Boas.]

[March 1,

came, sat down by his side, and cried: "Let us wail together for your child, my dear." Then the Raven began to sing his wailing song and said: "Your legs are thin." The Deer sang: "Your legs are lean." The Raven wished to have the Deer for food. (He said: "Don't scold me," and pushed him so that the Deer fell down the precipice near which he was sitting.) He began to eat him at his anus. He opened him and skinned him. Then his sisters came and carried the deer home. They cut it, boiled it and it served as their food.

A long time ago the sun burnt everything. T'otqoa'ya (mythical name of mink) burnt everything. He arose in the morning and went to get fuel. At noon the sun burnt everything and many people died. Many people (jumped into the water and) swam. Then Snx broke the bones of his son, he threw him down (from the sky) and he became a mink.

NOTE. This refers to the tradition of Mink or T'otqoa'ya, who was the son of the sun god (Snx) and of a woman. He was maltreated by men and visited his father in the sky, ascending to heaven in one version on the rays of the sun, Snx's eyelashes; in another version along a chain of arrows which he had made. He carried the sun in his father's place, but disobeyed the instructions of the latter, approaching too near the earth. Then the woods began to burn, the rocks to crack and the water to boil. Snx caught his son, flung him down and transformed him into the mink.

She drank

daughter of the

Snx t'aix sk'a qa'axlas uL ta

at the

qlatx. Qaaxlama nix isqto'o ta qoa'lstx. Atsiwilkta'mk'imts qoa'x

water.

the spike. She became pregnant with the Raven

Sux that one and drank

koaloxĕ'mteniL axk'aai's qoa'x

it was dark. The sun

SkuLuma'atli'oas

it grew daylight when he went up the Raven. He wanted to have every

to aik tx.]
past.]

the Raven in the

paqĕyê'la

is ta

ma'nstx.

box

of

the father.

he wishes to and Oaxê'nk'.

He went down.

paqëyê'latx.
box.

Translation.

yai'aLkunis to paqeyê latx.

box.

he played with the
ska koana'ts, s'yaiaxmists to
crying, he played with the

and

to play."

And qoa'x

Tsaiautsqtô'o
He stopped the Raven

Snx had four daughters. The Raven went. (He transformed himself into a) spike, which dropped into the water, (from which) the eldest daughter of Snx used to fetch water. She drank the water and swallowed the spike. She became pregnant and after four days she gave birth to the young Raven. The little Raven wished for the box in which they kept the daylight. [It was dark in the past. There was no sun and it grew daylight when the Raven went up. He wanted to have everything in the past.] He wished to play with the little box of the father. Then Snx said to his child: "He wishes to play with the box." (She gave it to him) and he played with the box. Then the Raven stopped crying and played with the box. (He finally took it out of the house and broke the box. Thus the sun was liberated.)

at the

salmon.

[March 1,

smuk tx: "Tqtṣā'salmon: "Throw

qtsa'mk'ix's

and he threw him into the water

ta smuk tx. Stsux emsqto'o ta smLk tx sk'a māL'pts. Lkimqsto'o

the

He jumped the

Salmon.

the youth

he saw it.

He came ashore

oqxe'mq ta

smuk tx. Axkōts 'ēk!k is tsaatste'tx ta

X'wa L'aps kx esqto'o.

that he found it

Ia'sqts.

He was good.

Nuk tsa'axtsōtskts

Nupēmô'tskts

nutqa'l'axitas ta smuk tx

the bone of the nape of the Salmon

He went into his canoe

smLk tx sk'a

down (?) the axse/ms

tu tsaatste tx. 'Axtx qéoxo'mnō,"
"Not uncover your head,"

Salmon and he should pull his blan- the youth.

tsutkō'its'êk

spoke

ket over his head

ta smLk'tx. "Wix to'tsa sk'a tsk!xtil sk'a iaxtsi'nō
the Salmon.
"Those and we see them and I awake you

UL ti apsĀ’L ti thi!xiLikĀots t’aix.” Tshtaqtwo un ta apso/Ltx.

ta smLk tx: "Ka maLyanix'ix "When you like it koxlō'lemx' ats sk'a ai'ōtsnō UL êns." Ska

it

and

speak to

me." And tsutsule't (bird)

iL'

SOLS house of the

Uali'tktuts. They went on.

L'apa'ktuts sk'a uali'tk. Tsk taktu'ts UL ta apsĀLtx ta
They left

ta tsaatste tx. Aiōtsqto'o ta tsaatst'e'tx : "Si'as ix Lō mã'o iL," the youth. youth "She is pretty the one she,"

Lk'imsqto'o

he spoke

sq'oa'Lnanau

samL her.

"Wa si'as

he said the

youth:

They left

the t'li and

pretty the

Laputsaqto'o tu t'litx ska iLqoltimotau'. Aiōtsqto'o tu tsaatstē'tx,

she laughed.

He said

They went on. sxsqts ska apsō'L IL k'apai' bad was the town of the kapai' uai'stx; ō'maqtuts. silver salmon; they landed.

Sk'a

And

smLk.tx

He saw
x'nasē'tx

Women

bathed.

they are merry

SOLS iL

house of the

they looked much.

Lumstane'tx

a man

ta

the

S'iLiLq'ōltimotau'." Ualitktu'ts.
they laughed."
k'apai iL. Ska
k'apai' her. And
UL ta SOLS ta
to the house of the

Kxitqto'o qnusēmqtô'o tsāatstē'tx x'ta
he sighted the youth and the
snut'axma'qx.

He was sitting there

Lutsō'oLisqto'o

They exchanged their cloths "Slutsō'oLa'nix'iL." Stwi'nmau "We will exchange cloths." They came

The father (of a youth) brought him always food. Then his stepmother grew angry. When (the father) gave her to eat she threw the food which he had presented to her down. She scolded his son. Then the youth grew angry and left. He (went into the woods) without knowing where he went. He went on and he tried to shoot a bird. His (arrow) hit a Salmon. He heard the Salmon cry. When the youth came to the Salmon the latter said: "Throw me into the water." The youth took him and threw him into the water. The Salmon jumped (but did not swim right). Then the Salmon told the youth to look for one of his bones (which was missing). At first the youth did not find the bone of the nape of the Salmon, but then he found it. He gave it to him and threw him (again) into the water. Now he was perfect. Then the Salmon came ashore in his canoe. He went down to the canoe. The Salmon told the youth to lie down and to pull his blanket over his head. Don't uncover your head," said the Salmon "I shall awake you when we come to a town." They went and arrived at the town of the birds t'êx Lala'tx. They went on and arrived at the town of the birds tsutsule'ttsx. They were singing all the time. The Salmon said: "When you like a country you must tell me." Now he liked this one. They landed and went to the house of the bird. Then they went on and paddled. They arrived at the house of the bird qulExlēlē'ts, and she was a pretty woman. They left and went on. They arrived at a town (where there was) the house of the bird qoaqoa'os. They went ashore and the youth went into her house. He said: "She is pretty," and he married her. The Salmon forbade it and said: "Nobody survives who marries the bird qoaqoā'os." The

*This means probably the soul, which is believed to be located in an egg-shaped bone in the nape.