boas] COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY 715 



In the other version, which is connected with the incident No. 41, K!wek!waxa'we £ 

 goes to Grouse, who always appears as carpenter, and asks Mm to carve a whale. After 

 it is done, it is covered with pitch and thrown into the water. He himself , the Hali- 

 but, Beaver, and Sea Otter go into the whale, which swims to Sa'ludze, an island 

 north of Malcolm Island, in Queen Charlotte Sound Ri 5.211. [In Ri MS, after Pitch 

 and Frost have been killed (see p. 683), he carves the whale, the people go inside, and 

 they launch it. The whale swims and comes up to blow. It sticks in the mud, and 

 the Beaver is hired to dig it out again. No details are given in the version Ne 5.206. 

 In Ne 5.179 Corneal kills the Pitch, calks the whale which he has carved of cedar 

 wood, and asks the animals to go in. The black bear is placed in the head ; the grizzly 

 bear, in the back; the wolf, in the tail. The whale does not move quite properly 

 until the animals are instructed by /£ meal how to handle it.] 



Somewhat different are the incidents told in some of the Kwnkiutl 

 versions. 



Corneal makes a whale of poles. He sends Mink to borrow the whale mask of the 

 Whale. He is instructed not to open the bag in which it is kept. Mink disobeys, and 

 finds a small piece of root, which blows on the ground. He returns to Whale, who 

 folds it up and puts it back. Mink delivers it to (y^meiil, and the animals go into the 

 whale. Mink sits in the spout-hole Ne 9.241. 



Woodpecker, Woodworm, and Ant are asked to carve a whale out of cedar wood. 

 Mink and Deer are sent to borrow the ballast of Sea Lion for ballasting the whale. 

 When the whale is completed, all the animals go in. Grouse gives his adze to Mink. 

 Squid shuts the door on the back of the artificial whale K 10. In K 9.493 it is stated 

 that the animals gather stones for ballast, and that the whale is calked at MaTma, an 

 island just opposite Crooked Beach. In K 11 K!wek!waxa'we £ sends Raven to kill 

 Pitch. Meanwhile the other people bring wood and make the framework of a whale, 

 which is covered over with melted pitch. After four days the whale is finished. 

 Grizzly Bear, Deer, Mink, and Raccoon are placed in charge of the blow-hole. 

 K!wek!waxa'we J causes the tide to turn and to carry the Whale to the house of the 

 Thunderbird. 



Kwo'tiath advises Woodpecker to borrow the Whale's canoe. All the animals go 

 in and go to the Thunderbird's house in the form of a whale Nu 5. 



During the council Wren advises Woodpecker (o borrow the Whale's canoe. Mink 

 says he wants to go. Woodpecker agrees, and Mink finds the old Whale lying near the 

 fire. He kicks him and asks for the canoe- The Whale, however, declines, because 

 he says Mink will spoil it. Mink pretends to go out, but hides behind the door. 

 After a little while he returns, and says that the other animals are too lazy to come. 

 Whale gives him the box in wliich his canoe is kept, and orders him not to open it. 

 Mink disobeys, opens the box, and the Whale jumps out. Mink pretends that the box 

 broke by accident. When he finally returns to Woodpecker, the latter, Bear, Wolf, 

 Panther, and other animals, go aboard. The canoe is ballasted with a heavy stone, 

 and in the bow is Mink, who carries a chisel. The canoe appears like a whale Co 5. 



Finally the animals set out in the whale, and arrive in front of the 

 Thunderbird's house. The Thunderbird sends out his children one 

 after another to catch the whale. Generally the children are called 

 in order "The One Who Can Carry One, Two, Three, Four, Whales." 

 They are all killed either by sticking to the pitch-covered whale, 

 wliich pulls them under water, or by having their feet cut by the 

 anirnals that are hidden near the blow-hole. 



The Thunderbirds stick to the whale, and the Mouse gnaws through their wings 

 H ap. The Thunderbird sends out his four children, and all are drowned by the 

 whale. Finally the Thunderbird himself is killed Ri 5.214. 



