692 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [bth.ann.31 



(30) RAVEN AND EAGLE GATHER RED AND BLACK COD 

 (5 versions: Tla 17; Tlfc 121; Skd 128; Hai 5.309; H 5.232) 

 Only two short Tlingit versions of this story are available. 



Raven goes with his friend CAk!A'k u gathering fish on the beach. Raven picks 

 up small fish like bullheads and tomcod, while his friend takes large whales. There- 

 lore Raven has only a small bladder filled with grease, while his friend has a whole 

 houseful Tla. This is followed by a story telling how he stole CAk\A'k u 's grease. 

 The second version (T16) is practically identical with the preceding one. His friend 

 is called Caq ! u k ! u . 



The Haida versions are a little fuller. Raven catches red cod; his friend Eagle 

 catches black cod. Eagle's fish is very fat, while that of Raven is dry. He tells 

 Eagle that he is going into the woods to gather some bark, and tells him when a 

 stump come*, to rub its face with black cod. Eagle puts stones into the fire; and 

 when the stump comes, he rubs it with the red-hot stones. After a while Raven 

 comes back bringing bark: his face is blackened. When asked, he says that some 

 bark had fallen on his face. In reality he had taken the form of the stump, and 

 Eagle had burned him Skd. 



The version Hai 5 is about the same. Raven begs Eagle for some of his black 

 cod; and when Eagle refuses to give him more, he tells him that he is going to get 

 some bark to cure his fish, and that if a log should roll down, Eagle is to grease 

 it. Eagle, when striking the log, says, "Do you feel it?" and the log rolls away. 

 When Raven comes back, he hides his face and pretends that he has hurt it. Raven 

 asks Eagle for a little oil to grease his face, but, instead of using it for this purpose, 

 he eats it. Eagle gets angry and leaves him. 



The same incident is told by the Bellabella. The Master Of The Tides causes the 

 sea to fall, and Raven and his sister HaTxa (Crow) gather fish. Raven gathers the 

 beautiful red cod, while Ha'lx'a takes black cod. After four days the water comes 

 back. They roast their fish; and Raven finds that his are dry, while those of his 

 sister are fat. He eats his sister's fish and flies away H 5. 



(31) TXA'MSEM AND THE HUNTER (p. 75) 



(8 versions: Ts 75; T16 114; Tl 5.319; Ma 322; Mc 333; Mrf 338, 341; Skd 132 1 



This tale occurs in a number of distinct forms. In the Tlingit 

 group it leads up to the tale of how Raven kills the seal and eats it — 

 an incident which is treated independently among the southern tribes. 



Raven assumes the form of a woman, and says he is the daughter of Sea-Gull Man. 

 A canoe with Killer Whales goes by, and she marries one of them. When the Killer 

 Whales come home, they tell that they brought a wife, whose name is Sister on High 

 Cliffs and Barked Hemlock's Daughter. The Killer Whales notice that their food is 

 disappearing rapidly. Eventually they find, in a box with grease, the woman's 

 labret, which is set with abalone shell. Raven excuses himself, saying that the 

 labret always goes off by itself T16. 



Parallel to this are the Haida versions. Raven takes the form of a woman and 

 transforms a long slender stone into a child. A canoe passes by, and she wishes one 

 of the hunters to marry her. When aboard tin' canoe, she tells the hunter that her 

 child wants hair-seal. She wishes it to- become foggy. At her request they cover 

 her with a mat, and she eats the seal. At the same time she throws stones overboard, 

 saying that they are meat. One of the men marries her, and they give her salmon roe 



