APPENDIX I— BELLABELLA AND NOOTKA TALES 



MYTHS OF THE BELLABELLA 



Collected by Livingston Farrand 

 1. Q!a'neke s lak u 



In the beginning there was nothing but water and ice and a 

 narrow strip of shore-line. In those days the killer whale, in the 

 upper part of his bod}-, was man; in the lower part of his body, 

 like a whale. Q!a'neke £ lak u passed his hands over his body, and 

 he became a man and the ancestor of the Killer- Whale Clan of 

 the Nolawitx. 



[Then follows the tale of the origin of the deer (see no. 16, p. 599) 

 and the otter (see No. 17, p. 600.)]" 



Next Q!a'neke e lak u created the dog and gave him to the people. 

 He went on and gave names to all the people and all the animals. 



He came to a place where Geese were cooking food. They were 

 blind women; and one of them sniffed the air and said, "I smell 

 Q!a'neke £ lak u !" He spit in their eyes and gave them the power to 

 see. Then he transformed them into geese (hanak'a'x). 



2. The Sawbill-Duck Woman 



In Nolo there were seven houses. In one of them lived a chief's 

 daughter whose name was Aa'x - taqs, whom Raven wanted to 

 many. Raven always tried to help her in her work, but she would 

 not let him touch her. One day he sees that there is no fire in 

 the house, and he offers to go after wood. (Here follows the story 

 p. 707.) He tells her to call Dixlais. He finds small black scales, 

 which he puts into a clamshell, and from which originates a child. 

 The child is called Xiu'lx. 



Masmasala'nix was always building large canoes, and he wished 

 Xiu'lx to help him launch the canoe. His friend Kane'silsuq used 

 to take people up to heaven: therefore Xiu'lx was warned to look 

 out for the Eagle. When they ' launched the canoe, the Thunder- 

 bird took the boy by the hair, although he tried to hold on to the 

 canoe. 



1 It is nol deal whether Masmasala'nix and Xiu'lx, or Raven and Xiu'lx, are meant. 



