swanton] TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS 21 



He named an island outside, LatlA'n. Still another was called 

 LxVqo'xAs!, after the name of a small canoe, because one of these was 

 passing at the time. 



Between two mountain peaks just eastward of Sitka is a hollow 

 filled with trees supposed to resemble boys, so the place is called 

 Klesa'ni-a'yaodihayiya, Where-is-a-big-crowd-of-boys. Raven ap- 

 pointed this as the place fi'om which the sun would turn back north. 

 A point on the coast just north of Sitka was called by Mm K lo'lacAtq !a', 

 Point-holding-things-back, because when a canoe passes it coming 

 toward Sitka it can not go fast (i. e., it does not seem to get by this 

 rapidly). Just north of this is a kind of bay wliich Raven called 

 KA'dAlAtc-xAk", Noisy-beach. 



2. THE BIG CLMl 



At the farther end of Tenakee inlet (T!rnage) is a little bay called 

 Wliere-sweetness-killed-a-person (GAtiqo'wageya) . One summer there 

 were many people encamped there drying salmon, and among them 

 many lively young people. One day some girls took a canoe and crossed 

 the bay to a strawberry patch on the other side. Afterwards a man 

 named Ts!eL! went down into the water to wade over to them but was 

 swallowed by a halibut. So they named the place Kots!e'L! after tliis 

 man. 



Near this inlet is a high cliff in front of which a big clam formerly 

 lived. It used to stick its head (lit. penis) liigh up out of the water. 

 It always had its valves open, and if a canoe passed that way, it would 

 close them on it (lit. shut its mouth on it), and the canoe was gone. 



Raven heard of tliis clam, and he instructed a little mink to call 

 to it, ''Stick out your head and let us see you," (ih'l-AUAxda'x tslAga'x 

 dusti'n), wliile the people stood ready above with sharpened sticks. 

 But, instead of speaking as it was told, the mink said, "Raven made 

 clam" (Yel dje'aosiniyi gaL!). Finally the mink said plainly as he had 

 been directed, "Stick your head out of the water and let us see you," 

 and it began to put out its head. He said, "A little more." Wlien it 

 was well out, all the people seized their sticks and plunged them into it, 

 cutting the ligament wliich held the valves together so that they 

 sprang apart. Then the whole bay began to smell badly from it. On 

 the rock slide back of the place where this clam used to run out its 

 head all sorts of things now grow. It is called Clam-slide (Yes-kade'). 



