Post by Okwes on May 23, 2007 10:34:13 GMT -5
Great-Inventor - Kwakiutl
(Dictated by MalE'd, a Kw�'g*ul, 1893.)
The myth people were hard up for water. They only drank the juice of roots.
Then Great-Inventor went to get water for his tribe. He knew that only one
woman, living at Bull Harbor, had water. Then he got ready to go to Bull
Harbor. He arrived at Bull Harbor. She was warming her back. He went in, and
the woman was asleep. Then he took some dung and put it behind the woman.
Then Great-Inventor pushed her. "Don't sleep," he said to the woman.
"Evidently your house is soiled. I want to have a drink from you." Thus said
Great-Inventor to the woman. "Look at my mouth: it is all dry, for I desire
to drink."--"Go on, drink there," said the woman, on her part, to
Great-Inventor. Then Great-Inventor drank water. He had his mouth in the
water for a long time. Then the woman spoke, "Don't, else I shall have
nothing to drink." Then Great-Inventor looked up and said, "I have not drunk
yet. Look at my mouth! it is just dusty." It is said that Great-Inventor had
a bladder into which the water was poured. "You are awful," said the woman
to Great-Inventor. "You are evidently a great drinker."--"Then let me talk
about your house being soiled," said Great-Inventor. "Then go on, drink!"
Great-Inventor was told. Then he drank again, and his sea-lion bladder was
full. Then the water of the woman was at an end.
He went to the beach and went aboard his folding paddle-side canoe. Then he
crossed and went to the inland side (Vancouver Island). Then he urinated and
thus made the rivers. Where he sprinkled water, there were small rivers. He
went around the world making rivers. After four days he had finished.
Then he returned to Crooked-Beach. Immediately he invited his tribe in. Then
he talked about the rivers he had made. Then he told his tribe that he would
get a wife from Salmon for the rivers. He got ready, with his tribe, to get
a wife from Salmon. Day came, and they started in the canoes. When the
canoes were loaded, his whole tribe went aboard the folding canoe. Then they
steered southward. "Don't let us be this way," said his tribe. "It is said
that below is the place to paddle. There is no storm there." Then (the
canoe) went right down. It was under the sea, and went along paddling
underneath. Then he saw the color of the smoke of Salmon. They carried up
the canoe, and Great-Inventor pushed back the trees. One tree stood alone on
the ground. Then Great-Inventor whitened its trunk. Very early in the
morning the slave of Salmon came paddling along the beach. Then
Great-Inventor went into the tree. The slave caught sight of it, and went
right out of the canoe, going up to it. Then he drove his wedge into the
bottom of the tree, and Great-Inventor bit off the point of the wedge,--the
wedge that had never been blunted since Salmon first became a man in the
world. The slave cried on account of his wedge. Then Great-Inventor came out
of the opposite side of the tree. "Why do you cry?" said Great-Inventor, on
his part, to the slave. "On account of this my broken wedge, I shall be
struck by my master."--"Give it to me," said Great-Inventor. Then the slave
gave it to him, and Great-Inventor took it and put it into his mouth. "Look
at it, slave," said Great-Inventor to him. "How was its tip? Was it not this
way?"--"That is the way it was," said, on his part, the slave.
Then Great-Inventor asked the slave, "Has not the chief of Salmon a child?
Does not the child of Salmon take walks?"--"The princess of Salmon comes
first to meet me. She will try to carry on her shoulder the heart of the
fire-wood that I get." Then Great-Inventor told the slave that he wished to
get a wife from Salmon. "Only take care!" was said to Great-Inventor by the
slave. "Take this stone when you first cohabit with her. Her crotch is
always biting." Then Great-Inventor pushed down the tree. The alder broke up
on the ground. Then Great-Inventor wedged it to pieces. He took care of its
heart, for he wanted to go and hide in it. Then the wood was taken aboard.
The tribe of Great-Inventor came and helped (with) the loading. When all the
wood was aboard, the heart of the tree was put on top, and Great-Inventor
hid inside. Great-Inventor left word with his tribe that they should go at
daybreak. Then the one who had gone to get fire-wood arrived at the beach,
and the princess of Salmon came to meet him who had gone for fire-wood. She
waded to meet him, and took the top piece of the wood that was lying there,
in which Great-Inventor was hiding. Right away he cohabited with her. She
did not get ashore, when the girl threw the wood down on the beach. "Don't
handle it roughly," the slave said to the girl. Then the girl carried it
again in her arms in front of her body. Again Great-Inventor cohabited with
her. Then she came to her house. The child went right to the rear of the
house with the wood, to her room. Then at once Great-Inventor came out of it
and took the girl for his wife. It is said that Great-Inventor held in his
mouth gum of the white-pine. Immediately, the next day, the girl became
pregnant.
In the morning the tribe of Great-Inventor came ashore. "Don't stay thus,
friend," was said to the girl. "Come to the fire with the one who is lying
down with you." Then the girl said to Great-Inventor, "Take care! this is
that with which they try to kill those who come from time to time to us. It
is the settee of my father. Squid-bones are in the settee." Then
Great-Inventor put a sandstone on his back. He just met his tribe when they
were coming into the house, and Great-Inventor came out of the room. "Don't
be that way," said Salmon to his wife, "but give our son-in-law to eat." She
just sent the younger sisters of Great-Inventor's wife to the beach to play
in the water. Then the children became salmon. They became sockeye salmon.
They were cut quickly, and were roasted. Then the woman, the mother-in-law
of Great-Inventor, spoke. "Please gather up this clothing of these younger
sisters and go and throw it into the water."
Then all that was roasted was placed before them. Great-Inventor pulled out
the collar-bone of the sockeye and pushed it behind his ear. After they had
eaten, the bones were gathered and were thrown into the water. Immediately
the salmon jumped and came to life. Only one of them had no blanket-pin.
Then Great-Inventor spoke, "Don't let your parents be that way. It is bad
that they are too stout. Let us cut them. They will not die. Look! I will
cut my younger brother, Duck." Then Great-Inventor called Duck. "Take care!"
was said to the female duck. "Just rise from under your younger brother when
he is dead." Then Great-Inventor cut open the duck. As soon as all the
intestines were taken out, the duck was covered over. Then the female duck
stood up from under the cover. Then they were told that he (the duck) had
come to life. Then Salmon and his wife arose and lay down on their backs on
the board on which the duck had been cut up. Immediately Great-Inventor cut
up Salmon and his wife. "Don't touch them for four days," said
Great-Inventor to the tribe of Salmon. "Let us get ready and go home." Then
his crew went aboard, and Great-Inventor carried his wife aboard in his
arms. Then the side-paddles paddled.
The various kinds of Salmon also went aboard their canoes to follow their
chieftainess. The canoe of Great-Inventor just waited from time to time for
the canoes of the Salmon, for he wished to see the face of the mountains
when doing his work. "Do let me go ahead," said Deer. "Don't! we must see
the face of our land." Then Great-Inventor discovered the land. "Go ahead,
Deer!" said Great-Inventor. Then Deer arose in the canoe, and jumped from
one canoe of the salmon to another, and all the canoes of the salmon
capsized. Then the various kinds of salmon began to jump, and Great-Inventor
arose in his canoe and pointed to the rivers. "You will go that way," said
Great-Inventor, calling the names of the rivers. Therefore salmon go to the
rivers made by Great-Inventor. That is the end.
Kwakiutl Tales, by Franz Boas; (Columbia University Contributions to
Anthropology, Volume II) New York: Columbia University Press; [1910] and is
now in the public domain.
(Dictated by MalE'd, a Kw�'g*ul, 1893.)
The myth people were hard up for water. They only drank the juice of roots.
Then Great-Inventor went to get water for his tribe. He knew that only one
woman, living at Bull Harbor, had water. Then he got ready to go to Bull
Harbor. He arrived at Bull Harbor. She was warming her back. He went in, and
the woman was asleep. Then he took some dung and put it behind the woman.
Then Great-Inventor pushed her. "Don't sleep," he said to the woman.
"Evidently your house is soiled. I want to have a drink from you." Thus said
Great-Inventor to the woman. "Look at my mouth: it is all dry, for I desire
to drink."--"Go on, drink there," said the woman, on her part, to
Great-Inventor. Then Great-Inventor drank water. He had his mouth in the
water for a long time. Then the woman spoke, "Don't, else I shall have
nothing to drink." Then Great-Inventor looked up and said, "I have not drunk
yet. Look at my mouth! it is just dusty." It is said that Great-Inventor had
a bladder into which the water was poured. "You are awful," said the woman
to Great-Inventor. "You are evidently a great drinker."--"Then let me talk
about your house being soiled," said Great-Inventor. "Then go on, drink!"
Great-Inventor was told. Then he drank again, and his sea-lion bladder was
full. Then the water of the woman was at an end.
He went to the beach and went aboard his folding paddle-side canoe. Then he
crossed and went to the inland side (Vancouver Island). Then he urinated and
thus made the rivers. Where he sprinkled water, there were small rivers. He
went around the world making rivers. After four days he had finished.
Then he returned to Crooked-Beach. Immediately he invited his tribe in. Then
he talked about the rivers he had made. Then he told his tribe that he would
get a wife from Salmon for the rivers. He got ready, with his tribe, to get
a wife from Salmon. Day came, and they started in the canoes. When the
canoes were loaded, his whole tribe went aboard the folding canoe. Then they
steered southward. "Don't let us be this way," said his tribe. "It is said
that below is the place to paddle. There is no storm there." Then (the
canoe) went right down. It was under the sea, and went along paddling
underneath. Then he saw the color of the smoke of Salmon. They carried up
the canoe, and Great-Inventor pushed back the trees. One tree stood alone on
the ground. Then Great-Inventor whitened its trunk. Very early in the
morning the slave of Salmon came paddling along the beach. Then
Great-Inventor went into the tree. The slave caught sight of it, and went
right out of the canoe, going up to it. Then he drove his wedge into the
bottom of the tree, and Great-Inventor bit off the point of the wedge,--the
wedge that had never been blunted since Salmon first became a man in the
world. The slave cried on account of his wedge. Then Great-Inventor came out
of the opposite side of the tree. "Why do you cry?" said Great-Inventor, on
his part, to the slave. "On account of this my broken wedge, I shall be
struck by my master."--"Give it to me," said Great-Inventor. Then the slave
gave it to him, and Great-Inventor took it and put it into his mouth. "Look
at it, slave," said Great-Inventor to him. "How was its tip? Was it not this
way?"--"That is the way it was," said, on his part, the slave.
Then Great-Inventor asked the slave, "Has not the chief of Salmon a child?
Does not the child of Salmon take walks?"--"The princess of Salmon comes
first to meet me. She will try to carry on her shoulder the heart of the
fire-wood that I get." Then Great-Inventor told the slave that he wished to
get a wife from Salmon. "Only take care!" was said to Great-Inventor by the
slave. "Take this stone when you first cohabit with her. Her crotch is
always biting." Then Great-Inventor pushed down the tree. The alder broke up
on the ground. Then Great-Inventor wedged it to pieces. He took care of its
heart, for he wanted to go and hide in it. Then the wood was taken aboard.
The tribe of Great-Inventor came and helped (with) the loading. When all the
wood was aboard, the heart of the tree was put on top, and Great-Inventor
hid inside. Great-Inventor left word with his tribe that they should go at
daybreak. Then the one who had gone to get fire-wood arrived at the beach,
and the princess of Salmon came to meet him who had gone for fire-wood. She
waded to meet him, and took the top piece of the wood that was lying there,
in which Great-Inventor was hiding. Right away he cohabited with her. She
did not get ashore, when the girl threw the wood down on the beach. "Don't
handle it roughly," the slave said to the girl. Then the girl carried it
again in her arms in front of her body. Again Great-Inventor cohabited with
her. Then she came to her house. The child went right to the rear of the
house with the wood, to her room. Then at once Great-Inventor came out of it
and took the girl for his wife. It is said that Great-Inventor held in his
mouth gum of the white-pine. Immediately, the next day, the girl became
pregnant.
In the morning the tribe of Great-Inventor came ashore. "Don't stay thus,
friend," was said to the girl. "Come to the fire with the one who is lying
down with you." Then the girl said to Great-Inventor, "Take care! this is
that with which they try to kill those who come from time to time to us. It
is the settee of my father. Squid-bones are in the settee." Then
Great-Inventor put a sandstone on his back. He just met his tribe when they
were coming into the house, and Great-Inventor came out of the room. "Don't
be that way," said Salmon to his wife, "but give our son-in-law to eat." She
just sent the younger sisters of Great-Inventor's wife to the beach to play
in the water. Then the children became salmon. They became sockeye salmon.
They were cut quickly, and were roasted. Then the woman, the mother-in-law
of Great-Inventor, spoke. "Please gather up this clothing of these younger
sisters and go and throw it into the water."
Then all that was roasted was placed before them. Great-Inventor pulled out
the collar-bone of the sockeye and pushed it behind his ear. After they had
eaten, the bones were gathered and were thrown into the water. Immediately
the salmon jumped and came to life. Only one of them had no blanket-pin.
Then Great-Inventor spoke, "Don't let your parents be that way. It is bad
that they are too stout. Let us cut them. They will not die. Look! I will
cut my younger brother, Duck." Then Great-Inventor called Duck. "Take care!"
was said to the female duck. "Just rise from under your younger brother when
he is dead." Then Great-Inventor cut open the duck. As soon as all the
intestines were taken out, the duck was covered over. Then the female duck
stood up from under the cover. Then they were told that he (the duck) had
come to life. Then Salmon and his wife arose and lay down on their backs on
the board on which the duck had been cut up. Immediately Great-Inventor cut
up Salmon and his wife. "Don't touch them for four days," said
Great-Inventor to the tribe of Salmon. "Let us get ready and go home." Then
his crew went aboard, and Great-Inventor carried his wife aboard in his
arms. Then the side-paddles paddled.
The various kinds of Salmon also went aboard their canoes to follow their
chieftainess. The canoe of Great-Inventor just waited from time to time for
the canoes of the Salmon, for he wished to see the face of the mountains
when doing his work. "Do let me go ahead," said Deer. "Don't! we must see
the face of our land." Then Great-Inventor discovered the land. "Go ahead,
Deer!" said Great-Inventor. Then Deer arose in the canoe, and jumped from
one canoe of the salmon to another, and all the canoes of the salmon
capsized. Then the various kinds of salmon began to jump, and Great-Inventor
arose in his canoe and pointed to the rivers. "You will go that way," said
Great-Inventor, calling the names of the rivers. Therefore salmon go to the
rivers made by Great-Inventor. That is the end.
Kwakiutl Tales, by Franz Boas; (Columbia University Contributions to
Anthropology, Volume II) New York: Columbia University Press; [1910] and is
now in the public domain.
