Alaskan and Mackenzie Delta Traditions 59 A 



back home. "Yes," he said, "My people will think that I am lost." "Very well," 

 said the deer, "We will take you home." Accordingly they all started back. 

 As they travelled the deer said to him: "While we sleep one of us is always 

 watching with its head up ; when that one sleeps another takes its place, for we 

 are afraid of men and wolves. If you see a wolf or a man you too will want to 

 run away." At last they reached the place where they had first encountered 

 one another. There Nakasunaluk put on his clothes again and returned to his 

 human shape. He told the deer just before he left them that they should keep 

 away from both wolves and men who would want to kill them. So the deer 

 departed, and Nakasunaluk went on to his home. His people said to him 

 "Where have you been?" "The deer," he said, "Took me with them far away." 

 "We watched for you for a long time," they told him, "And when you did not 

 come back we thought that you were lost." Nakasunaluk said, "When I wanted 

 to shoot the deer one of them removed its hood and asked me whether I would 

 like to become a deer and go away with them. So they changed me into a deer 

 and taught me what to eat and how I should look up at the stars when walking 

 over the land." This man, Nakasunaluk, had very small legs (hence his name) ; 

 one deer-leg was sufficient to make a boot for him (two are required for the 

 ordinary adult) . After his return home he was able to run very fast. 



Cf . Rasmussen, p. 108f . ; Hasmussen and Worster, p. 101 ; Turner, p. 328f . 



29. The Boy and the Walrus 

 (Told by Mangikna, an Eskimo of Mackenzie river) 



Some little boys one summer were playing hide and seek {himo himo). 

 One of them hid behind some walrus bones which lay bleaching on the shore. 

 Suddenly the bones were transformed into a live walrus which carried the boy 

 out into the sea to its house. There it changed to a man and kept the boy tied 

 up by a long string, one end of which was securely fastened inside the house so 

 that he could not run away. Even when the boy was obliged to go outside the 

 cord still remained attached to him. For a long time he hved there in the 

 walrus' hut. At last one day the other children came over and saw the boy 

 picking crustaceans from the walrus' hair. The boy looked out and saw them. 

 He said to the walrus, "I want to go outside." "Very well," said the walrus. 

 The boy went out, but the long cord still held him fast. There was a post at 

 the end of the passage, and the boy, when he went outside, taught it to say 

 whatever words he should want it to say. This task occupied him a long time, 

 and the walrus began to call out "Haven't you finished yet." "No," replied 

 the boy, "Not yet," and continued his instructions to the post. Finally he be- 

 gan to call over the names of his brothers whom he could see not far away: 



ukokani umiat ukokani qaydt 



"There are some umiaks over there, there are some kayaks over there. 



audXu aiyauciku qilidiyudXu dlunaylu qikqpdn-alu aylulu 



"Ausiq and Aiyausiq, Qiliiliyusiq, Alunaq, Qileqpanna, Arluk" 



uviXulu kiluluakpaylu qilu\- Mu—nuriuyiit 



"Uviluq, Kiluluakpak and Qilullik — that is all." 



After calfing over their names he unbound the rope from his body, fastened it 

 to the post, and ran off to join his brothers. From time to time the walrus 

 called out, "Haven't you finished yet," and the post would answer No, not 

 yet." At last the walrus became impatient and pulled the cord It held fast 

 without yielding an inch. He pulled harder, and finally the post fell, bringing 

 the whole passage down with a crash. The walrus ran outside, wild with anger 

 when he saw what had happened. He took his proper walrus form and followed 

 the children. Soon he caught up to them, but they threw overboard some of 

 their clothes. He stopped to fight them, and meanwhile the children pushed 



