NELSON] ALASKAN FOLKLORE 499 
foster parents died he was taken by other people, and so lived for 
many generations, until finally he died. From him people learned the 
custom of wearing masks, and since his death parents have been 
accustomed to make dolls for their children in imitation of the people 
who made the one of which I have told.' 
THE STRONG MAN 
(From the lower Yukon) 
In ancient times a very strong man (Yukhpuk) lived in the Askinuk 
mountains, near the Yukon river. One day he picked up a part of 
these mountains and, placing them on his shoulders, carried them out 
upon the level country, where he threw them down. In this way he 
made the Kuslevak mountains. When the mountain was thrown from 
the man’s shoulders, the effort caused his feet to sink into the ground 
so that two deep pits were left, which filled with water, making two 
small lakes, which now lie at the base of this mountain. From there 
he traveled up the Yukon, giving names to all the places he passed. 
THE OWL GIRL 
The lower Yukon Eskimo have a legend that the short-ear owl was 
once a little girl who lived at a village by the river. She was changed 
by magic into a bird with a long beak and became so frightened that she 
sprang up and flew off in an erratic way until she struck the side of a 
house, flattening her bill and face so that she became just as these owls 
are seen today. 
TALE OF AK!-CHIK-CcuU!-GUK 
(From Sledge island) 
At the village of Kiil-ul/-i-git’ a terrible wind was blowing, which 
filled the air with flying snow and kept everyone in the house. One 
house in the village was occupied by a family of eight people—the par- 
ents and five sons and a daughter. The eldest son, named Ak/-chik- 
chi’-giik, was noted for the great breadth of his shoulders, and the 
strength of his hands was greater than that of the most powerful walrus 
flippers. The daughter was well known for her kindness and beauty. 
As the day passed, one of the brothers asked his mother for some 
food, and she replied that none had been prepared, nor did she have 
any water with which to cook meat. Turning to the daughter, she 
told her to take a tub and go down to the water hole in the ice and 
bring some sea water that she might boil meat. The girl hesitated 
about going on account of the storm, and the brothers joined with her 
1The path of iight mentioned in this tale is the galaxy, which figures in numerous Eskimo myths. 
2 Point Rodney, on the eastern shore of Bering strait. 
