swAXTox] TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS 139 



People who cheat have gambhng sticks Hke birds that are able to 

 fly away, antl they keep the names of these sticks to themselves. 



It is since the time of this first gambler, too, that people have had 

 the custom of saying to a gambler, ''Why don't you give a feast 

 with the food you have won?" 



Gamblers claim that when the sticks move in a certain way while 

 they are gam!)ling, it means death in the family. If they keep the 

 rules of their cict it will tell them what animal they are going to kill 

 when tliev are out hunting. 



After the rich opponent of QonAlgl'c had lost all of his property, 

 his wife left him, and he went away from that town, lie made a 

 bow and arrows and wandered about in the forest like a wild animal. 

 Coming down to the beach at a certain place, he found a fme bay and 

 built liis house upon it. There he began to collect clams and fish 

 which he dried for himself. lie was gone all winter, but in those 

 times the Indians did not care for foolish pecjple, viewing them as 

 though they were dead, so his friends did not look for him. 



While he lived in that place the chief heard a drum sounding from 

 some distant place, but he did not take the trouble to see what it was. 

 Finally he discovered that the noise was caused by a grouse and said 

 to it, ' 'I see you now. I have been wondering what it was that I 

 heard so much." Then he said to the grouse, ''You are a great 

 dancer, are you not?" "Yes, I dance once in a while when I am 

 lonely." "Come along and let us have a dance. I am pretty lonely 

 myself." So that evening he saw all kinds of birds, which were the 

 grouse's friends, and they had a dance. They danced so much that 

 this man forgot all that he had been grieving about and felt very 

 happy. Therefore people always dance for one who is mourning, to 

 make liim forget it. This is where the first dance came from. 



Then the chief said to the grouse, "How came you to know about 

 dancing?" "There is a person out on that island who knows a lot 

 about medicine. He knows how to make medicine for dancing and 

 fighting." "You must let me see him," said the man. The bird 

 answered, "If you want to see this great medicine-man you must 

 fast to-morrow. This is the great person who knows all about medi- 

 cines." Now, after the chief had fasted, he went to sleep and dreamed 

 that a man came to him, showed him a certain leaf on the marsh and 

 said, ' ' Take that leaf and put it mto this sack. Then go down toward 

 the beach. As soon as you get down you will see an eagle lying there. 

 Take off its claws and feathers, and, after you have put the leaf in 

 them, draw the cords so as to pull its talons tight around it. After 

 that go down to where the waves are coming in, and at the place the 

 tide has left, stoop down, pretend to pick up something and put it 



