SWANTON] TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS 233 



74. STORY OF THE KA'GWANTAN CRESTS 



A man belonging to the Ka'gwAiitan was out camping, and saw a 

 wolf coming toward him, showing its teeth as though it were laugh- 

 ing. On looking more closely, he saw that it had a bone stuck 

 between its teeth. Then he took the bone out and said, "Now you 

 must show me what makes you so lucky." The wolf turned right 

 round and walked away, but next night the man dreamed he had 

 come to a very fine town. It was the wolf town, and the wolf he had 

 befriended came to him and told him something to make him lucky, 

 saying, "I am your friend." He was grateful for what the man had 

 done to him. Since then the Ka'gwAntan have used the wolf. 



Another time when some Ka'gwAntan were getting herring at Town- 

 at-mouth-of-lake (L!uq!a'ceik-an), a bear came to the place where 

 they were, reached down through the smoke hole and took away the 

 herring they were drying. Then the people said, ''Who is this thief 

 that is stealing all the fish?" For that he killed all of them. Then 

 the Kji'gwAntan seized their spears and set out to kill the bears in 

 that neighborhood. When they discovered those bears they were 

 lying in holes they had dug for themselves, and the people said to 

 them, "Come out here and let us fight it out." Then the bears did 

 so, and the people killed them. They took the skins from the heads 

 of the bears and preserved them. The bears so killed were Kats!'s 

 children. This is how the KagwAntan came to use the grizzly bear. 



75. MIGRATION OF THE GANAXA'DI TO TONGASS 



At Klawak was a man of the GfinAxA'di named Dancer (iJe'xe) 

 who was very fond of gambling but unable to win. Finally his 

 wife said, "If you gamble again we will leave each other. I don't 

 want to be with you any more. You are gambling too much." Her 

 husband said that he would stop, and for a little while he did so. 

 One day, however, a great game was in progress far out on the marsh, 

 and his wife missed him. She knew where he was and felt very 

 badl3^ In the evening, when he came home, she found out that he 

 had lost everything in the house. Then she said to him, "You have 

 been gambling again." "Yes," he said. She said nothmg more, 

 thinking it was of no use, until late in the evening. Then the men 

 that had won their property came after it, and Dancer got up and 

 showed them where the things were, but his wife did not speak a 

 word. There was nothing left for her except a blanket and pillow. 

 Finally, after they were gone, the woman sat down and began to cry. 

 Wlien she was through she said to him, "The house belonged to you, 

 but you must go out, for you have gambled with all of my things. 

 If you do not go I must. I married against the wishes of my people 



