boas] COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY 857 



the prince escapes. They sell the wood of the tree at a high price. He goes on to 

 find the copper. Near the head of the river he sees a salmon in the water, spears it, 

 and clubs it. When he throws the salmon backward over his shoulder, he finds that 

 it is copper. In the night the chief dies, because the live copper kills him. His 

 companions throw the copper into the fire and melt it. They carry the copper and 

 the body of the prince home in their canoe. The prince's wife mourns for him. Her 

 father appears to her in a shining light, and revives her husband by sprinkling him 

 with the water of life and slapping him on his cheeks. Then he is taught the taboos 

 of copper, which become the property of his family Ts 303. The capture of the cop- 

 per salmon and instruction regarding copper taboos occur also in M 692. M 701. 



52. Story of the Wolf Clan (p. 306) 

 (2 versions: Ts 306; Tl 122) 



At Metlakahtla there is one Eagle village opposite the "Wolf village. The two 

 tribes build a weir between the two islands and quarrel about the game. A battle 

 ensues, in which the Eagles are victorious. The Eagle thief's wife gives birth to a 

 number of children. Their father allows the girls to grow up, but kills his sons. 

 Finally she gives birth to a boy. She tells her husband that it is a girl, and the child 

 is allowed to grow up. The woman and her son flee. When the boy is grown up, he 

 takes revenge and kills his father. (See also K 5.138, LkufigEn 5.61, Kath 158. for 

 the disguising of male children.) 



The mother tells him about the live arrow which is owned by Chief Gutginsa', who 

 lives on the northwestern confines of the world. The son sets out with his friends, 

 taking along much food. "When they camp, he bathes. A youth appears to him, who 

 gives him instructions how to reach the country of Gutginsa'. They pass a number 

 of villages. Every time the young man puts on his sparrow blanket and sings. Then 

 the people tell him how far it is to the village of Gutginsa'. They continue to sacrifice, 

 and finally reach a large village, where they are told there are three more villages to 

 pass, and that it is one month's travel between the villages. In the last village he 

 puts on his sparrow garment, is called in by the chief, and is told that he has reached 

 the corner of the world, that beyond there is only air. The chief offers to accompany 

 him, and both fly away in the form of birds — the youth as a sparrow, the chief as a hum- 

 mingbird. They reach the air island, and the hummingbird asks for the loan of the 

 live arrow. Hummingbird instructs the youth to keep the arrow in hiding to protect 

 it against noxious influences. He also tells him to call in the old men and to ask them 

 for instructions. When they return, the youth is told to wear his sparrow blanket, to 

 fly ahead of the canoe, and to sit down on the bow when tired. He is told that in this 

 way he will reach home in four days. The prince owns many grizzly-bear skins, 

 He invites the old men of his father's tribe, and asks them what they did when 

 young. One said that he was in love with women; another, that he succeeded 

 in getting a good-looking wife; a third, that he married many beautiful women. All 

 these he sends away, each with a present of a grizzly-bear skin. Finally an old man 

 tells him that he has been a warrior. He shows him how he shoots through a knot- 

 hole, and how he can jump forward and backward over two boxes placed one on top 

 oftheother. When shooting, he shouts, "I shoot right through the eye!'' Theyoung 

 man takes his uncle's name, and his father tries to kill him. One night the young 

 man sends the live arrow through the smoke hole into his father's house. It goes 

 through the heart of the chief. On the following morning the chief is found dead. 

 The arrow is taken out, and the people see that the eyes in its head are twinkling and 

 that it has teeth. While the people are examining it, it flies away. The people 

 mourn and try to find the owner of the arrow. During the festival given by the dead 

 chief's nephew, all the chiefs of other villages are given large presents, but the chief's 

 own son is insulted by receiving a small present. A quarrel ensues, and the people 

 learn that the young man has killed his own father. They attack him. A rock lies 



