.

After the pot had boiled and they had begun eating, something began to whistle in a tree near by and threw a rock down. They threw one back and soon rocks were flying back and forth. It was a great thing to fool with. By and by the men said, “You might cut our faces,” so, instead of throwing rocks, they seized long cones and threw these back and forth all night. Toward morning the being in the tree, which was a land-otter-man, began to hit people, and they on their part had become very tired. Finally they tried to get him down by lighting a fire under the tree where he was sitting. When it was burning well, all suddenly shouted, and he fell into it. Then they threw the fire over him, and he burned up. But when they started for the beach to go home, all wriggled from side to side and acted as if they were crazy; and when anyone went to that place afterward he would act in the same manner.

These men lived at a place called Person-petrified (Cakdahana’), and when they came home, it was told them, “A woman and her child have been lost from this place.” This woman had been attacked by some strange man, whom she also killed with the pole which was used to take off cedar bark. At that time many persons had disappeared, and the people were wearied out looking for them. Now, however, they were determined to find the murderers, so all got into one canoe and started along the coast. After a time the high waves compelled them to encamp, and all went up into the woods to hunt through them for a beach. Then they came to a house made of driftwood, where the murderers lived. They went to each end where the main stringer protruded, lifted it off of its supporting posts and let it fall on the occupants. Those who tried to get out between the logs they killed. Then they set the ruined house on fire and burned it with all it contained; and they broke up the canoe belonging to those people.

Close by lived a shaman related to the same people. His spirits told him that there was a mountain near by where flint could be obtained. His spirits had so much strength that he went right to that place and broke it off. In those days every time a shaman cut an animal’s tongue he had more strength, so, when his strength was all combined, it amounted to considerable.

At that time the people did not have any flint, but, after the spirit discovered it, all knew where it was to be found, and they have since brought it from there.

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The finding of the blue paint, and how a certain creek received its name

Four Sitka brothers, skilled hunters, discovered blue pigment under a cliff near Mount Edgecumbe during a storm. Taking it risked their safety, as storms seemed tied to its removal. Despite challenges, they brought it home, and its value outweighed fears. Separately, near Sitka, a tragic misunderstanding led a boy to burn his sister, creating the name “Creek-where-a-person-was-burned.” These tales blend discovery and cautionary tragedy.

Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The tale explains the discovery of a valuable blue pigment by four brothers near Mount Edgecumbe, shedding light on the origins of this material used for painting and carving.

Conflict with Nature: The brothers’ act of taking the blue paint leads to turbulent weather, suggesting a struggle against natural forces and the consequences of disturbing natural elements.

Moral Lessons: The narrative imparts cautionary lessons about miscommunication and its tragic outcomes, as seen in the misunderstanding that leads a boy to harm his sister, resulting in the naming of “Creek-where-a-person-was-burned.”

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

At Sitka lived four brothers who were very fond of hunting. In those days people liked to hunt about the straits north of Sitka for fur seals, sea otters, etc. One day, while they were out, they were forced to take refuge from a storm at a place near Mount Edgecumbe, called Town-on-the-inside-of-blue-paint-point (Nexi’ntaiataq-an), and while hunting about this place during their long stay they discovered a rocky cave or overhanging cliff from which soft blue stuff continually dropped. The youngest said, “I have discovered a valuable thing which will be used for painting and for everything carved.”

After they had been there for a long time the weather became fine and the sea smooth. Now in olden times people knew that everything was dangerous.

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When the brothers were about to start, they said, “We will take some off now to carry home.” So they knocked off a big piece, rolled it up among their clothes and hid it away. But the canoe had scarcely started before the sea began to get rough. When they were some way out they headed for an island outside of Edgecumbe which they had to pass. Then the eldest, who was steering, began to compose a song about the course he was taking: “Which way shall I steer the canoe, straight out into the ocean or straight on to the shore?” The youngest said, “There is no way of getting home. Would it not be better to throw this blue paint into the water? Then we can get ashore.” So the eldest brother put in the next verse as follows: “Which way shall we steer, straight in or not? Shall we not throw this blue paint into the water? If not how shall we be saved?” Then he exclaimed, “Bring the blue stuff here and tie it to my head, and I will be drowned with it so that things shall eat me up with it.”

They were not drowned, however, and reached shore in safety, so people still speak of their bravery in not throwing the blue paint overboard. To this day they say that, if you take anything from there, the weather will be stormy, and people are still afraid to do it, but take the risk because the thing obtained is valuable.

For a long time after the brothers reached shore with this blue paint the weather was bad and great rollers came sweeping in out of the ocean. No one could go to sea after halibut.

At that time some people were camping a short distance north of Sitka, and one day two women went from there with their children to dig clams. The came into a small inlet and made their camp. Then the women began bringing up shellfish, which they afterwards boiled to get the insides out, ran small sticks through them, and hung them up to dry for their children. One day they went down on the beach as usual, leaving their babies in camp; and the smallest began crying. Then a child somewhat larger shouted, “The baby is crying. The baby is crying.” Its mother said, “Bury one of those cockles in the fire and cook it for her,” but the little boy understood his mother to say, “Dig a hole for your little sister in the fire and put her into it.” So the little boy began to pull the fire apart and to make a hole in the middle of it. He tried to knock his little sister into this hole but she kept getting up again, so he shouted, “She keeps trying to get away from me.” After a while he became too strong for his little sister, put her in, and covered her over.

When his mother came up, she said, “Little son, where is your little sister?” “I have buried her in the fire. She is there.” So after that they named the stream Creek-where-a-person-was-burned.

The poor man who caught wonderful things

A poor fisherman, mocked for his lack of success, accidentally catches a radiant, enormous abalone. Persuaded to release it, he regrets losing such a treasure. Later, he uses his ingenuity by baiting with blood-soaked sponge, catching an abundant, valuable fish nest. Sharing his catch, he gains wealth and respect, turning his fortunes around while symbolically reclaiming the abalone’s promise of prosperity.

Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The protagonist’s fortunes change dramatically from poverty to wealth through his ingenuity and perseverance.

Cunning and Deception: The fisherman uses a clever method—baiting with a blood-soaked sponge—to attract and catch the valuable fish nest, showcasing his resourcefulness.

Moral Lessons: The tale imparts lessons about resilience, the value of sharing, and how resourcefulness can lead to success, as the fisherman shares his catch and gains respect and prosperity in return.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

There was a long town from which all the people used to go out fishing for halibut and other large fish every day. In those times, before bone was used, they made hooks of two pieces of spruce from young trees, sharpened the point and hardened it in the fire. For lines they dried slender kelp stems.

A very poor man living at one end of the town fished among the others, but did not catch anything. While they were having a good time fishing he remained perfectly quiet, and they kept laughing at him.

One day, when he pulled at his line, it acted as if it were fast to something. He thought it had caught upon a rock and pulled it about in the endeavor to free it. All at once it began to come slowly up, and, although every one laughed at him, he held on.

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After he had brought it close to the canoe, he looked down and saw that it was a great live abalone caught in the flesh. Its color shone out of the water. As it ascended it was so big that all the canoes seemed to come inside of it, and it shone in every one’s face. Then some people who wanted to take this valuable thing away from him, said, “Cut the line. It is a great thing that you have caught. You better let it go.” After a while he became tired of the people’s talk, so he cut his line. Then it began to go down very slowly, shining all over.

Then others came to him and said, “You did not do the right thing. It is a very valuable thing you let go.” He said, “Has it sunk?” So nowadays, when a person has lost a valuable thing, they say to him, “Is it an abalone that has sunk?” (De’ca gu’nxa ak we wuta’q) Whenever he thought about this he cried at the riches he had let go.

Another time they went out fishing, and he was with them. He had a sponge in his hand, and taking a piece of flesh out of his nose inside so as to make it bleed, he filled the sponge with blood and let it down into the ocean. When he began to pull up his hook, it was again fast. He pulled it up slowly, for it was very heavy. It was another valuable thing, the nest of a fish called icqe’n. Then he filled his canoe with these fishes, called the other canoes to him and filled them. After that he stood up in his canoe and said, “The abalone has not been drowned from me yet. I still have it.” He distributed these fishes all over the town and began to get rich from the property he received. People gave him all kinds of skins — moose, caribou, fox, etc. He had great stores of riches from having caught the abalone and the nest of fishes.

Beaver and porcupine

A porcupine and a beaver shared a close but complicated friendship, marked by mutual aid and eventual betrayal. Their alliance protected them from predators like bears but soured when the porcupine abandoned the beaver. Later, the porcupine befriended a groundhog, leading to strange events involving a hunter who met his demise due to a groundhog’s eerie prediction. The tale explores trust, betrayal, and supernatural warnings.

Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Trickster: The tale comes alive with the cunning schemes of the porcupine, whose wit and trickery upset the beaver’s plans, embodying the mischievous and chaotic spirit of a classic trickster.

Moral Lessons: A timeless cautionary tale unfolds, teaching the importance of trust and the inescapable consequences of deceit, as the beaver and porcupine’s actions lead to unexpected turns.

Conflict with Authority: Beneath the surface, the story explores challenges to control or dominance, as characters wrestle for power, turning their conflict into a rich narrative of rebellion and consequence.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

A porcupine and a beaver were once very close friends. They traveled about everywhere and reported to each other all that happened. The bear is very much afraid of the porcupine, but he hates the beaver. Wherever the beaver has a dam, the bear breaks it up to lower the water, catches the beaver and eats him. But he is afraid of the porcupine’s sharp quills, so the latter sometimes stayed in the beaver’s house, which is always dry inside.

When the lake began falling, they knew it was caused by the bear, and the porcupine would go out to reconnoiter. Then he would come back and say to his friend, “Do not go out. I will go out first.” Then the bear would be afraid of the porcupine’s sharp quills and go away, after which all the beavers began repairing their dam while the porcupine acted as guard.

► Continue reading…

By and by the porcupine said to the beaver, “I am hungry. I want to go to my own place.” Porcupine got his food from the bark and sap of trees, so he told the beaver to go up a tree with him, but the beaver could not climb. Then the porcupine told him to stay below while he went up to eat. Soon they saw the bear coming, and the beaver said, “Partner, what shall I do? The bear is getting near.” Then the porcupine slid down quickly and said, “Lay your head close to my back.” In that way he got the beaver to the top of the tree. But, after a while, the porcupine left him, and the beaver did not know how to climb down. He began to beg the porcupine in every way to let him down, but in vain. After quite a while, however, the squirrel, another friend of the beaver, came to him and helped him down, while the porcupine was off in a hole in the rocks with a number of other porcupines.

By and by the porcupine went back and saw his friend swimming in the lake. The beaver asked him down to the lake and then said, “Partner, let us go out to the middle of the lake. Just put your head on the back of my head and you will not get wet at all.” Because these two friends fell out, people now become friends, and, after they have loved each other for a while, fall out. Then the porcupine did as he was directed, the beaver told him to hold on tight, and they started. The beaver would flap his tail on the water and dive down for some distance, come to the surface, flap his tail, and go down again; and he repeated the performance until he came to an island in the center of the lake. Then he put the porcupine ashore and went flapping away from him in the same manner.

Now the little porcupine wandered around the whole island, not knowing how to get off. He climbed a tree, came down again, and climbed another, and so on. But the wolverine lived on the mainland near by, so after a while he began to sing for the wolverine (nusk) “Nu-u-sgue-e’, Nu-u-sgue-e’, Nu-u-sgue-e”. He called all the animals on the mainland, but he called the wolverine especially, because he wanted the north wind to blow so that it would freeze.

Then the wolverine called out, “What is the matter with you?” So he at last sang a song about himself, saying that he wanted to go home badly. After he had sung this the whole sea froze over, and the porcupine ran across it to his home. This is why they were going to be friends no longer.

Then the porcupine made friends with the ground hog and they stayed up between the mountains where they could see people whenever they started up hunting. One day a man started out, and when they saw him, the porcupine began singing, “Up to the land of ground hog. Up to the land of ground hog.” The man heard him. That is why people know that the porcupine sings about the ground hog.

After this the man began trapping ground hogs for food and caught a small ground hog. He took it home and skinned it. Then he took off the head and heated some stones in order to cook it. When he was just about to put it into the steaming box the head sang plainly, “Poor little head, my poor little head, how am I going to fill him?” The man was frightened, and, instead of eating, he went to his traps in the morning, took them up (lit. “threw them off”) and came home.

Next morning he reported everything to his friends, saying, “I killed a ground hog, skinned it and started to cook the head. Then it said to me, ‘Poor little head.’” After that he went out to see his bear traps. While he was endeavoring to tighten the release of one of these, the dead fall came down and struck him in the neck, making his head fly off. When he had been absent for two days they searched for him and found him in his own trap. This was what the ground hog had predicted when it said, “My poor little head.’” They took his body down to the beach, beat the drums for him, and had a feast on the ground hogs and other animals he had trapped.

The protracted winter

A group of boys disrupted nature’s balance by moving a piece of seaweed, causing winter to return prematurely, bringing hardship to their village. A blue jay later led them to a nearby town, Kilna’xe, where summer persisted and food was plentiful. This story, from near Wrangell, highlights how people in the past respected nature’s delicate harmony, recognizing small actions could have significant consequences.

Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Conflict with Nature: The boys’ interference with the seaweed disrupts the natural order, leading to an unexpected return of winter and subsequent hardships for their community.

Moral Lessons: The narrative underscores the importance of respecting nature and how seemingly minor actions can have significant consequences, teaching a lesson about the delicate balance between humans and the environment.

Supernatural Beings: The appearance of the blue jay, which guides the villagers to a place where summer persists, introduces a supernatural element, suggesting that animals may possess otherworldly knowledge or serve as messengers in folklore.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

One time some boys pulled a piece of drifting seaweed out of the water on one side of their canoe and put it in again on the other. It was almost summer then, but, for having done this, winter came on again and snow was piled high in front of the houses so that people began to be in want of food. One day, however, a blue jay perched on the edge of a smoke hole, with elderberries in its mouth, and cried, “Kilna’xe.” This was the name of a neighboring town. So the people took all the cedar bark they had prepared to make houses out of and went to Kilna’xe where they found that it was already summer and the berries were ripe. Only about their own town was it still winter. This happened just beyond the town of Wrangell.

I tell you this story to show how particular people used to be in olden times about things, for it was only a piece of seaweed that brought winter on.

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Root-Stump

In a town plagued by mysterious abductions, a supernatural force carried off all the men and women, leaving only two women behind. One conceived a son, Root-stump, through root-juice. Gifted with extraordinary powers, Root-stump grew rapidly, defeating the airborne abductor and a malevolent canoe-maker who preyed on others. His heroic actions restored balance, embodying the mystical cautionary tale about root-juice’s potency.

Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Root-Stump’s conception from root-juice and his rapid growth highlight themes of extraordinary change and development.

Supernatural Beings: The tale features mystical entities, including the airborne abductor and the malevolent canoe-maker, emphasizing interactions with otherworldly forces.

Moral Lessons: The story serves as a cautionary tale about the potency of root-juice, warning women against swallowing its sap to prevent unintended consequences.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

There was a certain town in which many people were dying of sickness, but those who felt well used to play shinney on the beach every day.

Then something came down through the air and one of them seized it and was dragged up from the ground. Another person grasped his feet, endeavoring to pull him back, but he, too, was carried up and another and another until there were ten. All of these were taken up out of sight.

The next day the same thing came down a second time, and ten more were carried off. This happened every day until all the men in the town were gone. Next it came to a woman, and all the women were carried away in the same manner except two.

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These two women now walked along the beach calling for help. They did not know whither their friends had gone. And every day they went up into the forest after roots.

One day, after they had gone up into the woods, one of these women began swallowing root-juice, and it formed a child in her. This was born and proved to be a boy. After he had grown a little larger, his mother named him Root-stump (Xat-cugu’lki). This is what helped her. All the men who used to chop canoes away from town had also disappeared.

The child grew very rapidly and repeatedly asked his mother, “Where have all my friends gone?” She said to him, “We do not know. They kept going up into the air.” When he was a little larger he began to test himself. He would go up to a tree, seize a limb, and. try to stretch himself. Then roots would run out from him in every direction because his mother had named him to have that sort of strength. [The exact words of the story-teller]

His mother said to him, “Look out when you go down on the beach to play, because those who do so go up into the air and you will also go up. So look out.” Then he ran down to the beach and began playing. All at once the thing came down. He seized it, and immediately roots grew out from him into the ground in every direction. So he pulled down the thing that was killing his people, and it broke into small pieces.

There was another being in the woods who always chopped and made noises to entice people to him in order to kill them. He was in the habit of killing people by asking them to get into his canoe, when he knocked out a thwart so that it closed in upon them. He was the one who had killed the canoe-makers. Root-stump once found this man engaged in making a canoe, and the man asked him to jump inside. Root-stump knew what he was about, however, and jumped out too quickly. Then Root-stump was so angry that he seized the canoe-maker and beat his brains out. He broke up the canoe and piled it on top of him.

This boy grew up into a very fine man. He brought in all kinds of things for his mother. If he were hunting mountain sheep and came to a chasm or other similar place, he would cross it by sticking his roots into the ground on the other side.

This is why they say to a woman who works with roots, “Do not swallow the sap. You might have a baby from it.”

The woman who was killed by a clam

During a famine, a chief’s daughter became trapped by a bivalve while gathering clams at low tide. As the tide rose, she sang a lament until it submerged her completely. Mourning her loss, the people held a feast, offering food, blankets, and other items to the water as a tribute to her memory.

Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Sacrifice: The woman’s tragic death highlights the sacrifices individuals make during times of hardship, especially in the context of a famine where gathering food is perilous.

Loss and Renewal: The community’s mourning and the subsequent feast symbolize the cycle of loss and the attempts at renewal through communal rituals and offerings.

Sacred Spaces: The sea serves as a sacred space in this narrative, with the community offering tributes to the water, acknowledging its power and significance in their lives.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

There was a famine at a certain town and many people had to depend on shellfish, so the women went down to the beach at low tide every day to gather them.

One time a chief’s daughter went down and reached far under a rock to find some clams. Then a large bivalve called xit closed upon her hand, holding her prisoner.

Presently the tide began to rise, and, when it had almost reached her, she began singing a song about herself. She kept on singing until the tide passed right over her.

Then all felt sad and held a feast for her at which they put food, blankets, and other things into the water.

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Stories of the Monster Devilfish and the Cry-Baby

In this story, a group of people camped to dry salmon, unaware of a devilfish lurking nearby. The fish destroyed their camp and swept everything into the sea. The hunters sought revenge, tracking the devilfish and ultimately killing it. Meanwhile, a boy who constantly cried was fed “blackberries” by a land-otter-man, which turned out to be poisonous creatures. These creatures consumed the boy’s flesh, and after a special broth was given, they were expelled, leaving only his skin.

Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Conflict with Nature: The narrative centers on a community’s encounter with a formidable devilfish that devastates their camp, highlighting the challenges humans face against natural forces.

Revenge and Justice: In response to the destruction, the hunters embark on a mission to track and kill the devilfish, seeking retribution for their lost community members.

Supernatural Beings: The tale features interactions with extraordinary entities, including the devilfish and a land-otter-man, reflecting the rich presence of supernatural elements in Tlingit folklore.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

Many people once went to a certain camp to dry salmon. They did not know that a big devilfish lived under a steep cliff not very far from this place. In olden times, besides using hooks, they caught salmon by means of traps (cal), and when the trap was full, they would take out the fish and hang them on drying frames. When these people had many fish on the frames, they took off their covers, so that the red color shone out on the ocean very distinctly.

A man and his two brothers living at this camp were fond of hunting, and one day, when very many salmon were on the frames, they started out. While they were gone the devilfish saw the glow on the water from the red salmon, threw his tentacles around the camp and swept every vestige of it into the sea.

► Continue reading…

In those times a hunter washed in urine before going out hunting and was then sure to kill something, but on that day everything the hunters speared got away. When they returned to the camp, they saw many pieces of canoes drifting about the bay. Then they were very sad on account of the loss of their friends, but they did not know what had destroyed them.

After they had remained there for four days, they told the youngest to climb to the top of a high hill and watch them. Then the eldest told his other brother to cut four young spruce trees, and he sharpened these, making two for himself and two for his brother. Early in the morning they loaded their canoe with rocks and prepared to meet the dangerous animal. They went out in front of the high cliff and began throwing rocks down there, the elder saying to his youngest brother, “Look down.”

After a while they saw the large devilfish coming up right under them. Then they took the sharpened sticks and began to pierce its flesh. The youngest watched all that happened. When their canoe was broken up, they climbed on top of the devilfish and continued running the sticks into it until it died. When that happened it carried them down along with it.

Then the youngest brother started off to find some settlement, and when he came to one, the people set out at once to look for his brothers. Finally they discovered the place to which the devilfish had floated, along with the hunters and their canoe. But it did not get the salmon it had destroyed so many people for. Then the people gave a death feast and all cut their hair off short.

In the town to which these people belonged once lived a little boy who was always crying. His parents tried to rear him properly, yet he cried, cried all the time. Finally his father shouted out, “Come this way Djinakaxwa’tsa [the name of some man that had been captured by land otters]. Pull this boy away, for he cries too much.” Toward evening he repeated the same words, and this time a land-otter-man behind the house shouted out stutteringly, “Bring my grandchild here and let him eat galkadaxa’ku to keep him quiet.” So the little boy was taken away and given what appeared to him to be blackberries.

Two days afterward they began searching for him, and they finally found him far up in the woods. When they brought him down he had a big belly and did not cry as loudly as he had before, so they thought that something was wrong. Then they boiled some dried salmon and gave him broth made from it. The heat of this broth expelled all of the small creatures that had been given him to eat under the appearance of blackberries. Spiders began running out of his mouth, cars, nose, eyes, and buttocks. His insides were filled with them, and they had eaten out all of his flesh. When these were expelled, nothing was left but the skin which they threw away.

The halibut people

In a coastal village, the chief’s daughter slips on halibut slime and curses it, sparking a chain of events. She is taken by halibut people and killed. Her brothers devise a daring plan to avenge her, leading to an undersea adventure where one impersonates her and slays the halibut chief. Later, an encounter with a magical duck ends tragically, transforming them into eternally crying ducks.

Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The chief’s daughter is taken by the halibut people and killed, leading to her brothers’ transformative journey to avenge her.

Underworld Journey: The brothers venture into the underwater realm of the halibut people to retrieve their sister and seek vengeance.

Revenge and Justice: The brothers’ quest to avenge their sister’s death by infiltrating the halibut people’s domain and killing their chief highlights themes of retribution and the restoration of familial honor.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

There was a very long town where people were fishing for halibut. One evening the daughter of the chief, whose house was in the middle of the place, went down on the beach to cut up halibut, and slipped on some halibut slime. She used bad words to it.

A few days afterward many canoe-loads of people came to get this girl in marriage, and she started off with them. But, although they appeared to her like human beings, they were really the halibut people. As soon as they had left the village they went around a point, landed, and went up into the woods after spruce gum and pitch. They brought down a great quantity of this, heated a rock in the fire and spread pitch all over it. When it was melted they seated the woman upon it. The two brothers of this girl searched along shore for her continually, and finally they discovered where she was; but she was dead.

► Continue reading…

Then they felt very sad on her account and asked each other, “What shall we do about her?” They thought of all kinds of schemes, and at last hit upon a plan. Then they went home, filled a bladder full of blood, and went out to the halibut fishing ground. The elder brother let his younger brother down on a line, but before he got far he lost his breath and had to be pulled up. So the elder brother prepared himself. He put on his sister’s dress, took his knife and the bladder full of blood, and got safely to the bottom. When he arrived there he found himself in front of a house. Some one came out to look and then said to the chief inside, “Has your wife come out to see you?” They thought it was the dead woman. So the halibut chief said, “Tell her to come in,” and he married her.

At this time the friends of the young man were vainly endeavoring to catch halibut, and he could see their hooks. Instead of coming into the houses these would fall around on the outside. They tried all kinds of hooks of native manufacture, but the only one that succeeded was Raven-backbone-hook (Yel-tu’daqe), which came right in through the smoke hole.

After a while the halibut chief said, “Let us go and take a sweat bath.” [Frater autem puellae mortuae semper secum portabat vesicam cruore plenam, quo ungebat extrema vestem qua indutus erat, ut rhombum deciperet, dicens, “Mensibus affectus sum; noli mihi appropinquare.”] [But the brother of the dead girl always carried with him a bladder full of blood, with which he anointed the hem of his garment, in order to deceive the heron, saying, “I have been afflicted for months; do not come near me.]

That night, as soon as the halibut chief was asleep, the man took his knife, cut the chief’s head off and ran outside with it. Everybody in the town was asleep. Then he jerked on his brother’s line, and his brother pulled him up along with the head.

After that they paddled along shore for some time, and on the way the elder brother kept shooting at ducks with his arrows. Finally he hit one and took it into the canoe. It was shivering, and his brother said, “Look at this little duck. It is dying of cold. I wish you were by my father’s camp fire.” On account of these bad words the canoe went straight down into the ocean.

Arrived at the bottom, they saw a long town, and some one said, “Get out of the canoe and come up.” Then the duck led them up into the house of his grandfather, the killer whale — for the killer whale is grandfather to the duck — and a big fire was built for them. Then they seated the brothers close to this and said, “Do you think it is only your father who has a big fire?” After they were so badly burned that their heads were made to turn backward with the heat, they were thrown outside. There they became the ducks called Always-crying-around-[the-bay] (Yikaga’xe). You can hear them crying almost anytime when you are in camp. They never got back to their friends.

Wolverine-Man

In this tale, a hunter, adhering to traditional customs of preparation, encounters Wolverine-man, a mythical figure who teaches him a transformative hunting method involving a unique trap called “Never-lasting-over-night.” The trap ensures abundant success, enabling the hunter to achieve wealth and fame by sharing the innovation. Interwoven with moral lessons and mystical elements, the story reflects the cultural significance of skill, preparation, and respect for nature’s rules.

Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Magic and Enchantment: The hunter’s encounter with Wolverine-man introduces him to a supernatural being who imparts mystical knowledge, particularly the creation of the “Never-lasting-over-night” trap, which ensures hunting success.

Moral Lessons: The story emphasizes the importance of adhering to traditional customs and respecting the guidance of mystical beings. The hunter’s success is attributed to his compliance with the rituals and teachings provided by Wolverine-man.

Transformation: Through his experiences and the knowledge gained from Wolverine-man, the hunter undergoes a transformation from an ordinary individual to a renowned and wealthy figure within his community, highlighting personal growth and the acquisition of wisdom.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Sitka, Alaska
January-April 1904

There were people living in a certain town on the mainland. In olden times the people did not use guns. They hunted with bows and arrows, and horn spears, and it was very hard work to use them. So, when they were going hunting, they had to fast and wash their heads in urine. That is why in all of these stories — which I am telling you just as they were told in the olden times — food was very scarce and hard to get. Success depended on what things were used and how people prepared themselves.

One day a certain man at this place began preparing himself by washing his head in urine, and the following morning he dressed and started up the valley carrying his horn spear. At the head of this valley he saw a flock of mountain sheep, but he could not get at them, so he camped over night. In the morning he saw that a wolverine (nusk) was among these sheep killing them off.

► Continue reading…

Next evening he reached the top of the mountain and started into the brush to camp, but came to a house with the door wide open for him. On the inside hung pieces of fat from all kinds of animals the wolverine had killed. He wanted to go in very much, but instead he sat down in the brush near by and waited.

Presently a man came along carrying a pack. This was Wolverine-man (Nu’sgu-qa). He said, “My trader, you are here. Why don’t you step inside?” Then they entered, and Wolverine-man took off his clothes and began wringing them out just like a human being. Then he heated some hot rocks, took his half basket, chopped up the bones of a ground hog and put these into it along with the cooking stones. Then he said to the man, “Give me that kandala’x. Give me that kaxa’kaok.” These were his own words which he was teaching to this man, and they mean, “Give me my dish. Give me my little spoon.” So, when one went up to the top of this mountain in olden times he called his dishes and spoons by those names.

Then Wolverine-man placed the food before his guest, but, when the latter was about to take some, Wolverine-man said something that sounded strange to him. He said, “There he is picking it up. There he is going to eat it.” It sounded strange. Then he kept on talking: “He is getting closer to the small bones. He is getting closer to the small bones. He is getting closer to the small brother of the big bone. He is getting closer to the small brother of the big bone.” He did not want the man to eat the small bones at the joint [the knee-pan or the ankle and wrist bones] and it was from Wolverine-man that people learned not to eat these. He said, “I am not saying this to you because I hate you. If anybody swallows these, the weather is not clear on top of the mountain. It is always foggy, and one can kill nothing. This is why I am telling you.” Meanwhile the people in the camps hunted every day for this man but in vain.

By and by Wolverine-man said to him, “Go around to the other side of the mountain and sit down where the ground-hogs’ places are.” He went there every day, but always came home without anything. Wolverine-man, however, brought him a great load every time. Finally Wolverine-man told him to go and cut off two small limbs with his ax. People generally carried a stone ax when off hunting. With these he made a trap for him and named it Never-lasting-over-night (Lanka’kixe). It was so named because it was certain to catch.

When they went up next day, Wolverine-man said, “I am going this way. Do not set your trap until you see a large ground hog going into a hole. Set it there.” Soon after he left Wolverine-man he saw a big ground hog going into its hole. He set up his trap there, stood near, and watched. Soon he heard the crack of his trap falling.

He set it up many times, and each time he caught one. He killed four that day. That is why the trap is called Never-lasting-over-night. From that time on he increased the size of his catch every day, while Wolverine-man did not catch much. When he got home with all his ground hogs Wolverine-man lay down by the fire and began singing, “What I would have killed has all gone over to a lazy man’s side.”

Next morning, when they again started off to hunt, Wolverine-man, instead of continuing on his usual route, came back to see what his companion was doing. Then he climbed into a tree to watch him, began to play around in the tree, and afterwards suddenly fell down. He wanted to deceive the trapper. This tree is a small bushy one called sax, and it is Wolverine-man’s wife with which he had really been cohabiting. The man, however, observed what he was doing, and returned home at once, upon which Wolverine-man became so ashamed that he lay down and covered himself with ashes.

After that Wolverine-man told his guest to lie down and cover himself up. Then he took his urinal full of urine, with two white rocks in it, to another place. He was going to bathe to purify himself from his wife. After he had purified himself, he came home, put grease into the fire and began to motion toward his face and to blow with his mouth. Then he took a wooden comb and began to comb his hair. The man had covered his head with the blanket but was watching through a hole.

Now the man arose and said to Wolverine-man, “I am going home to my children.” Then Wolverine-man told him not to say where he had been but to keep him in remembrance by means of the trap. He had stayed with Wolverine-man more than a month, and, when he went down, he had a big pack of skins.

Then he began to distribute these to all his friends, telling them that he had discovered a place where there were lots of things, and that he had a trap which never failed to kill ground hogs and other animals if set on the mountain over night. When he explained to the people how to set up this trap, a man named Coward (Qatxa’n) said, “I will go along with you.” This time they did not go way up to the place where Wolverine-man had helped him but into one of the lower valleys where there were many ground hogs. There they constructed a house out of dry sticks and began trapping. Coward had understood him to say that he caught ground hogs by whittling up sticks near the hole. That was what he was doing every day, until finally his companion said, “What do you do by the holes that you do not catch anything?” He said, “Why, I have already cut up two big sticks by the holes.” Then the other answered, “That is not right. You have to cut and make a trap with which to trap the ground hog.”

After that this man thought he would do the same thing to the tree he had seen Wolverine-man do, but he fell to the ground and was barely able to crawl home. When he thought he had enough skim, he started to pack up and return. The trap was very valuable at that time because it was new, and anyone borrowing it paid a great deal. So he became wealthy by means of it. He went to every other town to let people know about it. They would invite him to a place, feast him, and ask him for it. He became very wealthy.