152 b 



GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OP CANADA. 



Origin of 

 tobacco. 



Tradition at 

 Laskeek. 



Tshimsians, for whose language, as we have already seen, they profess 

 great admiration. I do not know of the existence of the story among 

 the latter people, but they probably have it in some form, as they are 

 supposed to be an offshoot of the great Tinneh stock of the interior 

 country. As is always the case with these aboriginal stories, a local 

 colouring has been given to the narrative by the Haidas, and the story 

 of the oolachen is an addition to that which I have heard from the 

 Tinneh. It shows the great value set upon this fish that it should 

 receive mention among the primary necessaries of existence, such as 

 light, water, and fire. 



Ne-Ml-stlas of the Haidas is represented in function and name by 

 Us-tas of the Carrier Tinneh. Of Us-tas an almost endless series of 

 grotesque and often disgusting adventures are related, and analogous 

 tales are repeated about Ne-kil-stlas. One of these relates that he 

 disguised himself as a dead raven, and floating on the surface of the sea 

 was swallowed by a whale, which, by violent gripes being then induced 

 to strand itself, became a prey to the Haidas, invisible Ne-kil-stla& 

 meanwhile walking out of the whale's belly at the proper moment. 



The story of the origin of the Indian tobacco referred to on a pre- 

 vious page, is as follows. — Long ago the Indians (first people, or 

 ancient people — thlin-thloo-haif) had no tobacco, and One plant only 

 existed, growing somewhere far inland in the interior of the Stickeen 

 country. This plant was caused to grow by the deity, and was like 

 a tree, very large and talL With a bow and arrows, a man shot at 

 its summit, where the seed was, and at last brought down one or two 

 seeds, which he carried away, carefully preserved, and sowed in the 

 following spring. From the plants thus procured all the tobacco after- 

 wards cultivated sprung. 



The killer whale, formerly noted as being the representative of the 

 principle of evil, is dreaded by the Haidas, who say that these animals 

 break canoes and drown the Indians^ who then themselves become 

 whales. The chief of the whales is the evil one himself, or his nearest 

 analogue in the Haida mind. It is told that in the times of the grand- 

 fathers of men now living, two Haidas belonging to Klue's Village went 

 out in a canoe to kill these whales, apparently as a daring adventure. 

 They had paddled far out to sea when the canoe was surrounded by a 

 great number of these evil creatures, which were about to break it in 

 pieces. One of the men, grasping his knife, said to the other that if he 

 was drowned and became as a whale, he would still hold his knife and 

 stab the others. The second man holding to a fragment of the canoe,, 

 floated near an island and swam ashore. The first was drowned, but his 

 companion who had escaped, soon heard strange and very loud noises 

 beneath the island, like great guns being fired. Presently a vast 



