338 THE HUDSON BAY ESKIMO. 



it very well ; you will live iu the tall green grass in the summer and in 

 grass houses iu the winter. " The wolvereue put on his coat and went 

 away. 



Creation of people by the wolverene and the muskrat. — As a wolverene 

 was wanderint; aloug the bank of a river he saw a. muskrat swimming 

 in the edge of the water. He accosted the latter animal with the in- 

 quiry, "Who are you? Are you a man or a woman"?" The muskrat 

 answered, "I am a woman." The wolverene informed her that he 

 would take her for a wife. The muskrat replied, "1 live iu the water; 

 how can I be your wife!" The wolverene told her that she could live 

 on the laud as well as iu the water. The muskrat went up on the bank 

 to where the wolvereue was standing. They selected a place and 

 she began to prepare a home for them. They ate their supjiers and 

 retired. Soon after a child was born. The wolverene informed his 

 wife that it would be a white man and father of all the white people. 

 When this child was born it made a natural exit. In due time a second 

 child was born which the wolverene decreed should be an Indian and 

 the father of their kind. This child was born from its mother's mouth. 

 After a time a third child was born, and the wolverene announced it to 

 be an Eskimo and father of its kind. This child was born ah ano. In 

 the natural course of events a fourth child was born, and the wolverene 

 decided it to be an Iroquois and father of its kind. This child was 

 born from its mother's nose. After a time a fifth child was born and 

 the wolverene decreed it should be a Negro and father of its kind. This 

 child was born from its mother's ears. These children remained with 

 theii' pareTits until they grew up. Their mother then called them to- 

 gether and announced to them that they must separate. She sent 

 them to different places of the land, and, in parting, directed them to 

 go to the white men whenever they were in need of anything, as the 

 whites would have everything ready for them. 



Griffin of the whitish s^tot on the throat of the marten. — A man had a 

 wife whom a marten fell in love ^^^th and endeavored to i)ossess. 

 Whenever the man would go away from his home the marten would 

 enter, sit by the woman's side, and endeavor to entice her to leave her 

 husband and go to live with him. One day the man returned unex- 

 pectedly and caught the marten sitting by the side of his wife. The 

 marten ran out. The man inquired of his wife what the marten wanted 

 there. The woman replied that the marten was striving to induce her 

 to desert him and Itecome his own wife. 



The next time the man went off he told his wife to fill a kettle with 

 water and put it on the fire to boil. The man went outside and 

 secreted himself near the house. He soon saw the marten go into the 

 house. 



The man stole quietly to the door of the house and listened to the 

 marten, which was talking to his wife. The man sprang into the house 

 and said: "Marten, what are you doing here, what are you trying to 



