Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 4, 2007 20:07:32 GMT -5
Dâ'p!abê (Leader) - Kwakiutl
Tradition of the Koskimo.
The ancestors of the Koskimo lived at Cut-Beach, and they had for their
chief Leader, and Leader had for his wife Sitting-in-Canoe, the princess of
Going-Straight-on, the chief of the ancestors of the North people. Leader
was always happy while he was hollowing out canoes. He was making a canoe,
and he had not finished working on it when he went home. In vain his wife
tried to feed him. He said that he was not hungry. He just lay down on his
face. In the morning, when daylight came, he remained in the house in the
same way. Then Sitting-in-Canoe tried to give him some breakfast, but he
only said that he was not hungry. For four days he staid thus in the house.
Then the tribe began to talk about what he was doing in the house.
Therefore his tribe called every one to go into his house. They tried to
discover why their chief was sitting in the house in this way, but Leader
never noticed those who had him for their chief. Therefore those who had him
for their chief guessed that he did not feel right. Then one among the wise
men spoke, and said, "O chief! go on, and you shall see (the world) when we
look all round our world for a wife for you, chief." Thus he said.
Immediately Leader answered him, and said, "O tribe! that is what I wished
for, that you should talk about, for I wish that you go and woo the
princesses of the chiefs on both sides of this our tribe, that we may add to
our crests." Thus he said. Immediately many of the Koskimo who are now dead
got ready. They lifted their canoes from the beach, and burned the bottoms;
and as soon as the bottoms of the canoes were burned, they launched them.
Then they went towards Wind Island. There Leader wooed Copper-Box-Woman, the
princess of Property, chief of the Tribe-staying-in-the-Right-Place.
As soon as they arrived at Wind Island, the wise men sang the wooing-songs;
and after they had done so, they paddled, and stopped in front of the
village. There they sang some more songs, and then Leader married
Copper-Box-Woman. Then he obtained a (new) name, and also masks. Then they
started again.
They came to the south side of Crossing-Point, and arrived at
Red-Sand-Beach. That was the village of the ancestors of the Ocean people,
and their chief was Getting-Rich; and Leader said that he did not wish to go
ashore at that place. The sand on the beach of the village of Getting-Rich
called Leader ashore to go and woo the princess of Getting-Rich; but Leader
did not wish to go ashore at Red-Sand-Beach. Leader went past, and went to
Open-Bay, the village of the ancestors of the Nâ'k!wax*da?xu. Their chief
was Potlatch- Dancer, and the princess of Potlatch-Dancer was
Cloud-making-Woman. She was wanted by Leader for his wife. As soon as Leader
and his other canoes came in sight at the point of Open-Bay, the ancestors
of the Koskimo began to sing their wooing-songs. This is the way the
ancestors of the Koskimo did when they went wooing.
As soon as they arrived at the beach of the village, an attendant of Leader
began to speak, and woo the princess of Potlatch-Dancer. Then he--namely,
Leader--also got a (new) name. Then he had the name Potlatch-Dancer, and he
also obtained the feast-dishes. For four days he staid at Open-Bay. Then he
got ready and started.
Now they were going to the Northern people, who lived at Whale-Beach. They
had for their chief Great-River; and he had a princess whose name was
Potlatch-giving-Woman; and she was obtained in marriage [wooed] by Leader,
for how could anything be ineffective that the ancestors said? Then Leader
obtained the princess of Great-River; and Leader had the name Great-River,
and he obtained in marriage this name, and he obtained the cannibal dance,
and he had the cannibal name Pushing-down-the-Throat; and his cannibal's
assistant had the name Pressing-down, and he obtained the feast-dish
representing the seal, the killer-whale, the wolf, and the double-headed
serpent.
After they had staid four days, the ancestors of the Koskimo got ready and
launched their canoes, and were going to the Back tribe. Leader had been
told by the North people that the Back tribe had for their chief
Death-Owner, and that he had had for his princess Warrior Woman; and
therefore Leader asked his tribe to go to Grass Island, for that was the
village of the ancestors of the Back tribe. The ancestors of the Koskimo
desired (to obtain) the names of the chief of the tribes, therefore they
went right to Having-a-River. As soon as they arrived at the upper end of
Having-a-River, they saw the houses of the ancestors of the Back tribe at
Grass Island. Immediately the ancestors of the Koskimo began to sing their
wooing-songs. Then they arrived at the beach of the houses. Immediately an
attendant of Leader arose in the canoe and began to speak, and he wooed the
princess of Death-Owner. Death-Owner at once consented. Then Leader
presented him with his canoe, and with (the gift of) another canoe he called
[1] Warrior-Woman, the princess of Death-Owner. As soon as the attendant of
Leader stopped speaking, the attendant of Death-Owner came and stood in
front of the house of Death-Owner. He spoke, and said, "O chief! just take
care, for Rising-Woman,--namely, Warrior-Woman,--the princess of this
Death-Owner, is constantly rising (in rank)."
Immediately Leader picked out some of the best men among his tribe, although
they were chiefs of the ancestors of the Koskimo, to lift Warrior-Woman from
the floor of the house. Then she had the name Rising-Woman. As soon as the
chiefs of the Koskimo had gone to lift her, Rising-Woman was carried out of
the house of her father, sitting on a board. She was taken aboard the canoe
of Leader; and the covered box was also taken aboard the canoe. In it were
all the masks and all the names. As soon as Rising-Woman and her property
were all aboard the canoe, Leader went on paddling.
He was going on to Hê'gEms, the village of the ancestors of the Gwâ'waênoxu;
and the chief of the Gwâ'waênoxu was Place-of-obtaining-Coppers, and he had
for his princess Warrior-Woman. As soon as they arrived at the point of
Hê'gEms, the ancestors of the Koskimo began to sing their wooing-songs and
when they arrived at the beach of the house of Place-of-obtaining-Coppers,
the Koskimo stopped singing. Then one of the attendants of Chief Leader
arose, and began to speak in the way in which the attendants speak when they
praise the one from whom they want to get a wife. As soon as he stopped
speaking, Place-of-obtaining-Coppers came out of the house and thanked him
for his words. Then he called Chief Leader to come out of the canoe, and
Place-of obtaining-Coppers called Leader his son-in-law. Then he called him
out of the canoe to go and warm himself in his house; and in this way Leader
had Warrior-Woman for his wife. Then the Koskimo unloaded their canoe, and
Place-of-obtaining-Coppers fed his son-in-law, and he gave his name to
Leader; and thus Leader had the name Place-of-obtaining-Coppers, and he also
had the winter dance implements and the names.
He staid there for four days, and then Leader got ready and started. He was
going to Nô'xudEm, the village of the Ma'malêleqa. Their chief was
Paddled-to, and the princess of Paddled-to had the name Mâ'laqêlayugwa.
Immediately Leader said that he would go to Nô'xudEm, for he wanted to woo
the princess of Paddled-to. Then he turned the bow of his canoe towards
Nô'xudEm. They arrived at the passage of Nô'xudEm, and again the Koskimo
sang their wooing-songs They only stopped when they were in front of the
beach of the village of the ancestors of the Ma'malêleqa. Then one of the
attendants of Leader arose in the canoe, and he began to speak in the way in
which the Koskimo speak when they go a-wooing, and he praised Paddled-to.
Paddled-to just came out and stood in front of his house, and called them to
come up from the beach, and to warm themselves in his house; and he named
Leader Son-in-Law, for he was really thankful for what Leader had said to
his princess. Immediately the Koskimo unloaded their cargo. As soon as all
the cargo was unloaded, they were fed. Then Mâ'laqêlayugwa was called to
come and sit down with Leader in the rear of the house of her father; and
then they shouted that the princess had Leader for her husband. He was given
as marriage presents the house and the dances and the names.
After they had staid for four days at Nô'xudEm, they got ready and went
home. Immediately they made a new house to invite in the ancestors of the
North tribe, of the Ocean tribe, and of the Divided tribe. They were invited
by Leader. Then he showed the winter-dance implements and his names. In this
way he came to be the only real chief among the ancestors of the Koskimo.
Then he had children from his wives the princesses of the chiefs of the
tribes. Therefore all the tribes have some Koskimo among them, because
Leader had gone and done this way in his house; namely, when he lay down on
his back, trying to make the canoe, in the beginning of this tradition; and
that is what he thought about in the house, to woo these princesses all
around our world, and thus he obtained his wish. That is the end.
Footnotes:
[1] See F. Boas, Social Organization and Secret Societies of the Kwakiutl
Indians. Annual Report of the U. S. National Museum for 18951 p. 361.
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.
Tradition of the Koskimo.
The ancestors of the Koskimo lived at Cut-Beach, and they had for their
chief Leader, and Leader had for his wife Sitting-in-Canoe, the princess of
Going-Straight-on, the chief of the ancestors of the North people. Leader
was always happy while he was hollowing out canoes. He was making a canoe,
and he had not finished working on it when he went home. In vain his wife
tried to feed him. He said that he was not hungry. He just lay down on his
face. In the morning, when daylight came, he remained in the house in the
same way. Then Sitting-in-Canoe tried to give him some breakfast, but he
only said that he was not hungry. For four days he staid thus in the house.
Then the tribe began to talk about what he was doing in the house.
Therefore his tribe called every one to go into his house. They tried to
discover why their chief was sitting in the house in this way, but Leader
never noticed those who had him for their chief. Therefore those who had him
for their chief guessed that he did not feel right. Then one among the wise
men spoke, and said, "O chief! go on, and you shall see (the world) when we
look all round our world for a wife for you, chief." Thus he said.
Immediately Leader answered him, and said, "O tribe! that is what I wished
for, that you should talk about, for I wish that you go and woo the
princesses of the chiefs on both sides of this our tribe, that we may add to
our crests." Thus he said. Immediately many of the Koskimo who are now dead
got ready. They lifted their canoes from the beach, and burned the bottoms;
and as soon as the bottoms of the canoes were burned, they launched them.
Then they went towards Wind Island. There Leader wooed Copper-Box-Woman, the
princess of Property, chief of the Tribe-staying-in-the-Right-Place.
As soon as they arrived at Wind Island, the wise men sang the wooing-songs;
and after they had done so, they paddled, and stopped in front of the
village. There they sang some more songs, and then Leader married
Copper-Box-Woman. Then he obtained a (new) name, and also masks. Then they
started again.
They came to the south side of Crossing-Point, and arrived at
Red-Sand-Beach. That was the village of the ancestors of the Ocean people,
and their chief was Getting-Rich; and Leader said that he did not wish to go
ashore at that place. The sand on the beach of the village of Getting-Rich
called Leader ashore to go and woo the princess of Getting-Rich; but Leader
did not wish to go ashore at Red-Sand-Beach. Leader went past, and went to
Open-Bay, the village of the ancestors of the Nâ'k!wax*da?xu. Their chief
was Potlatch- Dancer, and the princess of Potlatch-Dancer was
Cloud-making-Woman. She was wanted by Leader for his wife. As soon as Leader
and his other canoes came in sight at the point of Open-Bay, the ancestors
of the Koskimo began to sing their wooing-songs. This is the way the
ancestors of the Koskimo did when they went wooing.
As soon as they arrived at the beach of the village, an attendant of Leader
began to speak, and woo the princess of Potlatch-Dancer. Then he--namely,
Leader--also got a (new) name. Then he had the name Potlatch-Dancer, and he
also obtained the feast-dishes. For four days he staid at Open-Bay. Then he
got ready and started.
Now they were going to the Northern people, who lived at Whale-Beach. They
had for their chief Great-River; and he had a princess whose name was
Potlatch-giving-Woman; and she was obtained in marriage [wooed] by Leader,
for how could anything be ineffective that the ancestors said? Then Leader
obtained the princess of Great-River; and Leader had the name Great-River,
and he obtained in marriage this name, and he obtained the cannibal dance,
and he had the cannibal name Pushing-down-the-Throat; and his cannibal's
assistant had the name Pressing-down, and he obtained the feast-dish
representing the seal, the killer-whale, the wolf, and the double-headed
serpent.
After they had staid four days, the ancestors of the Koskimo got ready and
launched their canoes, and were going to the Back tribe. Leader had been
told by the North people that the Back tribe had for their chief
Death-Owner, and that he had had for his princess Warrior Woman; and
therefore Leader asked his tribe to go to Grass Island, for that was the
village of the ancestors of the Back tribe. The ancestors of the Koskimo
desired (to obtain) the names of the chief of the tribes, therefore they
went right to Having-a-River. As soon as they arrived at the upper end of
Having-a-River, they saw the houses of the ancestors of the Back tribe at
Grass Island. Immediately the ancestors of the Koskimo began to sing their
wooing-songs. Then they arrived at the beach of the houses. Immediately an
attendant of Leader arose in the canoe and began to speak, and he wooed the
princess of Death-Owner. Death-Owner at once consented. Then Leader
presented him with his canoe, and with (the gift of) another canoe he called
[1] Warrior-Woman, the princess of Death-Owner. As soon as the attendant of
Leader stopped speaking, the attendant of Death-Owner came and stood in
front of the house of Death-Owner. He spoke, and said, "O chief! just take
care, for Rising-Woman,--namely, Warrior-Woman,--the princess of this
Death-Owner, is constantly rising (in rank)."
Immediately Leader picked out some of the best men among his tribe, although
they were chiefs of the ancestors of the Koskimo, to lift Warrior-Woman from
the floor of the house. Then she had the name Rising-Woman. As soon as the
chiefs of the Koskimo had gone to lift her, Rising-Woman was carried out of
the house of her father, sitting on a board. She was taken aboard the canoe
of Leader; and the covered box was also taken aboard the canoe. In it were
all the masks and all the names. As soon as Rising-Woman and her property
were all aboard the canoe, Leader went on paddling.
He was going on to Hê'gEms, the village of the ancestors of the Gwâ'waênoxu;
and the chief of the Gwâ'waênoxu was Place-of-obtaining-Coppers, and he had
for his princess Warrior-Woman. As soon as they arrived at the point of
Hê'gEms, the ancestors of the Koskimo began to sing their wooing-songs and
when they arrived at the beach of the house of Place-of-obtaining-Coppers,
the Koskimo stopped singing. Then one of the attendants of Chief Leader
arose, and began to speak in the way in which the attendants speak when they
praise the one from whom they want to get a wife. As soon as he stopped
speaking, Place-of-obtaining-Coppers came out of the house and thanked him
for his words. Then he called Chief Leader to come out of the canoe, and
Place-of obtaining-Coppers called Leader his son-in-law. Then he called him
out of the canoe to go and warm himself in his house; and in this way Leader
had Warrior-Woman for his wife. Then the Koskimo unloaded their canoe, and
Place-of-obtaining-Coppers fed his son-in-law, and he gave his name to
Leader; and thus Leader had the name Place-of-obtaining-Coppers, and he also
had the winter dance implements and the names.
He staid there for four days, and then Leader got ready and started. He was
going to Nô'xudEm, the village of the Ma'malêleqa. Their chief was
Paddled-to, and the princess of Paddled-to had the name Mâ'laqêlayugwa.
Immediately Leader said that he would go to Nô'xudEm, for he wanted to woo
the princess of Paddled-to. Then he turned the bow of his canoe towards
Nô'xudEm. They arrived at the passage of Nô'xudEm, and again the Koskimo
sang their wooing-songs They only stopped when they were in front of the
beach of the village of the ancestors of the Ma'malêleqa. Then one of the
attendants of Leader arose in the canoe, and he began to speak in the way in
which the Koskimo speak when they go a-wooing, and he praised Paddled-to.
Paddled-to just came out and stood in front of his house, and called them to
come up from the beach, and to warm themselves in his house; and he named
Leader Son-in-Law, for he was really thankful for what Leader had said to
his princess. Immediately the Koskimo unloaded their cargo. As soon as all
the cargo was unloaded, they were fed. Then Mâ'laqêlayugwa was called to
come and sit down with Leader in the rear of the house of her father; and
then they shouted that the princess had Leader for her husband. He was given
as marriage presents the house and the dances and the names.
After they had staid for four days at Nô'xudEm, they got ready and went
home. Immediately they made a new house to invite in the ancestors of the
North tribe, of the Ocean tribe, and of the Divided tribe. They were invited
by Leader. Then he showed the winter-dance implements and his names. In this
way he came to be the only real chief among the ancestors of the Koskimo.
Then he had children from his wives the princesses of the chiefs of the
tribes. Therefore all the tribes have some Koskimo among them, because
Leader had gone and done this way in his house; namely, when he lay down on
his back, trying to make the canoe, in the beginning of this tradition; and
that is what he thought about in the house, to woo these princesses all
around our world, and thus he obtained his wish. That is the end.
Footnotes:
[1] See F. Boas, Social Organization and Secret Societies of the Kwakiutl
Indians. Annual Report of the U. S. National Museum for 18951 p. 361.
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.