Myths. 1. Cikla : p. 17 1. CIKLA There were five brothers who had one younger sister. When she was grown up the grizzly bear carried her away. One year her brothers did not find her. Then her elder brother went to search for his younger sister. He went some distance and met a pheasant (?). He shot it and hung it...
Myths. 18. The Panther : p. 194 18. THE PANTHER There was the panther. He was an elk hunter. Every day he went hunting. One day he found a branch [of a spruce]; he twisted it and threw it under his bed. It was a pretty branch. [Then he said:] "Oh, I wish you would become a man!" On the next day he went again elk hunting...
Myths. 9. The Crow : p. 125 9. THE CROW There were the Crow and her five children. At the end of her house lived her cousin the Raven. They were hungry, and one day she went to look for food on the beach. She sang. She found a poggy, kicked it and went on. She repeated her song. Soon she found a flounder. Again she...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. Death : p. 256 DEATH When a person dies who has many relatives, much property, and many slaves, his relatives tie [dentalia] to his body. Two young men are selected to prepare the corpse. If [the deceased] had a good canoe, p. 257 he is placed into it and it is put up. It is painted and two holes are made...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. War : p. 270 WAR. Before the people go to war they sing. If one of them sees blood, he will be killed in battle. When two see blood, they will be killed. They finish their singing. When they sing, two long planks are put down parallel to each other. All the warriors sing. They kneel [on the planks]. Now...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. The Four Cousins : p. 220 THE FOUR COUSINS There were three brothers and their younger cousin, who was very poor. He was full of lice. He had no mother, only a grandmother. The two eldest brothers knew how to win in the game at disks. When the summer approached the grandmother spun twine out of willow bark...
Introduction : p. 5 CHINOOK TEXTS Told By CHARLES CULTEE Recorded And Translated By FRANZ BOAS INTRODUCTION. HISTORICAL ACCOUNT. The following texts were collected in the Summers of 1890 and 1891. While studying the Salishan languages of Washington and Oregon I learned that the dialects of the lower Chinook were...
Myths. 11. Stikua : p. 140 11. STIKUA' Many people were living at Nakot!'t. Now their chief died. He had [left] a son who was almost grown up. It was winter and the people were hungry. They had only mussels and roots to eat. Once upon a time a hunter said: "Make yourselves ready." All the men made themselves ready...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. The Potlatch : p. 268 THE POTLATCH. When a chief intends to give a potlatch, four, five, or six men are sent out in a canoe [to invite the guests]. One man who has a guardian spirit is sent among them. When they approach a town the man who has the guardian spirit sings. The people of that town hear him and say...
Title Page : CHINOOK TEXTS Told By CHARLES CULTEE Recorded And Translated By FRANZ BOAS U.S. Bureau Of American Ethnology, Bulletin No. 20 US Government Printing Office, [1894] Scanned , July 2003. J.B. Hare, Redactor. This Text Is In The Public Domain. These Files May Be Used For Any Non-commercial Purpose...
Historical Tales. War Between Quileute And Clatsop : p. 273 WAR BETWEEN QUILEUTE AND CLATSOP A youth at Clatsop was sent to bathe at Nakt!'t. After five days he returned, going along the beach. In the evening he approached Clatsop and came around the point. Then he looked landward and saw many canoes lying side by side. "Where did these canoes come...
Myths. 4. The Salmon : p. 77 4. THE SALMON Once upon a time there was a chief who had a daughter. Many people wanted to marry her, but he was unwilling to part with her. [Finally he arranged for a contest.] He put [a pair of] elk antlers [in the middle of the house and said]: "Whosoever breaks these antlers shall have...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. The Gila'unalx : p. 229 THE GIL'UNALX The grandmother of a GiL'unaLX boy was deserted at Tongue point. After six days the boy was told: "Walk [to Tongue point p. 230 and I look after your grandmother." He walked downstream and saw two fish ducks. He took his arrows but thought: "I will not shoot them, else they...
Myths. 2. Okula'm : p. 31 2. OKUL'M Once upon a time there were five brothers. The four older ones went hunting elk every day and left the youngest one at home. Their house was full of meat and of tallow. Once upon a time the youngest brother felt lonesome, and said: "O, I wish he would come, the Glutton, and eat all...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. How Cultee's : p. 214 HOW CULTEE'S GRANDFATHER ACQUIRED A GUARDIAN SPIRIT My great-grandfather had the guardian spirit of the warriors. My grandfather had seen the shaman's spirit, he had seen the wolf, he had seen the bitch, he had seen the morning star. Now he came to be grown up and he thought: "I will take...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. The Elk Hunter : p. 236 THE ELK HUNTER A youth was in the habit of setting traps. He always killed bears. One year he had set his traps [as usual], and when he went to look after them [he heard] a woman crying in a trap. He reached her. Her hand was caught in the trap. She was a pretty woman. Her hair was brown...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. Puberty : p. 246 PUBERTY When a chief who is continually sick has a daughter about ten years old and not yet mature, he makes a potlatch and pretends that she is menstruant for the first time. The people dance five days and are paid for dancing. When a chiefs daughter is menstruating for the first time, she...
Myths. 3. Anektcxo'lemix : p. 51 3. ANKTCX'LEMIX There was a town the chief of which had died. His two children were grown up; one was a girl and one a, boy. Early every morning the people went out to hunt sea-otters. The girl was always in the stern of the canoe. At dark they returned home. Five times they had gone hunting...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. Whaling : p. 262 WHALING When the people of Sealand find a whale they tell a youth to go to the town and to inform the people. A person who has to observe taboos is asked to go up and down [in his canoe] below the whale. Then he goes up and down below the whale. Thus also a person who cohabited...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. Elk Hunting : p. 264 ELK HUNTING. When a hunter has killed a male elk far away, then twelve men go to fetch it. When he has killed a female elk, eight go to fetch it. When p. 265 a hunter has killed two elks, many people go to fetch it. When he has killed many, then it is dried in the woods [it is not carried...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. Marriage : p. 251 MARRIAGE When a man of one town likes a girl of another town his relatives take [part of] their property and go to buy her. They send messengers. The [girl's relatives] keep the dentalia [which have been sent them] and the messengers go home. Now the girl's father divides that property...
Myths. 8. Entsx : p. 119 8. NTS!X nts!X's grandmother was Up'qciuc. She always asked him to go elk hunting. Early every morning he started, but he killed only chipmunks and squirrels; sometimes he killed mice. Oftentimes he went and stayed on a prairie. He shouted: "Come down from the woods, elk! we will fight, we...
Myths. 15. Blue Jay And Io'i : p. 167 15. BLUE-JAY AND I'I There were Blue-Jay and I'i. One night the ghosts when out to buy a wife. They bought I'i. [Her family] kept the dentalia [which they had given] and at night they were married. On the following morning I'i had disappeared. Blue-Jay stayed at home for a year, then he...
Myths. 13. Robin And Blue Jay : p. 151 13. ROBIN AND BLUE-JAY There were Blue-Jay and Robin. Once upon a time they were hungry. Blue-Jay said: "Make yourself ready, Robin." And they went to the sea where a slough was left by the receding tide. They were in their canoe. Blue-Jay called: "Come ashore, sleeper!" [name of a large...
Alphabet : p. 7 ALPHABET Words ending with a short vowel must be contracted with the first vowel of the next word. When a word ends with a long vowel and the next begins with a vowel, a euphonic -y- is inserted. The last consonant of a, word is united with the first vowel of the next word to one syllable.
Myths. 5. Raven And Gull : p. 90 5. RAVEN AND GULL There was the gull. Every day he went on the beach to search for food, and filled his bag with poggies and codfish and flounders. One day he went to search on the beach and saw tracks of a person which had come towards him and turned back again. He went all over the beach...
Myths. 18. Blue Jay And Io'i : p. 158 18. BLUE-JAY AND I'I There were Blue-Jay and his elder sister [I'i]. The latter went every day digging roots. [Once upon a time] she said to her brother: "Make some arrows; the ducks, the geese, the tail-ducks always lick my buttocks. Yes, I will do so," said Blue-Jay. The next day she went...
Myths. 17. Ckulkulo'l : p. 188 17. CKULKUL'L There was Ckulkul'L [the salmon-harpoon] and his elder sister. Once upon a time the latter said to her brother: Do as the other people do and catch steel-head salmon." Now he did so. He made a harpoon. On the day after he had finished it his sister went digging roots. Now he...
Myths. 6. Coyote : p. 101 6. COYOTE Coyote was coming. He came to Gt'a't. There he met a heavy surf. He was afraid that he might be drifted away and went up to the spruce trees. He stayed there a long time. Then he took some sand and threw it upon that surf: "This shall be a prairie and no surf. The future...
Myths. 12. The Skunk : p. 147 12. THE SKUNK A chieftainess sang her conjurer's song. She made a large house and invited the people. The people landed. Blue-Jay was the chorus leader of the chieftainess. "Who are those outside who want to dance? Ah, the maggots; they will dance." Now the maggots entered; they sang: "We...
Myths. 16. Blue Jay And Io'i : p. 178 16. BLUE-JAY AND I'I There were Blue-Jay and his elder sister I'i. "Let us go visiting, I'i," he said to his sister. "Let us visit the Magpie [?]." Early the next morning they went. They came near his house and saw him on the roof. They landed and went up to the house. Then they saw Magpie...
Myths. 7. The Crane : p. 111 7. THE CRANE Crane, Coyote, and Heron lived together. Every day they went digging clams until the flood-tide set in. One day Coyote said: "How many Oq!'xL have you for your sweethearts?" Crane replied: "Two canoes full and some must walk." Coyote said: "How few sweet hearts you have! I have...
Historical Tales. The First Ship Seen : p. 277 THE FIRST SHIP SEEN BY THE CLATSOP The son of an old woman had died. She wailed for him a whole year and then she stopped. Now one day she went to Seaside. There she used to stop, and she returned. She returned walking along the beach. She nearly reached Clatsop; now she saw something. She...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. The Soul : p. 205 THE SOUL AND THE SHAMANS 1. The seers go to the ghosts [the souls of the deceased]. When three go, one having a strong guardian spirit is placed first, another one last. One having a less powerful guardian spirit is placed in the middle. When four seers go, the two lesser ones are placed...
Beliefs, Customs, And Tales. Pregnancy And Birth : p. 241 PREGNANCY AND BIRTH When a woman is with child she does not sleep long. She awakes early in the morning and arises at once. She opens the door. She does not stay in the doorway, but goes out at once. When a woman who is with child sits down, nobody must stand back of her and nobody must lie...
Myths. 10. Ca'xal : p. 130 10. C'XAL C'xaL'S eldest was dead. Every morning he went to the beach and wailed. Day by day he went to the beach and cried. Once upon a time he discovered two ravens flying from the sea towards the shore. When they came near him he saw that they turned [in the air] over one another...