NELSON] 



MYTHIC ANIMALS 



445 



had caught and devoured while she was getting water from the lake. 

 In the tale of the creation by the Eaven, as the latter and the First 

 Man were traveling in the Skyland, the Eaven cautioned his com- 

 panion not to drink from the lakes which were passed, because in them 

 were animals he had made that would seize and destroy any one who 

 ventured near. These were the pdl-raiyuk. 



In the drawings of this animal on umiaks, at intervals along the 

 body are open si^aces, inside which are represented parts of a human 

 body, showing the belief in its having eaten such food. It was said to 

 live in the water, where it lay hidden among the grass, whence it sud- 

 denly rushed to seize a person on the bank or to attack kaiaks when 

 crossing its haunts. 



The curious likeness of these animals to the alligator, as shown in 

 the accounts of its habits and in drawings representing it, is very 

 remarkable. Xearly all of the umiaks in the country of th^ lower 

 Yukon and to the southward have a picture of this animal drawn along 

 the entire length on each side of the boat, with the head near the bow, 

 and the figure is common also on wooden dishes in that region. It 

 appears to be a local myth, and can scarcely have been brought to these 

 people since the advent of the whites. The country where this myth 



Fig. 156 — Drawing of the pdl-rai-yttk on an niuiak (^), 



is most prevalent is one of the least visited of auy along the coast of 

 Bering sea. The accompanying figure 156 represents a model of an 

 umiak from the lower Yukon, with the animal drawn along the sides. 



In one of the Eaven tales a large beast is described as having been 

 seen haunting a dry lake bed overgrown with tall grass while Eaven 

 and First Man were journeying in the sky land. It is said to have 

 rested by lying down on the tips of the growing grass, without bend- 

 ing the stems. When this animal was killed by the Sky people it was 

 necessary for them first to i>lace logs under it, for when dead it became 

 so heavy that it would sink into the ground as will a lean seal in water. 

 It is described as having a long head and six legs, the hind legs unusu- 

 ally large and the fore ones short, with the small middle pair hanging 

 from the belly. A fine, thick fur, like that on the shrew-mouse, is said 

 to grow all over its body, and is thickest about the feet. On the back 

 of the head are a pair of thick, short horns, which extend forward and 

 outward and then curve back at the points. The animal has small 

 eyes and is very dark colored. This undoubtedly refers to the muskox, 

 which has been extinct for ages in the region where these people live. 



Tin-mi-uJc'-puJc, the great eagle (Thunderbird). This is described as 

 an enormous eagle which varies in its habits according to locality. 



