46 A Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



qiayaiyud was overwhelmed with shame and burst into tears, saying haya 

 haya hay a hay a. Then crying: 



tamautottpkun tainojovalukpaya 



"After inviting me to a feast it treats me thus," 



he fled from the dance-house. 



18. The Snowy Owl and the Snow Bunting 

 (Told by Jennie Thomsen) 



The snow-bunting {ijiqand-cuq) had lost her mate; he had gone out one 

 day without his bow and coat and never returned. The little wife went to look 

 for him crying: 



ceyeyeye ceye Seyeyeye seye 



ceyeyeye ceye Seyeyeye seye (her weeping) 



tamaray'Kan cetkui Here is your arrow 



tamdrayXan aiyupkai Here is your bow 



tamdray\an atiyai Here is your coat 



An owl called to her: 



waya waya w^ihyuya Me, me, marry me 



uqpd' qaydni nekcaiyuktuya On the willow tops I wait to take you. 



But the snow-bunting' answered : 



wihyiamepin Do you want to marry? 



cuyoqtumiutin Your forehead is too big. 



qi.yaqtumiuti.n Your back is too big. 



ijLqpin qavik tahk Your eyes are red — their edges. 



The owl retorted : 



qiyaq hXra mikXiroq Your nose is too small. 



And screeching piq piq piq it flew away. 



Cf. No. 42. 



19. The Squirrel and the Loon 

 (Told by Jennie Thomsen) 



A squirrel {tcikcn.k) returning home with some grubs one evening found a 

 red-throated loon (qaqdcuk) blocking the entrance to its hole. Inside were four 

 young squirrels, but the bird could not enter because the hole was too small. 

 It said to the squirrel, "You can't go in; I am standing at the entrance and 

 blocking it." "Open out your tail a little," the squirrel replied, "And close 

 your eyes." The loon spread out its tail a very little and half -closed its eyes so 

 that it could still see what the squirrel would do. "Open your tail a little more," 

 said the squirrel, "And shut your eyes tight." The loon did not move, but 

 opened out its tail a very little more and closed its eyes tight. The squirrel 

 made a quick dive for its burrow, but the loon managed to snap off the tip of 

 its tail. The poor creature lay down amidst her children feeling very sick; 

 it was afraid it would die if it did not recover its tail, so it sent its oldest child 

 to the door to beg the loon to return it. The little one found the loon still stand- 

 ing there and said, a-kamayoq pavyoylua nava tiuywia "Mother says, give her 

 back the tip of her tail." The loon sniffed scornfully and replied: "Tell your 

 mother to come and get it herself." So the little one went back and told its 

 mother. It sent the second child out, and the third, with the same result. Then 

 it told its youngest to wrap some stones inside a little blubber and smear some 

 blood on the outside and take that out to the loon. The young squirrel went 

 oiit and said to the bird: "Mother says, give her back the tip of her tail; here 



