SI;PERSTITIOUS BELIEFS 



21. A'siN^ 



The Monster-Girl 

 (Told by William Smith in 1910) 



Hak'Eqami'ii. Na'mk" mis qami'n itsai' tas hi'tslEm, tem qa^'ltE 

 hi'k"e mEla'nimux" ^ ts-la'nk' .'' Tsa'^'mE hi'k'e tslilo'xwelnx, 

 la'tta mis hi'k'e qa^'ltE Lo'qudinx hI'tslEm. Tem is I'mstE tem 

 hi'k'e tsa^'mE tslilo'xwehix. Qa'^'ltE hi'k'e ya'tsx hatsi'lkwauk" ,■* 

 5 'Llya^ na'mk' xamk' ! aya'sal na'k's kus la'mxadoo nl'sk'ik'sa^t, 

 la'lta mis mEla'nhix mis qa'^'ltE hi'k' e Lo'qudliix la'mxado. Tem 

 Is I'mstE tem hi'k'e xe'ilk'e Lhaya'naulnx Is qau'wai-slo, la'lta mis 

 hi'k'e hamsti- Lqa'mtinx la'mxado is qau'wai-slo. I'mstE tem 'Liya^ 

 Ik'I'stalhix la'mxado Is itsal's, mis qa'^'ltE hi'k' e Lqa'mtinx la'mxado 



10 tai^^ 



Mu°'hu mis mEla'nlnx, tem ^Llya^ mEim'nsitxaunst kus Li'kiii, 

 Na'mk' Ets iiu'nsitxaunx hi'k'e tsa^'mE mEqami'nta, k'au'k'Ets 

 mii"'lii yiixe'tsx ts-k' a'ltsuk' kus hi'tslEm, k'au'k'is mu^'lii hatsi'- 

 Ik's^ ayai'siiwitxai'm. La'lta mis mEla'nlnx, mis qaqa'tsE tiwl't!- 



15 hunsanx kus Ll'k'in. Temu'^'hu ita^ kus ts!inl'x^ na'mk* mis Itsi'- 

 mxainx ^ Is qamll's, k'au'k'is hal'^k' yiixe'tsx ts-k' a'ltsiik' kus 

 hi'tslEm; la'lta mis A'sin ts-sii'lha^k' ik' . Tem is I'mstE tem 'Llya^ 

 ttsi'mxainx Is qamll's kus ts!ini'x, la'lta mis mEla'nlnx, hak'i'ms 

 Itsi'mxaun Is qamll's, k'-auk" yuwi'xaltxam ts-k' a'ltsuk' kus 



20 hi'tslEm. HamstlHin hi'k'e Lhaya'naux nl'tsk'-auk' It'.a'xsalx 

 ts-hai"'k' qas hi'tslEm.^ Is I'mstE hak'Eqami'n tem hi'k'e tsa^'mE 

 ts lilo'xweLnx, la'lta mis I'mstE ili'tEsal mis hawa'qsanx is le'wl': 



1 Smith was not very certain about the power attributed to this girl. My other informant, Jackson, 

 claimed that her exact name was ixalwa^na a person living in the woods. 

 * Contracted from mEld'niyEmuxu. 



3 Smith e\'ldently meant to state that her real name was known to the old people only. 



4 Contracted from Uatsi'lku + -auk'. 



6 This habit of the Monster-Girl of stealing helpless children may prove her to be identical with the Giant 

 Woman of Coos mythology. See Frachtenberg, Coos Texts, pp. 71, 77. 

 6 Contracted from hatsi'lkuk-s. 

 ' Aspidium achrostichoides; known also as Christmas fern. 



8 Literally, "he touches it." 



9 This is an interpolated sentence, in which Smith intended to state that he was famihar with all super- 

 stitious beliefs of his tribe. 



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