672 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. ANN. 31 



The Bellacoola version BC 5 takes up this incident at the moment when Masmas- 

 ala'nix had carved the salmon which is unable to swim. Raven sets out in his 

 canoe with his four sisters. When he reaches the village of the Salmon chief, his 

 sisters hide in the woods, and in the evening they gnaw holes in the Salmon's canoes. 

 On the following day they are invited to a feast. After the feast Raven asks the 

 chief's daughter to carry provisions aboard. There the Raven seizes her and carries 

 her away. The canoes of the Salmon founder, and Raven reaches NulJe'1, where he 

 throws the girl into the river K'llat. Since that time there are many salmon in the 

 river. 



According to another version, Raven steals the salmon's soul from the house of the 

 Salmon chief and hides it under his tongue. The chief, however, notices it, and 

 takes it back. After that, Raven takes the salmon in a manner that is not told in 

 detail. The same version is recorded in BC 94, in which it is said that he tries to 

 marry the daughter of the Sockeye Salmon, and that his canoe moves when his sisters 

 strike its sides with their hands. 



Among the Rivers Inlet tribe, the Newettee and Kwakiutl, the 

 incident follows Raven's failure to obtain salmon from his twin wife. 



The Rivers Inlet version Ri 5 tells that he goes with his sister, Haliotis Woman. 

 His canoe reaches the country of the Salmon chief in one day. K!wek!waxa'we £ 

 hides the canoe near the village, and his sister makes holes in the canoes. When 

 they enter the house, the chief orders his four daughters to swim in the sea. 1 They 

 return, each carrying a salmon. The guests are ordered to throw the bones into the 

 fire. Suddenly the nose of one of the girls begins to bleed. This is due to the fact 

 that K!wek!waxa'we e has hidden a bone in his mouth. It is taken away from him, 

 and the girl is cured. Raven pretends to be angry and leaves the house. One of 

 his mats is left in the house, and the Salmon chief sends after him, telling him that 

 he has forgotten the mat. The Salmon chief's daughter takes it down and walks down 

 to the canoe i n order to deliver it . Then K ! wek ! waxa'we 6 sei zes her and escapes. The 

 salmon canoes founder. Only a few continue the pursuit. K'weklwaxa'wes throws 

 his mats into the water, and the pursuing Salmon quarrel over them. K!wek! waxa/we* 

 returns to Wanuk, the large river at the head of Rivers Inlet. 



In another Rivers Inlet version (Ri MS) the incident of the visit to the Salmon 

 chief and the attempted theft of the bone of the Salmon's nose by He'mask'as'o is 

 placed before his attempt to revive the twin woman. 



In the Newettee version Ne 5, the Salmon Woman is said to be the daughter of 

 the Killer- Whale chief. /£ meal dips his paddle into the water twice, and the canoe 

 goes straight to the chief's house. He finds the slave of Killer Whale engaged in 

 cutting down a tree, and gains his good-will in the manner discussed on p. 844, where 

 this incident forms part of the GunaxnesEmg'a'd story. /£ meal hides in a log; 

 and when the Salmon Girl carries the wood in, he embraces her. She throws away 

 the piece of wood, takes it up again, and this is repeated four times. Then he 

 marries her. The next morning, when Killer Whale returns from hunting, /£ meal 

 is scared, puts on his raven blanket, and sits down on the totem-pole in front of the 

 house. He is invited in. He offers the chief, who is very stout, to remove his 

 stoutness. The chief is afraid, but finally is induced to submit. /£ meal cuts him 

 open and kills him. In the same way he kills his brothers. Then he takes the 

 young woman and returns home. The people of the Killer Whale pursue him, but 

 are unable to overtake him. When near his home, he transforms his pursuers, the 

 Salmon, and tells them to go each to a particular river. A small fish that continues 

 the pursuit is transformed, and its eyes are placed very close together. 



i See a discussion of this incident ou pp. 698, 773. 



