swANTON] HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 303 



Now an old man in tho house said: "Tho, fhief's son would do it if 

 he could. Even I will put out a few sca-egg-s." The first time he 

 promised not the least thinj^- happened. Because the old man said he 

 would put out a little, they had more sea-eggs than they needed in 

 SUidogate inlet. 



Some time after this people went to Skedans, and he wanted to go 

 with them; and he went. And he arrived there with them. And the 

 day after they went to Li'nsu.^' and he went with them. Then they 

 landed at KIu'dAsLlxa,"^ and he crept ashore. Then he lay in the sun- 

 shine. 



Then they said to him: "Hurry, Big-tail, and come." And he 

 entered the house of Ku'ndjig'it.'"' "Is it 3^ou, Big-tail?" And he 

 said it was, and he was g'lad to see him. And now he saw the inside 

 of his house. He saw' whale tails lying' piled one over another in all 

 four corners. He was proud of the inside of his house. He had the 

 most whales of all the supernatural beings. That is wh}' he showed 

 it to him. He did not speak through him. 



This story is one of tlie most important for an understanding of shamanism among 

 tlie Ilaida. The word used for " tail " here is applied to the tail of a fish or whale, 

 and the word for "big," q5''na, also involves the idea of great power. 



' Mouse-woman belonged to the Qa^gials qe^g.awa-i of Skedana; he was born into 

 tile Seaward Sriof/ladas. 



•^ Fasting, drinking sea water, etc., to assist the shaman. 



^This supernatural l)eing lived under a reef in front of Dead Tree point. He is 

 said to have been identical with Qon;Vtc (see the story of He-who-travels-behind-us. ) 



* The outer (i. e., eastern) point of Alliford bay on the southern shore of Skidegate 

 inlet. 



^ Welcome point is just east of the preceding. 



^ That is, what will hajjpen when one uses the songs belonging to this dancing hat. 

 " One of the elaborate kind, with rows of weasel skins hanging from the Ijack part. 

 He obtains sea otters with this instead of whales. 



* Bare island, the outer of the two islands in front of Skidegate. 



" They became so numerous that he did not botlier to count just how many he got. 



'"That is, they now found the whales in the places where, at his command, they 

 had before hunted unsuccessfully. 



" An onomatopretic word imitating the blowing of a killer whale. Having just 

 been with the killer whales, he makes this noise when he wakes up. 



'^ His wife's name: Haida, YakutsI^. 



"See story of "How Master Carpenter began making a canoe to war with Southeast." 



" The noted ancestress of the Eagles (see stories of Stone-ril)S and Djila^qons) and 

 ("reek-woman at the head of a stream flowing into the West Arm of Cnmshewa inlet. 



''('reek- woman at the head of Telel creek, east coast of (iraham island. See story 

 of ■' Raven traveling," note 36. 



'-' In recent years more particularly associated with the smallpox. 



'" See the story of " How Master Carpenter liegan making a canoe to war with South- 

 east." Tidal-wave owned the tube full of water which produced a wave by being 

 suddenly opened. 



"* In other words, he was wearing one of those composite masks of which such 

 ninnbers have been taken from this coast. 



