swaxton] TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS 135 



Finally a certam man began to drink salt water and fast in order 

 to discover the wizards. He also made a medicine. Then he dreamt 

 about them, and went to them, telling them everything he knew. 

 The two young men replied, "Don't tell about us. If you keep it to 

 yourself we will pay 3"ou ten slaves. We will let you win ten slaves 

 from us in gambling." And they did so. 



This is the story that the luqAna' man told to his friends when he 

 came home, and wherever he told it there began to be wizards. 

 Therefore witchcraft came to Alaska through the sons of Aya'yi" and 

 through the Haida. They also learned from the Ilaida that witch- 

 craft may be imparted by means of berries. When women are 

 gathering these, they do not pick up the ones that are dropped 

 accidentally, no matter how many they may be, because that is 

 what witches do. 



The shamans sa}^ it is this way: A man claims that he sees a hirge 

 creek. It is witchcraft. A smaller creek flows into this. It is the 

 lying creek. Another creek comes into it. It is the stealing creek. 

 Still another creek comes into it. It is the profligates' creek. All 

 these are in witchcraft. 



One time Raven came to a place called Cold-town and said to the 

 boys there, "Let us go shooting with bow and arrow^s." He took 

 down his own canoe and they started out, but ]:)resently the canoe 

 upset and the boys were all drowned. Then he said to them, "You 

 will stay here." They are the IkAga'xe, sea birds whose voices can be 

 heard at a lon<r distance. 



Next Raven went to Tan-lutu' (the southern end of Prince of 

 Wales island) and saw a man there named QonAlgrc.'' Raven said 

 to him, "What are you doing here?" "I am a great gambler," he 

 said. "I love to gamble." Said Raven, "You are a gambler but 

 you can not win a thing. If you eat forty devil's clubs and fast 

 many days you will become a great gambler. You will win every- 

 thing you wish. But why do you want to learn gambling?" The 

 man said, "I have been gambling steadily and I can not win any- 

 thing. A person won from me my wife's clothing and all of my food 

 antl property. Since I have so disgraced myself, I have left my 

 town and have come here to die." Said Raven, "Gambling is not 

 very good. There will always be hard feelings between gamblers, 

 yet I will show you how. One of the sticks has a red mark around it. 

 It will be named naq (devilfish). You will see the smoke of nfup 

 When you get the devilfish, you are lucky. As long as it keeps away 



a See pp. 90-91. b Said to be a lUiida name. 



