202 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. ANN. 31 



from Skeena River — how they went on and passed the town of the 

 Humpback Salmon, and how the chief told them the news from 

 Skeena River; how they went on and passed the village of the Dog 

 Salmon, and told them the same story; how they went on and passed 

 the village of the Cohoes chief, and told them the news; how they 

 went on and passed the town of the Trout, and how all the Trout had 

 asked Chief Spring Salmon to wait until they themselves were ready 

 to go ahead of the Spring Salmon, to which the chief had consented ; 

 how they waited there two days and met the Steelhead Salmon 

 coming from the rivers, when the ice was still on the rivers, who 

 told them that it was good weather on the Skeena and Nass Rivers 

 and about the fishing; how they rested between two islands; and 

 how the chief had asked all his people where they would camp, 

 and how they had answered him what rivers they chose; and how 

 they had come to the mouth of the canyon and had seen all the 

 bag nets at the sides of the canyon ; how some nets had been well 

 open and others closed. He continued, ''Only the net of the great 

 shaman was wide open, and reached from one side of the canyon to 

 the other end of the other side. Therefore my Salmon father had 

 no way to go up any farther." 1 



All his father's people listened in silence and astonishment. There- 

 fore he turned to his mother, and said, "Now, mother, don't keep 

 dried salmon in your box any longer; and if any one cooks fresh 

 salmon of any kind, throw the bones into the fire and drink as soon 

 as you finish eating. Then the salmon will go home, and will revive 

 again safely." The father kept the prince in his house. 



The prince kept a little round pebble in his mouth, which his father 

 Salmon had given him before they moved from then town. Therefore 

 the prince did not need any food after he had come home. 



One day the prince called four young men, who were to be his com- 

 panions; and he loved them very much, and they loved him also. 

 The prince staid in his father's house for a long time. He began 

 again his old occupation of making arrows with eagle's feathers, and 

 therefore eagle feathers were very useful to him. Therefore one day 

 he went out with his four friends to his eagle trap, which he used to 

 make, digging a deep pit, with some small pieces of wood across the 

 opening of the pit. They put the bait on top, and some man would 

 stand in the pit. As soon as the eagle saw the bait, he would swoop 



' Before the spring salmon went up the river, the Tsimshian moved from Nass River to Skeena River. 

 All the Tsimshian tribes went to Skeena River for their salmon fishing. When they reached the mouth or 

 Skeena River, they saw the spring salmon jumping. Then the Tsimshian children shouted, saying, 

 "Ayuu, do it again!" and every time they saw salmon jump, they shouted, "Ayuu!" The prime ex- 

 plained this to his father's people at C.-itsIala'sEr when he came home. That which we call the jumping 

 of salmon Is no jumping, but the salmon were just standing up in the canoe to stretch their bodies; and 

 when the Salmon hear the children or the people shout •'Ayuu, do it again!" they are very glad to 

 hear them shout "Ayuu, do it again!" When the salmon stop jumping, the people say, "We will 

 catch you tonight in our nets! " So nowadays the people, when they see salmon jumping, shout, '•Ayuu!" 

 tomake the salmon happy.--HENRY W. Tate. 



