I. TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 

 1. Txa'msem (The Raven Legend) 1 



(l) ORIGIN OF TXA'MSEM 



At one time the whole world was covered with darkness. At the 

 southern point of Queen Charlotte Islands there was a town in which 

 the animals lived. Its name was Kungalas. 2 A chief and his wife were 

 living there, and with them a boy, then only child, who was loved 

 very much by his parents. Therefore his father tried to keep him 

 out of danger. He built for his son a bed above his own, in the rear 

 of his large house. He washed him regularly, and the boy grew up 

 to be a youth. 



When he was quite large the youth became ill, and, being very sick, 

 it was not long before he died. Therefore the hearts cf his parents 

 were very sad. They cried on account of their beloved child. The 

 chief invited his tribe, and all the (animal) people went to the chief's 

 house and entered. Then the chief ordered the child's body to be 

 laid out; and he said, "Take out his intestines." His attendants laid 

 out the body of the chief's child, took out the intestines, burned them 

 at the rear of the chief's house, and placed the body on the bed which 

 his father had built for his son. The chief and the chieftainess 

 wailed every morning under the corpse of their dead son, and his 

 tribe cried with them. They did so every day after the young 

 man's death. 



One morning before daylight came, the chieftainess went again to 

 wail. She arose, and looked up to where her son was lying. There 

 she saw a youth, bright as fire, lying where the body of then son had 

 been. Therefore she called her husband, and said to him, "Our 

 beloved child has come back to life." Therefore the chief arose and 

 went to the foot of the ladder which reached to the place where the 

 body had been. He went up to his son, and said, "Is it you, my 

 beloved son? Is it you?" Then the shining youth said, "Yes, it 

 is I." Then suddenly gladness touched the hearts of the parents. 



The tribe entered again to console their chief and then- chieftainess. 

 When the people entered, they were much surprised to see the shining 

 youth there. He spoke to them. "Heaven was much annoyed by 

 your constant wailing, so He sent me down to comfort your minds." 

 The great tribe of the chief were very glad because the prince lived 

 again among them. His parents loved him more than ever. 



i Notes, pp. 634, 636. 



- Probably Haida Ku'nxalas (see Swanton 2, p. 27S, town No. 31), the town of the Eagle family 

 Q!o'naqe'gawa-i. 

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