The girl who married the lal

A Chilkat chief’s lively daughter unknowingly steps on the skin of a lal fish, later encountering a mysterious suitor who marries her against her father’s wishes. Revealed as a lal, the husband is mocked by the villagers. After abandoning the village, he transforms into a river-blocking monster, unleashing a flood that destroys the settlement—sparing only the girl’s father’s house, as forewarned.

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 girl’s husband is revealed to be a lal, a fish spirit that transforms into a human.

Transformation: The lal transforms from a fish to a human and later into a river-blocking monster.

Divine Punishment: The lal unleashes a flood that destroys the village, sparing only his wife’s father’s house, as retribution for the villagers’ mockery.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

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

There was a certain Chilkat chief belonging to the Ganaxa’di whose house stood in the middle of the village. One morning his daughter, a very lively girl, went out of doors and stepped upon something slimy. “Ugh,” she said, “those dirty people throw their slops out right where a person may step into them.” What she stepped on was the skin of a fish called lal, which is taken in Chilkat river. The girl thought no more about this, but toward midnight a young fellow appeared to her as if in a dream and said, “I am in love with you,” whereupon he sat down at the head of her bed. Although the girl had rejected many suitors, she took a liking to this youth at once and married him. This was against the will of her father, but she was his only girl and was very wilful, so he let her have her own way. The youth was very industrious, working at all times and hauling down wood for them. From him they learned how to haul wood.

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It was well on toward spring, but it was dry, and the ground was frozen hard. Every day the young fellows in that village played ball, and the girl’s husband, who was a very powerful fellow, kept throwing the ball farther and farther up river every time they played. At last they became so angry that they caught him and tore his clothes off. Then they saw that his skin was covered with blotches. He was really the lal who had appeared to the girl like a young man. Then they said, “Look at his body all in blotches. The idea of that girl having such a fellow after she had refused high-caste people like herself.” Now the youth continued to sit day after day where his clothes had been torn off, and although people went to call him every day, saying that his wife wanted him to come back, he would not answer a word. Finally his wife went out herself and said, “You better come home,” but he answered, “Tell your father to tie your house down very firmly and block up every aperture even to the smoke hole.” That night the lal started off up Chilkat river, and a long time afterward they noticed that the river was going dry. They wondered what was causing it, but it was really due to the lal, who had grown to be a monster and was lying right across the stream higher up. Very early one morning, however, they heard a terrible roar, for the lal had left the place where he had been lying and the ponded water was coming down. It washed away the entire village except the house belonging to his wife’s father.

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The woman who married the frog

A girl insulted a frog, leading to her mysterious disappearance after meeting a man in the woods—actually the frog in disguise. She married him and bore two children who appeared human to her but were seen as frogs by her family. When the family discovered her through the children, they drained the lake where she lived. Rescued amidst frogs clinging to her, they banished the creatures using human bones. She returned to her father, freed from the frogs’ influence.

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 frog transforms into a man to marry the woman, highlighting themes of physical change and disguise.

Forbidden Knowledge: The woman’s initial insult to the frog leads her into an unknown world, suggesting the consequences of actions that transgress societal norms.

Supernatural Beings: The narrative involves interactions with frogs that possess human characteristics, indicating a world where the supernatural intersects with the human realm.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

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

A certain girl once said something very bad to a frog. Some time afterward she went up to the woods with her little sister, and suddenly her little sister lost her. She had met a fine-looking man and had walked on with him for a long time until they were far off from the village. When her little sister got home they asked her, “Where is your sister?” and she said, “I thought that she had gotten back home.” They searched for the girl everywhere but could not find her. They did not see her for a long, long time.

The man that this girl had met was really a frog, which she had married, and she now had two children. To her, however, the frogs looked like human beings. One day this girl said to her children, “Run down and see your grandfather and grandmother. Their house is just in the middle of the village, and you will know it as soon as you see it.”

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So the children went down to the house, but, when they entered it, some one called out, “Look at those little frogs coming into the house.” Then their grandmother said, “Put them out.” So they were thrown out of doors.

When the children got back to their mother she said, “Did you see your grandmother?” and one answered, “I think it was she. We went into a house,” which they described so that their mother knew at once that it was the right one, “and some one called out, saying, ‘Look at these frogs.’ Then some one else said, ‘Throw them out,’ and they did so.”

Then their mother said, “Go back and try to see her again even if they do throw you out.” So the little frogs went down and entered their grandmother’s house once more. Again some one called out, “Those little frogs are in here again.” But this time their grandfather said, “Bring them here to me. My daughter is missing. These might be her little ones.” So he held out his fox robe and they laid the little frogs upon it. The frogs crawled all over his breast and shoulders. Then the frogs were seated in front of their grandfather and were given cranberries. They picked them up one by one with the fore foot and put them into their mouths.

Afterward the frogs started to hop out, and a man followed them with the dishes of food. They hopped straight up to a lake back of the village and jumped in. Then, as the chief had already directed them, the men set the dishes down at the edge and stood watching. Presently the dishes moved out into the lake and sank. All at once they came up again and moved back to the same place.

Then these men returned to the chief and reported everything that they had seen, whereupon he sent them back, saying, “Go back and say, ‘Your father has invited you to the house.’” They did so. Then they heard a voice replying, “I cannot come.” They reported this to her father, and he told them to take up her marten-skin robes and her other clothing and lay them by the lake. After that she came down and along with her the two high-caste frogs whom she had married. When they had finished eating, all went back.

Now the girl’s father thought often and deeply how he should get her back, for he did not know what to do. Finally he said to the village people, “Make a place where the lake can flow out.” So all of the people went to work to drain the lake, and the water began flowing out. When the lake was nearly dry they saw this girl, all covered with frogs with the exception of her face, start to flow along with them. They picked her out from the very midst of the frogs and carried her home, but the frogs followed right after her. The house was quite filled with them. Then they killed all of the frogs that were upon her body, but as they did so more climbed up. When they began killing them with human bones, however, they went away. Afterward the girl remained with her father, and the frogs did not bother her any more.

Migration of the Ga’naxa’di to Tongass

The story of Dancer, a man of the Ganaxa’di, chronicles his transformation from a reckless gambler to a resourceful leader. After losing everything and being abandoned by his wife, Dancer takes his nephews on a journey, using mysterious clay to craft powerful medicine. Together, they prosper in a new land. Reuniting with their families later, they create a thriving community, though Dancer rejects reconciliation with his wife.

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

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Dancer undergoes significant personal change, evolving from a compulsive gambler to a responsible leader who guides his nephews to a new life.

Quest: The journey Dancer undertakes with his nephews in search of a new home and prosperity embodies the quest motif, involving challenges and discoveries along the way.

Loss and Renewal: Dancer’s initial losses—his possessions and his wife—lead to a period of renewal as he builds a new community and life, highlighting the cyclical nature of loss and rebirth.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

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

At Klawak was a man of the Ganaxa’di named Dancer (le’Xe) who was very fond of gambling but unable to win. Finally his wife said, “If you gamble again we will leave each other. I don’t want to be with you any more. You are gambling too much.” Her husband said that he would stop, and for a little while he did so. One day, however, a great game was in progress far out on the marsh, and his wife missed him. She knew where he was and felt very badly. In the evening, when he came home, she found out that he had lost everything in the house. Then she said to him, “You have been gambling again.” “Yes,” he said. She said nothing more, thinking it was of no use, until late in the evening. Then the men that had won their property came after it, and Dancer got up and showed them where the things were, but his wife did not speak a word. There was nothing left for her except a blanket and pillow.

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Finally, after they were gone, the woman sat down and began to cry. When she was through she said to him, “The house belonged to you, but you must go out, for you have gambled with all of my things. If you do not go I must. I married against the wishes of my people and they will not take me in if I leave here.” Then her husband said, “Do not feel badly if you should happen to hear of me,” and he went away.

This man had seven sisters, all of them very well off, but they would not have anything to do with him. Very early in the morning he went to their houses and awakened the boys. Without asking the permission of their mothers he told them to get their bows and arrows quickly and come along with him. Next morning, after he had walked with them for some distance, they found a canoe, and he had them all get into it. In the evening, when their uncle camped with them, the children began to feel that something was wrong, and some cried, saying that they wanted to get back to their fathers and mothers. Then he told them that they would soon come to a fine town, and kept on going farther and farther away until they reached a place called Sea-lion’s-face (Tan-yeda’) where Tongass now stands. They kept on beyond this until they came to a large rock some distance out at sea on which were sea otters; these they clubbed.

Some of the boys were now quite large. Later they came to a long sandy beach, and their uncle made a house there out of driftwood. He dried the skins and made that place his permanent residence.

During the second night they spent there, Dancer heard the two dogs he had brought along, barking. He told his sisters’ children to get out of bed to see what was the matter. They did so, and, on running out, discovered a large animal coming along, as big as a black bear. At first they thought that it was a bear, but it was of a different color, so they concluded that it was medicine. His nephews shot at it, and the man picked up their arrows and noticed that there was something like clay upon them. Everyone pursued the animal and at last they saw it disappear into a hole in a mountain. Meanwhile Dancer took the clayey substance from all of the arrows, wrapped it in leaves, and put it into the bosom of his shirt, giving the arrows back to the boys.

Now, Dancer made the place his town, and continued to live there with his nephews who were grown up. The stuff he had taken from their arrows he put behind the barbs of others so that they could use them in hunting. He also put some of it on their eyebrows, their hair, and around their mouths. He said it was to make the hair thick in those places, and sure enough they came to have fine eyebrows, hair, and mustaches. They became fine-looking men.

When they went out hunting with the medicine arrows he had made, and shot at a seal, even if the arrow merely came close to the seal without touching it, the seal would die. That was also a great place for sea lions, and whenever they saw one of those animals, their uncle would go out with a fan made from the tail of an eagle, anointed with this medicine, and wave it toward the sea lion. Then the animal came right up on the beach, and they clubbed it to death. They had all kinds of food in their house and were continually drying meat and skins. The house became so full, in fact, that they had to build a larger one.

By and by their uncle said that he wanted some eagles, and the boys, of whom there were eleven, went out with their bows and arrows, and each brought one in. Then each of them had an eagle’s tail fan for himself such as were formerly used in dancing. They also killed all kinds of birds and secured plenty of marten skins and weasel skins. Of these latter the uncle sewed together a marten-skin robe and a weasel-skin shirt for each boy as well as one for himself.

One time Dancer and his nephews went a long distance beyond their village and found a box, beautifully carved and painted, lying upon the beach. They said to one another, “There must be people living over this way.” At that time they did not know anything about the Tsimshian. Keeping on farther, they saw still more signs of people, and finally they came to a Tsimshian town.

Then they returned to their own place, and afterward the uncle felt that some people whom they knew were coming to see them. These people were his brothers-in-law, who had been hunting for him continually and had just started out once more. When their canoe came in sight, Dancer said, “There is a canoe coming right along there in the direction we came from.” He had composed some songs while he was there, so he said, “You boys must dress yourselves to dance for the people in that canoe.” When the canoe got closer he went outside and shouted, “That canoe must stay out there. Don’t come in right away.” So the canoe stopped, and after a while the boys came out and danced for the canoe people while he sang. The men in the canoe recognized Dancer but not the boys, who had grown up very quickly into fine-looking men. After that they invited the canoe people up to the house. They entered, and all the time they were there kept looking at one another and whispering, wondering what Dancer had done with their children. But, though they camped there one night, they did not ask for them.

Next morning, however, just before they got into their canoe, Dancer said to each man in turn, “This is your boy. This is your boy.”

Upon that his brothers-in-law said to him, “We will be right back to see you again. We will come and live with you.” Then they went back to their village, and told the news, and the mothers, who had been mourning for their children, felt very happy to know that they were alive. Dancer’s sisters, their husbands, and all their people came over to him. Dancer and his nephews had been watching for them and counting the days until they should return. Dancer’s wife had not married again and was very anxious to see her husband, but he did not look for her. The boys had drums made out of deer hide, and, as soon as the canoes arrived, they told them to come close to the beach and they would dance for them. So the canoes stopped, and they came out and danced for the canoe people. Dancer’s wife had thought that he would take her in at once, but he would not have anything to do with her.

Then the people were asked to come in and eat, and they were all fed by the boys and their uncle. Afterward they built their houses all about him and made the place their permanent village.

Story of the Ka’gwanta’n crests

A Ka’gwantan man befriended a wolf by removing a bone stuck in its teeth, leading to a dream where the wolf revealed secrets of luck and friendship. This established the Ka’gwantan’s use of the wolf as a symbol. Similarly, after bears attacked Ka’gwantan fishers, the people avenged the deaths, killing the bears and preserving their skins, thus adopting the grizzly bear as another important symbol.

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: Interactions with animals possessing human-like qualities and the ability to communicate through dreams.

Cultural Heroes: Figures whose actions lead to the establishment of important clan symbols and traditions.

Transformation: The symbolic change in the clan’s identity through the adoption of new crests following significant events.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

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

A man belonging to the Ka’gwantan was out camping, and saw a wolf coming toward him, showing its teeth as though it were laughing. On looking more closely, he saw that it had a bone stuck between its teeth. Then he took the bone out and said, “Now you must show me what makes you so lucky.” The wolf turned right round and walked away, but next night the man dreamed he had come to a very fine town. It was the wolf town, and the wolf he had befriended came to him and told him something to make him lucky, saying, “I am your friend.” He was grateful for what the man had done to him. Since then, the Ka’gwantan have used the wolf.

Another time when some Ka’gwantan were getting herring at Town-at-mouth-of-lake (luqa’ceik-an), a bear came to the place where they were, reached down through the smoke hole and took away the herring they were drying.

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Then the people said, “Who is this thief that is stealing all the fish?” For that he killed all of them. Then the Ka’gwantan seized their spears and set out to kill the bears in that neighborhood. When they discovered those bears they were lying in holes they had dug for themselves, and the people said to them, “Come out here and let us fight it out.” Then the bears did so, and the people killed them. They took the skins from the heads of the bears and preserved them. The bears so killed were Kats’s children. This is how the Ka’gwantan came to use the grizzly bear.

Story of the frog crest of the Kiksa’di of Wrangell

A Stikine Kiksa’di man offended the frog people by kicking a frog, leading them to capture his soul. The frog chief, Frightful-face, revealed that the frogs were of the same Kiksa’di clan and spared him as kin. Upon release, the man’s body revived, and he recounted his ordeal, solidifying the Kiksa’di’s connection to frogs as spiritual kin.

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

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The man’s encounter with the frog people, who possess the power to capture his soul, highlights interactions with mystical entities.

Divine Punishment: The man’s disrespectful act towards the frog leads to his soul being taken, serving as retribution from higher powers for his transgression.

Moral Lessons: The tale imparts a lesson on respecting all creatures and recognizing the interconnectedness of life, especially within one’s own clan.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

A similar story is told by the Ganaxa’di of Tongass.
Myth recorded in English at Wrangell, Alaska, in January-April 1904

A man belonging to the Stikine Kiksa’di kicked a frog over on its back, but as soon as he had done so he lay motionless unable to talk, and they carried his body into the house. This happened at Town-of-the-frogs (Xixtc-xa’yika-an), so named because there are many frogs near by.

The reason why this man lost his senses was because the frogs had taken his soul. They had it tied to a house post, and some of them said, “Let him starve right there where he is tied.” Others said, “No, don’t let him starve there. Feed him and let us see what the chief says.” This chief’s name was Frightful-face (Yaku’ldi). When he at last came in his canoe, they said, “Frightful-face has come.” Then all went down to his canoe to welcome him, and, when he reached his house, they told him the news. They said, “This man disgraced us terribly. He threw one of our women down and kicked her over.”

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The woman was called Woman-in-the-road (Deyexca’gu). When the chief looked up, he said, “Untie him and bring him here.” Then he said to the man, “We belong to your clan, and it is a shame that you should treat your own people as you have done. We are Kiksa’di, and it is a Kiksa’di youth who has done this. You better go to your own village. You have disgraced yourself as well as us, for this woman belongs to your own clan.”

As soon as he had left the frogs’ house, his body lying at home came to. He had thought all the time that his body also was in the house of the frogs. Then he got up and began to talk. He said, “Something strange has happened to me. The frog people captured me on account of that frog that I kicked over in front of the house the other day. They had tied me to the chief’s house-post, and some wanted to kill me at once, while others wanted to starve me, and still others wanted to wait until their chief, Frightful-face, came home. When the latter at length arrived, they said to him, ‘We have a man in here who has been throwing down one of our women. We have been waiting for you to see what shall be done with him.’ I listened to all they said. Then the frog chief said, ‘Untie him,’ and all minded him. As soon as he had heard about it, he said, ‘See here, young man, what is this you have done? Don’t you know that we belong to your clan and that this woman you have done that to is of the same clan? If it were not for that, we would not let you go. As it is you may go.’”

All of the Kiksa’di were listening to what this man said, and it is because the frog himself said he was a Kiksa’di that they claim the frog.

Story of the Nanyaa’yi crests

The Nanyaa’yi of the Stikine River claim the grizzly bear as their emblem, rooted in a flood legend where a bear and mountain goat accompanied them to safety. They preserved and honored bear skins, hosting ceremonies that included costly gifts and the naming of children. Renowned for their association with the grizzly bear, they composed songs and traditions around it, though they value the mountain goat less significantly.

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 narrative describes how the Nanyaa’yi people, accompanied by a grizzly bear and a mountain goat during a flood, undergo a significant change. Their interaction with these animals leads to the adoption of the grizzly bear as a central emblem, symbolizing a transformative event in their cultural identity.

Sacred Objects: The preserved grizzly bear skin, maintained meticulously over generations, serves as a sacred object imbued with deep symbolic significance. It is central to ceremonies and traditions, highlighting the importance of sacred artifacts in cultural practices.

Cultural Heroes: The Nanyaa’yi clan, particularly the head chiefs known as Shakes, are portrayed as cultural heroes. Their stewardship of the grizzly bear emblem and the associated ceremonies reinforce their status and influence within the community, embodying the traits of foundational figures who shape societal values and traditions.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

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

At the time of the flood the Nanyaa’yi were climbing a mountain on the Stikine river, called Seku’qle-ca, and a grizzly bear and a mountain goat went along with them. Whenever the people stopped, these two animals stopped also, and whenever they moved on the animals moved on. Finally they killed the bear and preserved its skin with the claws, teeth, and so forth, intact. They kept it for years after the flood, and, as soon as it went to pieces, they replaced it with another, and that with still another up to the present time. This is why they claim the grizzly bear.

During the times when this bear skin has been shown thousands of dollars worth of slaves and furs have been given away. Shakes (Ceks), head chiefs of this clan, would go up to a row of slaves and slap each one, upon which the slave would either have to be killed or sent home.

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This is why they gave great names to their children. They were very proud of owning this bear and did all kinds of things toward it. That is why all Alaska speaks of the Nanyaa’yi as the chief ones owning the grizzly bear. Very many songs were composed concerning it, with words such as these, “Come here, you bear, the highest bear of all bears.”

They also have the head of the mountain goat, but they do not value it as highly.

Story of the killer-whale crest of the Daqlawe’di

Natsilane, a man often quarreling with his wife, was abandoned by his brothers-in-law on a distant island. Stranded, he carved killer whales from various woods, eventually succeeding with yellow cedar, imbuing them with spirit power. Using these whales, he avenged himself by destroying his brothers-in-law’s canoes but later commanded the whales to spare humans. This tale explains the Daqlawe’di clan’s connection to killer whales, spanning cultures in Alaska and beyond.

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

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Natsilane carves killer whales from yellow cedar and imbues them with spirit power, bringing them to life.

Revenge and Justice: After being abandoned by his brothers-in-law, Natsilane uses the animated killer whales to destroy their canoes, exacting retribution.

Supernatural Beings: The story features the creation of living killer whales through spiritual means, highlighting interactions with supernatural entities.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

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

There was a man called Natsilane’ (the name of a worm that appears on dried salmon) who was continually quarreling with his wife. He had many brothers-in-law, who became very much ashamed of this discord but had to stay around to protect their sister. One day his brothers-in-law took him to an island far out at sea, named Katse’uxti, and talked very kindly to him. But, while he was out of sight upon the island, they left him.

Then he began thinking, “What can I do for myself?” As he sat there he absent-mindedly whittled killer whales out of cottonwood bark, which works easily. The two he had made he put into the water and, as he did so, he shouted as shamans used to do on such occasions. Then he thought they looked as if they were swimming, but, when they came up again, they were nothing but bark.

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After a while he made two more whales out of alder. He tried to put his clan’s spirits into them as was often done by shamans, and, as he put them in, he whistled four times like the spirit, “Whu, whu, whu, whu.” But they, too, floated up. Now he tried all kinds of wood-hemlock, red cedar, etc. Finally he tried pieces of yellow cedar, which swam right away in the form of large killer whales. They swam out for a long distance, and, when they came back, again turned into wood. Then he made holes in their dorsal fins, seized one of them with each hand and had the killer whales take him out to sea. He said, “You see my brothers-in-law traveling about in canoes. You are to upset them.” After he had gone out for some distance between the whales they returned to land and became wood once more. He took them up and put them in a certain place.

The next time he saw his brothers-in-law coming along in their canoes he put his spirits into the water again, and they smashed the canoes and killed those in them. Then Natsilane’ said to his killer whales, “You are not to injure human beings any more. You must be kind to them.” After that they were the canoes of spirits, and, if shamans are lucky, they get these spirit canoes. It is through this story that the Daqlawe’di claim the killer whale. This clan was scattered everywhere in Alaska, as well as among the Athapascans, Haida, and Tsimshian.

Story of the eagle crest of the Nexa’di

A poor Nexa’di man, struggling to find food, encounters a young eagle that leads him to the eagle people’s home. There, he finds hospitality, marries an eagle woman, and becomes a skilled fisher and hunter. He secretly provides for his family, who dream of his aid. Ultimately, he reveals his transformation, explaining his bond with the eagles, shaping the Nexa’di clan’s connection to them.

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 undergoes a significant change by becoming an eagle, which alters his life and abilities.

Supernatural Beings: The man’s interaction with the eagle people, who possess human traits and live in a mystical realm, highlights this theme.

Cultural Heroes: The protagonist’s experiences and subsequent revelations shape the identity and traditions of the Nexa’di clan, marking him as a foundational figure in their culture.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

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

There was a very poor Nexa’di man who did not know how to provide himself with food, so he lived off of others. He was always cruising around in a small canoe, getting small bullheads and flounders. One time he went out just for the day. He did not take any food along and therefore became very hungry. Early next morning something said to him, “I have come after you.” He heard the voice but could not see anything.

Finally, however, he stepped out from the place where he had been sitting and saw a young eagle perched upon a branch. The man was wearing an old ground-hog blanket full of holes, so he lay down again and put his eye to one of these. Then the eagle came very close to him and, taking the blanket down, he said to it, “I have seen you now.” Immediately the eagle looked like a human being and said, “My grandfather has sent me for you.”

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The poor man followed this eagle right up to the woods and they came upon a large trail there over which the eagle led him. By and by they came to some steps which led up to a house situated high up. He followed his guide inside of this and found it very clean and nice there. Everything was just like the houses of human beings, and mats were strewn round upon the floor. Then they gave him all kinds of fine fish and game to eat, and he wanted to stay among them forever. He was very poor among his own people, but these eagles treated him well. He married one of the eagle women and remained there for a long time.

After he married, this man’s brothers-in-law gave him a coat and named it, as they put it on him, Camping-under-water-for-twodays (Dex-hin-ta’de-uxe’). Before they put it on they warmed it. This coat was so named because, when an eagle gets hold of a seal, the seal is so strong that it will swim around with the eagle attached to it, and the longest time the eagle can stand this is two days. Now the poor man was an eagle himself, and he learned from the eagles how to catch fish. He thought all the time that he was spearing them, but in reality he was catching them in his talons. He became a great fisher and hunter.

The mother and brothers of this poor man were just as poor as he had been, and, when he saw his brother out fishing, he would leave some fish where he could find it. His brother thought that he was very lucky. Finally his mother dreamed that some one said, “It is I, mother, who provides for you all of this fish and meat,” and afterward they would dream that he said to them, “I have left a fish (or seal) on such and such a point. Go there and get it.” When they did so, sure enough it was there. Sometimes he would say in his mother’s dream, “We are going off camping. You must go there and camp near by.” They did so and dried a lot of fish which he had gotten for them.

In another dream he said, “I have married one of the eagle women. I can not come among you any more.”

One time, when they were out camping, they saw an eagle working very hard to bring ashore a load of fish. After it had done so, the eagle sat up on a branch and said, “It is I.” It told them its name, which was the name of the missing man. It is because a friend of theirs was once among the eagle people that the Nexa’di claim the eagle. This clan is now scattered everywhere.

Story of the grizzly-bear crest of the Te’qoedi

A Te’qoedi man was captured by a male bear and hidden in its den by the bear’s wife, who later married him. Despite his family searching for him, only his youngest brother discovered the truth. The man eventually returned to his village but maintained ties with his bear family, feeding the cubs he had with the bear. This angered his human wife, and eventually, the bear cubs killed him. This tale explains the Te’qoedi’s connection to grizzly bears.

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 tale involves a man marrying a bear, highlighting interactions between humans and supernatural or animal beings.

Family Dynamics: The man’s relationships with his human family, bear wife, and their offspring underscore complex familial interactions.

Transformation: The narrative explores the man’s integration into the bear’s world and his adaptation to a new life, reflecting themes of change and transformation.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

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

A man belonging to the Te’qoedi went hunting on Unuk (Dju’nax) river, and came to a bear’s den. While he was examining it the male bear threw him inside. Then the bear’s wife dug a hole in the ground and concealed him there.

When the male bear came in he said, “Where is that man that I threw inhere?” “I haven’t seen anyone. You haven’t thrown anybody inhere.” “I did. I threw a man in here.” The male bear became angry at her denials and left her, upon which the man married this bear and had children by her, although he had a family at home.

Meanwhile the man’s four brothers looked for him continually, keeping away from their wives so as to find him, but in vain. They could see his tracks in the snow, but they could not discover where they led to.

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They suspected the truth, because other hunters had also been captured there by animals, and the shamans told them that this had happened to him. As soon as they left the town with their dogs, however, the she-bear could feel it and made them pass by.

But the youngest boy had not searched. Finally he started off too, and the bear felt that he was coming, but she found that she could not make him turn aside and said to her husband, “Well! we are caught.” The dogs scented him, and, when he looked out, there was his own dog barking. He called to it by its name, Man-for-the-mountains (Ca’yis-xwa). Then his brother knew what was the matter and came to the mouth of the den with his spears, determined to bring back his brother alive or dead. When the man saw his youngest brother outside he said, “Stand right there. Don’t do any harm. I am here. Although I am with this wild animal, I am living well. Don’t worry about me any more.”

When he was first taken into this den it looked like a den and nothing more, but that night he thought that he was in a fine house with people all about eating supper, and his wife looked to him like a human being.

In May, when the bears were about to leave their dens, his wife said, “Now you can go to your village. Take good care of your little ones. Don’t go near your wife. Don’t look toward her even.” So he went to the place where his brothers were living and said, “Tell my wife not to come near me for a while. She must have pity on me. Ask her to stay away.” Then he began to go off hunting. He had luck from his bear wife, and killing seals was nothing to him. One day, while he was out, he saw some bear cubs coming toward him and presently found that they were his little ones. Then he gave them all the seals he had killed. He fed them every day. When his younger brother went hunting with him and the cubs came running toward the canoe, he would say, “Don’t be frightened. Those are your children” (meaning “your brother’s children”).

By and by his human wife came to him. She was angry with him and said, “Why do your children starve on my hands? What are you doing feeding cubs instead of my little ones?” After that, though he did not dare to say a word to his wife, he began feeding her children. He thought, “I wonder what will happen to me now for feeding the little ones.”

Presently he went hunting again and again took some seals to his cubs. As he was going toward them he noticed that they did not act the same as usual. They lay flat on the ground with their ears erect. Then he landed, but, when he got near them, they killed him. It is on account of this story that the Te’qoedi claim the grizzly bear.

The beaver of Killisnoo

A small beaver, kept as a pet by the De’citan family, displayed remarkable intelligence, cleanliness, and even a knack for composing songs. After taking offense, it astonished its masters by singing like a human and fatally attacking one with a spear. The beaver’s actions, including undermining the earth beneath their house, led to its legendary status. The De’citan honor this tale through their beaver hat and songs.

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 beaver displays human-like characteristics, such as singing and using tools, indicating a transformation beyond its animal nature.

Trickster: The beaver’s cunning behavior, including undermining the earth beneath the house and deceiving its masters, aligns with the trickster archetype.

Supernatural Beings: The beaver’s extraordinary abilities and actions suggest it possesses supernatural qualities beyond that of a typical animal.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

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

Some people belonging to the De’citan family captured a small beaver, and, as it was cunning and very clean, they kept it as a pet. By and by, however, although it was well cared for, it took offense at something and began to compose songs.

Afterward one of the beaver’s masters went through the woods to a certain salmon creek and found two salmon-spear handles, beautifully worked, standing at the foot of a big tree. He carried these home, and, as soon as they were brought into the house, the beaver said, “That is my make.”

Then something was said that offended it again. Upon this the beaver began to sing just like a human being and surprised the people very much. While it was doing this it seized a spear and threw it straight through its master’s chest, killing him instantly.

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Then it threw its tail down upon the ground and the earth on which that house stood dropped in. They found out afterward that the beaver had been digging out the earth under the camp so as to make a great hollow. It is from this story that the De’citan claim the beaver and have the beaver hat. They also have songs composed by the beaver.