swAXTox] TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS 91 



sink and carried down all of the people with it. Afterward it resumed 

 its former position, but it is said that you can see shells all over the 

 place to this day. 



After they had reached their ow^l village Raven said to the eldest 

 boy, ''Get some eagle feathers and put them on the mouths of your 

 uncles and all the other to\vn people. After you have placed them 

 there blow them away again. Put their hands in their proper 

 places, and put feathers over the cuts. As soon as you have blown 

 the feathers away from their mouths, they will return to life." He 

 did so, and all the dead people came to life. 



One day Raven saw a whale far out at sea and sat down on the 

 beach to study how he should bring it ashore. Then he got some 

 pitchwood and rocks of the kind that was formerly used in making 

 fire, flew out to the place where he thought the whale would come 

 up, and went into its open mouth. He made a fire inside of the 

 whale and cooked everything there. Only he would not touch 

 the heart. When the whale took in many fish he ate them. Finally 

 he did cut the whale's heart out and killed it, after which it began 

 drifting about fi'om place to place. Then he sang: "Let the one 

 who wants to ])e high-born like nie cut the whale open and let me 

 out, and he will be as high as I am." He also sang: "Let the whale 

 go ashore. Let the whale go ashore on a long sandy beach." Finally 

 he heard waves breaking on a sandy beach, and he said again: "Let 

 the one who wants to be high-born like me cut the whale open and 

 let me out, and he will be as high as I am." Suddenly he heard the 

 voices of children. These children heard his voice, went home and 

 informed their parents. Then the people all came there and cut the 

 whale open, and Raven flew off into the woods crying "Q!one', 

 q!one', c(!one'." 



Raven stayed up in the woods a long time in order to get the 

 grease and smell off of his feathers, and, when he came down again, 

 he saw boxes and boxes of whale grease. Then he made believe he 

 was surprised and asked the people where they got all of it. They 

 said: "We found a whale that had come right in here where we could 

 get it easily. So we are making oil out of it." Said he: "Did you 

 hear anything inside when it first came ashore." "Yes! there was 

 some strange sound in there, and something flew out calling itself 

 q!one'." Then Raven answered, "Years ago just such a thing as 

 this happened, and all of the people of that town that heard the noise 

 died. It brings bad luck to hear such a noise in a whale. You peo- 

 ple must leave this right away. Don't eat any of it. Leave it here." 



