744 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth.ann.31 



to meet her on the beach and to bring her sea animals. Kats! returns. He finds 

 that his wife has married again. His steersman is afraid of the Bears. He builds a 

 house with the bear crest, and is a successful sea hunter. He delivers the animals to 

 the old She-Bear and her four cubs. One day he meets his former wife when drawing 

 water. She smiles at him and scolds the Bear, and he smiles at her. On the follow- 

 ing day, when he goes to take food to the Bears, they attack him and kill him. They 

 go back into the woods, singing mourning-songs Tl 5. 



The She-Bear tells him not to smile or touch his Indian wife or to take up either 

 of his children. He carries sea animals to the Bears, and the cubs take them out of 

 the canoe and throw them to their mother. His steersman is afraid of the Bears. One 

 day Kats! pities one of his children and takes it up. On the following day the Bear 

 cubs seize him, throw him up to their mother, and kill him. Then they scatter and 

 are killed in various places. The last one meets people in camp. A girl scolds 

 him, which makes him angry, so that he kills most of the people and carries the girl 

 away. Finally the people kill him Tla. 



The She-Bear forbids him to look at his former wife. When he reaches his village, 

 he asks his brothers to tell his wife not to come near him. He is a successful sea 

 hunter. One day the Bear cubs come down to the beach. He recognizes them and 

 feeds them. Afterward this is repeated every day. His brothers are afraid of them, 

 but he encourages them. Finally his former wife reproaches him because she and 

 her children are hungry. He pities them and gives them to eat. The next time 

 he takes food to the Bear children, he finds them lying on the ground with ears erect. 

 When he lands, they kill him T16. 



The Masset version continues as follows : 



The Bear forbids him to look at his former wife. One day he goes hunting with 

 his two human sons. He meets the Bear and gives her food. His companions are 

 afraid. One day when he is drawing water, he meets his former wife and smiles at 

 her. Next time when he takes seals to his Bear wife, her ears are turned forward. 

 She jumps into the water, attacks him, and kills him and his two sons Ski. 



The Skidegate version is very much like the others : 

 Before he returns, the She-Bear says she will wait for him at the upper end of the 

 inlet, and forbids him to talk to other women. She gives him a basket in which a 

 hawk feather floats (see p. 780). He sits down at the place where people draw water. 

 is found, and led back into his father's house. They try to give him to eat, but he 

 refuses. He goes sea hunting; and when his canoe is full, he goes up the inlet. There 

 he sees the She-Bear. His companions turn their backs to the Bear. The Bear and 

 the two cubs lick him, and he feeds them. This is repeated regularly. One time 

 he goes to draw water and meets a girl there. The next time he goes to feed the Grizzly 

 Bears, the hair on the back of the neck stands straight up. The companions are afraid. 

 Nevertheless he lands. The Bear cubs are kind to him, but the She-Bear tears him. 

 Thereupon the cubs tear their mother. The cubs travel about killing people. Once 

 they come behind some people in camp, and a woman's child cries. She says, "Don't 

 cry! Your uncle's children might come and destroy us." Then they go away Ska. 

 A variant of this tale is also told by the Shuswap Sh 720. 



17. The Hunter and his Wooden Wife 



(8 versions: Tsl52; Tl 181; BC 5.256; K 10.122; Ne 10.361; K 11.53; Nu 5.112; Cow 

 5.49) 

 A man goes hunting mountain goats in winter. His wife prepares the wool and 

 weaves blankets. She dies, and the man keeps her body many days. Finally he 

 buries it, and carves an image of his wife out of red cedar. He places the image in 

 front of the unfinished blanket, and makes its fingers move. He also makes it turn 



