boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 295 



generations. He also took his new chief's name, which the grizzly 

 bear had given him to reward him for his kindness. This name was 

 Nes-nawa. 



The three brothers were jealous of their younger brother, but the 

 people of all the tribes loved and honored him, and his name was 

 great among the people. His own tribe was very proud of their 

 chief, who was the richest among all the chiefs. 



When he was old, he went again to his hunting-ground; and while, 

 he was there, while they were encamped, in the evening, a man came 

 to him, and the old chief invited him to eat with him. So they ate 

 together; and while they were eating, the man said, "I will give you 

 my mountain-pole. You shall keep it, as you did the other tilings 

 which I gave you before." Then the old man's eyes opened, and he 

 recognized him, and another song went with this pole. A small live 

 man was seated at one end of the pole. 



When the old chief went home, he gave his last feast; and when all 

 the guests were in, he took his new crest, the pole, and he sang the 

 song of the pole. After he had given away all his property to his 

 guests, he said, "This is my last feast, and this is the last time I 

 shall see your faces. I shall leave all my property to my only nephew, 

 and also all my crests and my mourning-songs. He shall have all 

 my power and my honor. He shall have my hunting-ground and 

 my house, and he shall be kind as I have always been kind to my 

 people." After that he gave his blessing to his nephew. Then he 

 took a wooden drum, sang Ids mourning-song with all Ids relatives, 

 and all the guests were sorry to hear his last kind words to his 

 relatives. At the end of his song he lay down and died, and all 

 the guests mourned over him for two days and two nights. His 

 nephew succeeded him. 



(Another Version) 



Chief Dzeba'sa used the Prince Black Bear when he danced among 

 the other chiefs in the winter dance. In olden times, when the 

 people still lived on the upper part of Skeena River, in Prairie Town, 

 there was a great famine among the people. There were six chiefs 

 in the village, and each had a house. During the famine the smoke 

 continued to ascend from their houses every morning, but many of 

 their tribe died of starvation. 



One morning in winter it was very cold. The Skeena River was 

 full of ice, and snow covered the ground. Then a stranger came 

 along on the ice. He went into the house of the oldest chief, whose 

 attendants spread a mat by the side of the fire, and the cluef ordered 

 his attendants to put fuel on the fire. They did so. Then the chief 

 asked the stranger, "What kind of food do you eat down river?" 

 The stranger replied, "I ate only snow while I was coming along." 



