boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 113 



6. Beaver and Porcupine ' 



(Printed in Boas 13, pp. 226-235.) 



7 Story of the Deluge 2 



(Printed in Boas 13. pp. 143-253.) 



8. Sun and Moon 2 



I Translated from Boas 10.) 



It was in the. beginning, before anything that lives in our world was 

 created There was only the chief hi heaven. There was no light in 

 heaven. There, were only emptiness and darkness. 



The chief had two sons and one daughter. His people were numer- 

 ous. Indeed, they were the tribe of the chief. 



These were the names of his three children. The name of the eldest 

 one was Walking About Early; the name of the second, The One. Who 

 Walks All Over The Sky. The name of the girl was Support Of Sun. 

 They were very strong. The younger boy was wiser and abler than 

 the elder one. Therefore one day he was sad, and he pondered why 

 darkness was continuing all the time. Therefore one day he spoke 

 to his sister, "Let us go and get pitch wood!" They went and they 

 cut very good pitch wood. They made a ring of a slender cedar 

 twig, and measured it according to the size of a face. Then they tied 

 pitch wood all round it, so that it looked like a mask. After they had 

 finished, they told then sister, who was accompanying them while 

 they were getting pitch wood, not to tell the people about what they 

 were doing. Then The One Who Walks All Over The Sky went to 

 where the Sun rises and showed himself to the people. The pitch 

 wood that was tied around his face was burning. 



Suddenly the people saw the great light rising hi the east. They 

 were glad when they saw the light. Then he ran hi full sight across 

 the sky. He came from the east and went westward. He was carry- 

 ing the pitch mask. That is the reason why he was running quickly, 

 because else the pitch wood would have been burned up. Therefore 

 he was running quickly across the sky. Then the chief's tribe assem- 

 bled. They sat down together to hold a council, and said, "We are 

 glad because your child has given us light, but he is running too 

 quickly. He ought to go a little more slowly, so that we may enjoy the 

 light for a longer time." Therefore the chief told his son what the 

 people had said. His son replied, asking him what he shoidd do. 

 since the pitch wood woidd burn before he could reach the west. 

 Therefore he went that way every day. / 



The people assembled again and held a council, and requested him 

 to go slowly along the sky. That is what they asked of him; and 



