sivANTON] HAIDA TfeXTS AND MYTfiS l7l 



Then it :it once (.•{inic into the front part of the house and said: 

 "Your j>randchildren are beg-inninj>- to he hard pressed." Now he 

 h)ok<'d (low M hetweeu the floor ])hinks. To his surprise his grand- 

 children, who were tiohtiny tor revenue, were heini;- driven back. 

 The eldest brother was naked. He fought among them with his fists. 

 When he struck one, he did not get up again. He looked down 

 upon all this. He turned around, went to get his small, square box 

 and, when he had opened five boxes, one within the other, he took 

 from the last something [shaped like skeins of yarn], covered with 

 the sk>' and tied up with rope. After he had looked down for a while, 

 he threw it down upon the people of Metlakahtla. Then their legs 

 only were visible. At these the}^ struck, and the}^ killed all. These 

 were called Clouds-of-the-Killer.^* 



Although this i.s the second story of the Skedans series, it was tiie lirst of them 

 that I took down, my informant choosing to tell the Raven story last, and it is the 

 second Haida story re(!orded by me. In consequence, the form in which it appears 

 is rougher than that of most of the others, and certain points will seem obscure 

 at the first reading. As noted in the text and translation, there are really two 

 stories combined under one head. To the first the name properly belongs, and this 

 maybe a real Haida story, but the second, "He-who-had-Panther-woman-for-his- 

 mother," is a well-known Tsimshian tale. Nevertheless, my informant stoutly 

 maintained that the story was always told in this combined form. Probably, the 

 common episode of the marriage of two cliiefs' sons to women having supernatural 

 power was the occasion for placing them together. The name given for Panther- 

 woman, Simn'a^sAm, is Tsimshian. 



' The hawk here referred to is called skiii^msm, or ski<Vmskun, is described as of a 

 bluish color, and is said to live on the higher mountains. Artistically, little differ- 

 ence is made between this bird and the thunder-bird, and the two are sometimes 

 said to be identical. The custom here referred to is presumal)ly connected with the 

 potlatch, though I did not hear of it elsewhere. 



'-'See the story of Raven traveling, note 40. 



■'Sky blankets are worn by many supernatural beings, but I have no notion what 

 tiie Haida imagined them to resemble. 



*One slave was usually placed over all the others. 



■'As is often the case in America, the sky is represented as a solid vault, which 

 rises and falls at regular intervals. 



•"'The supernatural l)eing who represents and confers wealth. 



' It was thought i)ossil)le to accomplish certain things by the mere exercise of one's 

 mind or will. 



''See the fifth paragraph of tlie story. The important fact that this hat liad been 

 given to the girl's father as a Ijridal present was omitted from the original text. 



'■•This was what is commonly called a Chilkat blanket. The design woven in it is rep- 

 r;'sented as able to speak. It is weary at being obliged to wait so long to be completed. 



'" See the story of Raven traveling, notes 11 and 12. "Canoe Songs " or "Women's 

 songs." 



"Sea water was warmed and taken into the stomach to clear the system out, both 

 for one's physical and spiritual welfare. The following paragraph indicates that 

 some of the story has been omitted. The slave either promised at this time to 

 reward Mink-woman for her silence, or met her before and engaged her help. 

 This is why, after he whispered to her, she exclaimed that what she had smelt was 

 the blankets of the ten servants who had accompanied the chief's daughter. 



