46 BUKEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY Ibull. 39 



distributed these fishes all over the town antl l)egan to get rich from 

 the property he received. People gave liim all kinds of skins — moose, 

 caribou, fox, etc. He had great stores of riches from having caught 

 the abalone and the nest of fishes. 



17. THE FINDING OF THE BLUE PAINT, AND HOW A 

 CERTAIN CREEK RECEIVED ITS NAME 



At Sitka lived four brothers Avdio were very fond of hunting. In 

 those days people liked to hunt about the straits north of Sitka for 

 fur seals, sea otters, etc. One day, while they were out, they were 

 forced to take refuge from a storm at a place near Blount Edgecumbe, 

 called Town-on-the-inside-of-blue-paint-point (Nexi'ntaiataf[!-an), 

 and wliile hunting about this place during their long stay they dis- 

 covered a rocky cave or overhanging cliff from wliich soft blue stuff 

 continually tlropped. The youngest said, ''I have discovered a val- 

 uable thing which will be used for painting and for everything carved." 



After they had been there for a long time the weather became fine 

 and the sea smooth. Now in olden times people knew that everything 

 was dangerous. When the brothers were about to start, they said, 

 "We will take some off now to carry home." So they knocked oft" a 

 big piece, rolled it up among their clothes and hid it away. But the 

 canoe had scarcely started before the sea began to get rough.' When 

 they were some way out they headed for an island outside of Edge- 

 cumbe which they had to pass. Then the eldest, who was steering, 

 began to compose a song about the course he was taking : ' ' Which way 

 shall I steer the canoe, straight out into the ocean or straight on to 

 the shore?" The youngest said, "There is no way of getting home. 

 Would it not be better to throw this blue paint into the water? 

 Then we can get ashore." So the eldest brother put in the next 

 verse as follows: "Which way shall we steer, straight in or not? 

 Shall we not throw this blue paint into the water? If not how shall 

 we l)e saved?" Then he exclaimed, "Bring the blue stuff here and 

 tie it to my head, and I will be drowned with it so that things shall 

 eat me up with it." 



They were not drowned, however, and reached shore in safety, so 

 |)cople still speak of their bravery in not throwing the blue paint 

 overboard. To this day they say that, if you take anything from 

 there, the weather will be stormy, and people are still afraid to do it, 

 but take the risk because the thing obtained is valuable. 



For a long time after the brothers reached shore with this blue 

 paint the weather was bad and great rollers came sweeping in out of 

 the ocean. No one could go to sea after halibut. 



At that time some people were camping a short distance north of 

 Sitka, and one day two women went from there with their children 

 to dig clams. They came into a small inlet and made their camp. 



