FRACHTENBEEG] ALSEA TEXTS AND MYTHS 237 



went back. . . . Then they made fun of her, and Mo'luptsini'sla 

 said, ''That was the reason why she wanted to stay behind." 



After the Wolves came back to their house the oldest Wolf said: 

 "After this we must not be people any longer. We will turn into 

 Wolves and will always hunt for Elk, whom we will kill and devour." 

 Now this is the reason why wolves like to kill elk, and why the people 

 call elk imns.''^ 



27. The Magic Hazel Twig ^ 



Five brothers were once living together. Their father was a very 

 old man, and he wore a blanket made of the skin taken from the 

 necks of elk. Each of the five brothers had children. One of these 

 was a girl. 



One day the children took a hazel twig and began twisting it until 

 it was soft. Only the inner part of the twig remained hard. This 

 they separated and wrapped up in skins until it looked like a doll, 

 which they gave to their younger sister. The girl took the doll and 

 hid it away. Once in a while she would go to the hidmg place to 

 have a look at her doll. One day when she took out her doll she 

 found it possessed of skin just like a human bemg. The next day 

 the doll appeared with a human face and even opened its eyes. 

 On the third day it had legs and arms and looked just like a person; 

 on the fourth day she found it smiling and raising its hands, and on 

 the fifth day 4t was talking and said: ''You liked me when I was the 

 heart of a hazel tree. Will you like me now after I have turned into 

 a human being?" Then the next day, before daylight appeared, the 

 girl went to look at her doll. As soon as she unwrapped the blankets 

 the doll arose and w^alked around m the shape of a fine-looking boy. 



Thereafter the boy ran around with the other children and became 

 their playmate. One day one of the other boys got mto a fight with 

 him, and he fought back. So that boy went home and told hi^ 

 parents that Teu'lsa ^ was mean to him. Then Teu'lsa became 

 ashamed and thought, "I guess they don't want me to be a person." 

 Then he took his foster grandfather's blanket and wrapped himself 

 up m it until no part of his body showed. Then he lay do^\^^ and 

 refused to get up when called by his foster parents. On the third 

 day they spoke harshly to him: "Here! what is the matter with thee? 

 Get up!" But he answered: "No! Just leave me alone. I am 

 getting to be different again." Then next night toward midnight 



1 That is to say, "food." 



2 This narrative contains two separate themes. One is the story of the Hazel Twig that Turned into a 

 Boy, which seems to be distinctive of Alsea folklore. At least I was unable to trace it in any of the 

 mythologies of the other tribes, although it seems to have some incidents in common with the Coos story, 

 The Girl and her Pet. See Coos Texts, pp. 84 et seq. The other theme is the story of the Test of Son-in- 

 law, which shows a wide distribution. See note 1, p. Il8. 



. 3 The name of the boy. Farrand claims that this means "heart of twisted hazel." 



