s WANTON'] TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS 187 



^Vhen the man had become thoroughly warmed he was about to 

 start on again. Suddenly, however, he heard the bushes breakmg 

 behind him, and, looking back, he saw all the men who had frozen 

 to death and all of the village people standing around the fire. This 

 fire is called Self-burning Fire (WAyi'k! gA'ni), and it was that that 

 had brought all of those people to life. From that time on they were 

 able to get their food very easily at the mouth of the river. 



44. THE GIANT OF TA'SNA 



At Tii'sna, near the mouth of the Yukon (?), was a large village in 

 which everybody had died except one small boy. His mother was 

 the last to perish. This boy was very independent, however, remain- 

 ing in his mother's house all the time instead of going around to the 

 other houses. in the place. Every day he went out with his bow and 

 arrows and shot small birds and squirrels for his sustenance. 



On one of these hunting trips, however, he met a very large man 

 with bushes growing on one side of his face. The big man chased 

 him, and, being very quick, the boy tried to climb up a tree, but the 

 big man reached right up after him and pulled him down. Then the 

 big man said, "I am not going to hurt you. Stand right here." So 

 he put the boy on a high place, went some distance away and said, 

 "Take your bow and arrows and shoot me right here," pointing at 

 the same time to a spot between his eyebrows. At first the boy 

 was afraid to do so, and the big man begged him all that day. Finally, 

 when it was getting dark, he thought, "Well! I will shoot him. He 

 may kill me if I don't, and he will kill me if I do." The moment he 

 shot the man, however, he saw his mother and all the village people 

 that had been lost. All had been going to this big man. That was 

 why the man wanted the boy to shoot him. It brought all the 

 people back. 



[This story is used in potlatch speeches.] 



45. THE W0JVL4.N WHO MARRIED A LAND OTTERS 



A man at Sitka, had three little children who were ciying with 

 hunger because he had nothing to give them. His sister had been 

 captured by the land otters after having l)een nearly drowned. 

 Then he said to the little ones, "You poor children, I wish your 

 aunt were living." Some 'time afterward that same evening he 

 heard a load set down outside, and going out to look, he saw a very 

 large basket filled with all kinds of dried meat and fish, and oil. The 

 sister he had been wishing for had brought it. Then this woman 

 herself came in and said, "I have brought that for the little ones. 

 I will be right back again. I live only a short distance from here. 



a See story 6. 



