swANTONl HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 295 



not heal him. Instead he squeezed it tighter. Then he began to die, 

 and thev said ''Quick, go and get the chief/' and the}' w(^nt t'oi- him. 



Then they went to get him, and they landed. But he was a great 

 shaman, and, as soon as he ])ut his head in, he saw the one who had 

 seized him. And he said to him: "'Look out for 3^ourself, grandsou. 

 Those on the other side are not chiefs.""" He was chief among- the 

 shamans, they sa}'. His name was Sindja'na-i. 



And, when he began to perform around him, he slackened his hold. 

 But, when another shaman began to act aronnd him he squeezed it 

 harder, and he was d3-ing-. And, when still another acted around him 

 he squeezed it more again, and again he almost died. 



And, when the chief shaman again performed, he let go his hold. 

 Then he got strong. All the time he said the same thing to him: 

 "Take care, grandson. Thej' are not chiefs on the other side."'' 

 And. when a different one performed around him he squeezed it 

 harder, and he bqgan to die. 



Then he acted around him again, and the}' said to each other: "Give 

 the chief whatever he wants."' Then they brought a box: from near 

 the wall and took his younger brother's skin out of it. Not a part of 

 it was lost. His linger-nails and toe-nails were all there. 



Then they put it before the big shaman and turned over to him all 

 kinds of property. These and the human being he put inside of his 

 blanket and went out. Immediately he took him over to Skedans, and 

 he gave him directions: "I will cause sickness at Skedans. When 

 one first falls sick and they do not get you, do not pay any attention 

 to him. He will die. And, when another is sick and they take prop- 

 erty to you, save him. And, when another is sick and they do not 

 take you, pay no attention to him. He, too, will die. When one 

 again falls sick, you will receive two pieces of property. When 

 another falls sick, yours will become three, then four. It will increase 

 until you receive ten pieces. When there are many sick, every time 

 one falls sick they will go for you alone. On the other side they are 

 not chiefs." 



Then they landed, and he put his younger brothers skin on him. 

 He became alive. And what he told him happened. When many 

 fell sick they employed him only. In exchange for what he got he 

 became a chief. With it he potlatched. 



I also obtained versions of this story at Masset and in Alaska. 



• Unlike other people, shamans' bodies were set up in little houses on points dis- 

 tant from the town. 



^ See the story of "The one abandoned for eating the flipper of a hair seal," note 15. 

 ^ These were generally roof-shaped with the gable ends at the front and back. 



* The usual way of removing disease. 



^Compare the story of the "Canoe people who wear headdresses," pp. H8, 40. 

 •■'That is, he was able to accoiuplish more for the human being than the others 

 because he had more power and more property. 



