8WANT0N] HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS l73 



Thk onk akam>()Nki) foi; katinc; tiik fi.ipi'KU of a haik seal 



[Told l)y .Icihn Sky of Tl)ose-l)()tii-!il-Skcdans] 



He was ;i chiof's son. He was always in tho l)a(k part of his 

 fathers house whittlino-. He did not care to eat an3'thiii^. [His 

 father] owned the town of Mi^tlakahthi/ He was " town-mother.'"^ 



Then someone- in the town killed a hair seal. Then they eooked it 

 and called the people in foi' it. And tiie father of the boy who sat up 

 whittling- went thither. All the town people went in for it. There 

 the\' ate. 



As soon as they had stopped they carried some over to the chief's 

 wife. When they ))rouoht it in a flipper lay upon the top. Now, he 

 who sat up whittling- looked down. Then he came down and called to 

 his mother: "Come, give me a wash basin. Let me wash my hands." 

 Then he said "Come, push that over to me," and he ate it. He ate it 

 all and pushed [the dish] ])ack. 



Now he (the chief) came in and said to his wife "My child's mother, 

 come let me eat the hair-seal flipper I sent home." "My child has 

 eaten that,"' she said to her husband. From the high place where he 

 was wdiittling he heard what his mother said. 



After she had said this to her husband, he did not say a word. 

 Presentl}' he said *' Well, say that I want them to move from this 

 place to-morrow." At once a slave went out and said, ''To-morrow 

 the chief says he is going to al)andon his son." 



Then evening came and he (tlie boy) went to the wife of one of his 

 ten uncles with whom he was in love. As he la}' with her, she gave 

 him the following directions: "When they are ready to start, I will 

 get ofl' to defecate, and dig around w^ith your feet in the place where 

 I sit. I will leave something for you there." 



His younger brother was just big enough to sit up. He also had a 

 dog.^ 



When morning came the noise of their departure was heard. 

 Then, when they were ready to go. he brought out his younger 

 brother. He also took his dog. which he treated like his child. 

 When the}' were read}- to start, his uncle's wife got off to defecate. 

 She sat down l)ehind the sea-weeds which were drifted ashore. As 

 soon as she got in again, they started oti'. 



After the crowd of canoes had gone round the point, h(^ went to 

 [the place whei-e his uncle's wife had satj. Only a broken stick lay 

 there. Then he dug around. He dug up a small l)o.\. It had ropes 

 round it. He laid the box down near his 3'ounger brother, gathered 



