In the beginning, the Great Creator formed Mother Earth in the heavens and was pleased. Mother Earth was a beautiful sight. The Great Creator decided to add living creatures to take care of Her. The creatures were all beautiful in the Great Creators mind, but he decided to give two of them greater power and knowledge in order to help protect the great Mother Earth. The Great Creator chose the eagle and the snake to bestow this great honor upon. The eagle was the master of the skies and the snake was so close to Mother Earth that the Great Creator felt it would make the perfect protector on the ground.

The majority of eagles and snakes got along very well initially. They communicated freely with each other and all of the other creatures were in awe of them. However, there was one snake named “White Eye” that seemed to have more power than all of the other snakes. White Eye was not friendly to his brother the eagle. White Eye was very jealous that the Great Creator enabled the eagle to be such a beautiful creature and have the ability to fly free through the skies. White Eye thought “I am jusssssst assssss powerful assssss the eagle, yet I am ugly and musssssst crawl along the ground like a lower form of life. Ssssssomeday, I will take Mother Earth completely away from the eagle and be the complete ruler of all creaturessssss. Of thissssss I PROMISSSSSSE!”

As time passed, the greatest eagle of all, named “Redman” became aware that he possessed superior powers that all other eagles were unaware of. He was also aware that White Eye was a powerful trouble maker and that certain discoveries of powers from the Great Creator must never fall into the possession of that evil snake. Redman discovered an art called “shape shifting”.

He discovered that he could, after deep, silent prayer and soft chanting, actually change his physical body into an all together different form. As Redman began to experiment with his newly discovered power, he discovered that he could assume the shape of an upright being with two legs and two arms. As Redman looked into Chilhowie lake one day, he discovered that his two-legged form was actually a beautiful shape with a reddish hue to the skin covering. The two-legged form also looked very impressive with two arms with hands and fingers and toes on the feet attached to the two legs.

Redman was very happy. As he began to experiment with his new form, he was impressed to see that he would be able to do many things that could be very helpful in taking loving care of Mother Earth. Redman met with eight of the most trusted eagles to discuss the new power. The eight eagles were named “Sioux”, “Cherokee”, “Cheyenne”, “Apache”, “Chippewa”, “Haudenosaunee ” and “Seminole”. These eight eagles together began to experiment with the new form that Redman had discovered and they agreed that there was much that could be done for mother earth with this new form. The eight then returned to their respective eagle families and met secretly with the wisest male and female eagles to discuss their plan. The plan was simple enough. These chosen eagles would select the best male and female eagles to shape shift to the new form and from their different locations upon Mother Earth, they would reproduce in the new form and be even better able to take care of Her and all of Her creatures.

One day when Redman was walking through the woods, he came across White Eye. Needless to say, White Eye was stunned. “SSSSSSSoooooo Redman … what issssss thissssss?” Redman was immediately fearful of White Eye’s evil powers and was momentarily speechless. “SSSSSSSooooo Redman! I ssssssaid … what issssss thissssss?” “Oh, hello White Eye”, said Redman. “This is a new form that I have discovered and I believe that this form may enable me to better serve the Great Creator in protecting Mother Earth.” “I sssssssee.” said White Eye. “Won’t you be ssssssso kind assssss to sssssshow me how to do that, sssssso that I may alsssssso help protect our dear Mother Earth?”

Redman thought quickly and said “Well White Eye, right now I am simply experimenting with the form. If it ends up being as good as I think it may be, I’ll talk to all of the creatures to discuss it. I have to go now. Farewell White Eye.”

Now White Eye was furious! He must know how to assume that beautiful form! White Eye returned home and gathered together the most evil snakes that he could find to discuss this new situation. The other snakes were amazed! They all agreed to a secret pact that would enable them to search hard and secretly to discover how Redman had been able to assume this beautiful new form!

Low and behold, the snakes began seeing these new upright creatures all around their areas of Mother Earth, and the eagles seemed to be multiplying rapidly in the new form. White Eye was absolutely furious! He called a meeting of the evil snakes and they decided to kill one of the new upright eagles with the two-legged shape.

One day White Eye and his evil friends saw a lone upright eagle and they approached him in a seemingly friendly manner, complimenting his new form. As the snakes questions became more aggressive, the eagle decided to run. However, it was too late. The snakes attacked. As the eagle was dying, in his weakened condition, White Eye summoned his greatest, most focussed power, which was the ability to telepathically impart knowledge and ideas from other creatures. If the eagle were healthy, he would have been able to escape, or mentally try to block White Eyes mind reading. Unfortunately, the poor eagle was very weak from the attack of the evil snakes and White Eye successfully gained the process of shape shifting.

White Eye let out an enormous, evil, blood curdling laugh. That was the final sound the dying eagle heard in his physical life on Mother Earth. White Eye was laughing hysterically! The other snakes gathered around. “What issssss it White Eye? What issssss sssssso funny?” Suddenly White Eye’s beady little snake eyes narrowed and he became very nasty looking. “Now I know how to transsssssform; my ugly body into the beautiful new form!” said White Eye. White Eye ordered the other evil snakes to leave him alone for awhile, and he promised that he would rejoin them as soon as he had tried the new shape shifting idea that he had taken from the poor dying eagle. The other snakes left as White Eye had requested.

Now White Eye became very quiet and began to really focus on the energy of the universe. After a few moments, he felt a very unusual tingling and began to softly chant the words that the dying eagle had known to utter in order to successfully shape shift to the upright, two-legged form. “Hey – Ya…Hey-Ya…Hey – Ya…Hey Ya.” White Eye knew the exact cadence and inflections for the chant. After a few more minutes, White Eye felt an enormous rushing of energy entering his ugly snake body. White Eye suddenly screamed out in pain, as the energy rush was beyond description. White Eye passed out of consciousness. When he felt himself awakening, he felt very different and strange. As his eyes began to regain their sight, White Eye saw something that he could not believe! He had arms and hands and legs and feet! Just like Redman! He was ecstatic! The only difference was that his skin covering was a white color. Redman’s had been slightly reddish. White Eye was actually glad that he was a different color than the eagle! He thought, “This will make it easy for us snakes to know what upright creatures are snakes and what upright creatures are the loathsome eagles!”.

White Eye found that at first, it was hard to make the new form work. He practiced for awhile and then could not wait to show his evil friends! He ran through the woods to the place where he was to meet them. The other snakes at first were frightened, but then excited! “Issssss that really you, White Eye?” “Yes it is.” Said White Eye without any trace of the hissing that always had been part of his language. He immediately showed the other evil snakes how to shape shift, and they began to try it. They too were white, but very happy!

The evil snakes spent time practicing shape shifting and did many different things in order to master the new shape shifting idea that White Eye had discovered. None of the snakes had any tell tale sign of the evil hissing that accompanied their language when in the upright form. However, when they shape shifted back to their original snake form, the hissing would return. The snakes made a pact to act friendly at first to the upright eagles in order to make them believe that they were their friends. But White Eye had vowed long ago that the snakes would take everything away from the eagles and this vow would never be forgotten! Then the upright snakes would have control of Mother Earth and all of her creatures.

As the snakes began to experiment with their new form, they discovered that they could take things from mother earth that would help them become even more powerful. The evil snakes began to get very greedy and no longer even REMEMBERED, let alone did they act like that they were actually supposed to protect Mother Earth. No, now the snakes thought only of themselves and their greedy plan to take over Mother Earth from the beautiful upright eagles.

In the beginning, the upright snakes were congregated in the east, where their meeting had taken place, and where they had originally killed the upright eagle. In their self-serving greed, they forgot all about their family’s and simply stayed where they were to reproduce and learn more about their new upright form. The upright snakes began to discover how to make deadly weapons from the gifts of Mother Earth. They began to kill other creatures simply for a strange, sick enjoyment that they began to feel in their new, powerful, upright form. The other creatures became very frightened of the upright snakes, and that fear continues even today.

Meanwhile, the upright eagles continued their peaceful, loving care for Mother Earth. Some of the eagles made some unwise choices as to who would be the appropriate selections for the shape shifting plan and some of the shape shifted eagles also became overly aggressive in their new form. Redman was very upset about these aggressive eagles, but it was beyond his control. He did however banish them from the circle of good eagles until such time that they would exist peacefully with their fellow eagles.

The Great Creator soon became concerned about the problems that were occurring on Mother Earth as a result of the shape shifting. He sent word with his most trusted raven for Redman and White Eye to meet him on Mt. LeConte, the next Sunday morning at sunrise. When sunrise came on Mt. LeConte that Sunday morning, only Redman had come to meet with the Great Creator. The Great Creator expressed to Redman disappointment. The Great Creator explained to Redman that he should have discussed his new plan with him first. He still loved Redman and he made that clear. He went on to explain to Redman that he would eliminate the ability to shape shift from all creatures except for Redman himself. The Great Creator went on to explain to Redman that from then on, only the highest medicine eagles could be taught about shape shifting, and they were to understand that they were not then to teach it to anyone else!

The Great Creator passed over Mother Earth and did as he said he would. He eliminated the shape shifting ability of all creatures, except Redman. At first White Eye was very angry. He new that he had defied the Great Creator by not attending the meeting at Mt. LeConte, but in his greed, he did not care. White Eye knew that enough snakes had already shape shifted and were reproducing rapidly enough, so that his great plan to take Mother Earth from the eagles would still be possible.

As time passed, the upright snakes and eagles lost even the memory that they had originally been different creatures. The upright snakes became known simply as “whiteyes”. The upright eagles became simply known as “redmen”. Only Redman himself retained the knowledge of how all of this had come to pass. Even the evil White Eye soon forgot about how he had become upright. However, White Eye did still have the intense, burning desire to control Mother Earth. In his mind, as well as all of the other whiteeye creatures, the hatred of the redskin creatures continued, and their collective greed could not be denied. They took, and took, and took from Mother Earth.

As more time passed, the whiteyes multiplied and soon needed additional space to greedily take the resources from Mother Earth that they had grown to need. The whiteyes began to move westward, where they encountered more redmen. The redmen tried to help the whiteyes understand that Mother Earth should be loved and taken care of. At first, the whiteyes pretended to befriend the redmen. The whiteyes were really not interested in what the redmen said. They really just wanted to steal from them and take their land. The whiteyes lied to the redmen and even began killing them.

White Eye had become a great military leader with the whiteyes and was determined to take all of Mother Earth from the redmen. He was willing to kill as many of them as was necessary in order to keep his promise of long ago. There came a great, greedy hostility that even brought death to the women and children of the redmen. The whiteyes lied, cheated and stole their beloved lands from them.

As more time passed and these treacheries grew more outrageous, great war erupted. The whiteyes far outnumbered the redmen, and even though the redmen were fierce, tenacious fighters, the odds were simply impossible. Finally, the whiteyes and their evil leader White Eye had militarily conquered the redmen. However, they could NEVER conquer their spirit.

The redmen were treated in a terrible fashion. They were forced to live in communities against their will, far from their beloved homelands. Their rights were completely stripped away from them. They were humiliated and disgraced by the whiteyes. Through all of this, Redman became very bitter. He was saddened that he had brought all of this to pass. He vowed to reclaim Mother Earth from the whiteyes.

Redman struggled to try to develop a plan to reclaim Mother Earth for the rest of his life in the physical world. Redman banished himself in self-imposed shame. He retreated to a remote, but beautiful area known as Gregory’s Bald near Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee.

It was early spring when Redman arrived at Gregory’s Bald and the area was alive with beautiful creatures and beautiful wild flowers were everywhere. Redman loved this spot and the beauty of it helped ease his pain. Each and every spring Gregory’s Bald virtually comes to life and is absolutely covered with the most splendid display of wild azaleas imaginable. The sight was so magnificent that it always seemed to renew Redman’s spirit. However, his thoughts of what had happened as a result of Whiteyes greed could never escape his tormented mind. Redman continuously searched his soul about how to regain his beloved redmans homelands.

However, the real opportunities seemed to diminish more and more as time passed by and Redman grew older and older. Finally, Redman’s time in the physical world was drawing to an end. He spoke daily with the Great Creator through ceremonies, chants and words. The Great Creator was sympathetic to Redman’s plight, but could do very little for him.

Redman fell into a deep sleep one beautiful spring morning. In his sleep, the Great Creator appeared to him. The Great Creator told Redman that his time in the physical world was ending. The Great Creator told Redman that he would allow him certain abilities to interact with the physical world on a limited basis, once he passed into the spirit world. The Great Creator told Redman that he would be allowed to maintain his spirit world existence in very close parallel to the physical world and that he would be able to see what was happening in the physical world. This way, if and when Redman saw an opportunity to influence earthly events in his limited capacity, then he was to feel free to do so. In this way, the Great Creator had allowed Redman an opportunity to guide his peoples destiny if the right opportunity presented itself. Redman was extremely grateful and was filled with great hope for the future of the redmen.

Time in the spirit world is completely unlike time in the physical world. There are no human emotions to confuse or distort reality, and time is immaterial. Redman was finally able to exist in peace and happiness. He knew that someday, somehow the opportunity would present itself for the redmen to return to a peaceful, harmonious time when they could once again provide the dear Mother Earth with the loving care that once had been possible. He knew that he would be ready and when the right time did come, the redmen would have the Great Creator to thank for their opportunity to reclaim their beloved Mother Earth. This we know is true, for the legend says that it is so.

by Geoff Hampton

The wintry winds had already begun to whistle and the waves to rise when the Gander and his mate gathered their half- grown brood together on the shore of their far northern lake.

“Wife,” said he, “it is now time to take the children southward, to the Warm Countries which they have never yet seen!”

Very early the next morning they set out on their long journey, forming a great “V” against the sky in their flight. The mother led her flock and the father brought up the rear, keeping a sharp lookout for stragglers.

All day they flew high in the keen air, over wide prairies and great forests of northern pine, until toward evening they saw below them a chain of lakes, glittering like a string of dark-blue stones.

Swinging round in a half circle, they dropped lower and lower, ready to alight and rest upon the smooth surface of the nearest lake.

Suddenly their leader heard a whizzing sound like that of a bullet as it cuts the air, and she quickly gave the warning: “Honk! honk! Danger, danger!” All descended in dizzy spirals, but as the great Eagle swooped toward them with upraised wing, the goslings scattered wildly hither and thither. The old Gander came last, and it was he who was struck!

“Honk, honk!” cried all the Geese in terror, and for a minute the air was full of soft downy feathers like flakes of snow. But the force of the blow was lost upon the well-cushioned body of the Gander, he soon got over his fright and went on his way southward with his family, while the Eagle dropped heavily to the water’s edge with a broken wing.

There he stayed and hunted mice as best he could from day to day, sleeping at night in a hollow log to be out of the way of the Fox and the Weasel. All the wit he had was not too much whereby to keep himself alive through the long, hard winter.

Toward spring, however, the Eagle’s wing had healed and he could fly a little, though feebly. The sun rose higher and higher in the blue heavens, and the Geese began to return to their cool northern home. Every day a flock or two flew over the lake; but the Eagle dared not charge upon the flocks, much as he wished to do so. He was weak with hunger, and afraid to trust to the strength of the broken wing.

One fine day a chattering flock of Canadians alighted quite near him, cooling their glossy breasts upon the gently rippling wave.

“Here, children,” boasted an old Gander, “is the very spot where your father was charged upon last autumn by a cruel Eagle! I can tell you that it took all my skill and quickness in dodging to save my life. Best of all, our fierce enemy dropped to the ground with a broken wing! Doubtless he is long since dead of starvation, or else a Fox or a Mink has made a meal of the wicked creature! ”

By these words the Eagle knew his old enemy, and his courage returned.

“Nevertheless, I am still here!” he exclaimed, and darted like a flash upon the unsuspecting old Gander, who was resting and telling of his exploit and narrow escape with the greatest pride and satisfaction.

“Honk! honk! ” screamed all the Geese, and they scattered and whirled upward like the dead leaves in autumn; but the Eagle with sure aim selected the old Gander and gave swift chase. Round and round in dizzy spirals they swung together, till with a quick spurt the Eagle struck the shining, outstretched neck of the other, and snapped it with one powerful blow of his reunited wing.

Do not exult too soon; nor is it wise to tell of your brave deeds within the hearing of your enemy.

How this bird came to save the Ainu from starvation

“In ancient times there was a famine among the Ainu so that they were all about to die of starvation. This being so, the people went down to the seashore as a last resource to pick up what they could find there to eat. While there they one day saw something dark, very far away, floating upon the waves of the sea. The people carefully kept their eyes upon it and would not let it out of their sight. By and by, when the object came closer to the shore it was seen to resemble a large bird. However, the wings could only be seen and nothing whatever of the body.

When it had now come close in, riding upon the surf, it was discovered to be a very large eagle holding something in its claws, which, after careful inspection, turned out to be a dolphin. The people were very pleased when they saw what it was, and when they had taken it they divided it up and ate it. In this way, then, did the eagle save their lives. The ancients tell us that this is how it came to pass that the people first knew this bird to be a god, and why he is worshipped.

The Ainu and Their Folklore, by the Rev. John Batchelor (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1901).

There was a woman living in Takimiya. (She was an) Eagle. When somebody came there, she would marry him. Thus she would say to her husband: “We two will go there. There is lots of fun.” And she would take him to a small lake. The lake appeared to (be full of) soft pitch. Her husband would be sitting on her back, and the woman would fly (jump) there. Whenever she came there, she would turn over, and her load would fall (into the lake). And the husband would, get stuck there. He could not get out from there. He could not swim. He would just seem to be stuck in the pitch. And he would die there. For a long time she had been doing it that way.

So one day a man was dreaming. Such was his dream: “She is simply killing the men, she is not marrying them.” So the man went there, and thus spoke to her: “I shall marry you.” Eagle-Woman said thus to him: “Good!” So the next day they two went to the place where she had been throwing the men. So the man was thinking thus: “No matter what she does, I will keep on clinging to her.” Now, indeed, he saw the lake. The Eagle turned over. The man kept on clinging there. Three times the Eagle did thus. And she became tired. And again she flew (jumped) (to the place whence) they two came. When they two came back, her husband said to her thus: “You are my wife. Come, let us two go!”

So they got ready, and they two went. And he also took along his younger brother, (so that) he might steer the canoe. The man stood in the bow, and the woman was in the middle. Then they were going over the ocean. And the man made waves. At each wave they went through, water filled up the canoe. And they did this for quite a long time.

The woman seemed to get cold. And she bumped her nose and her head against the canoe. Now, they were there a long time. The woman was very cold. She nearly died from (with) cold. Then the two went back. When they landed [ashore], the woman also went ashore, sat down in the sand, and warmed herself there. Thus her husband said to her: “You shall be nothing. You shall be an eagle. The last people shall see you. Whenever something comes ashore, you shall eat it.”

Then he left his wife, (and) they two did not live (together).

Coos Texts, by Leo J. Frachtenberg; Columbia University Contributions to Anthropology, Volume I; Columbia University Press, New York; [1913] and is now in the public domain.

Dzâ’wadalalîs was sent down from the sky at the time when mountains and rivers came into existence. He came to a pretty place called Lô’gwal?Eldzas. With him came a woman named LêgEkwi’?laku. They had four daughters. The oldest was Wâ’numg*ilayugwa; the second, Gu’ntêlag; the third, Ë’k*!âlalîsEmêg; the fourth, Ë’k*!alalälî?laku. With him came his house, which had a snapping door. The corner-posts of the house-front were grizzly bears. Dzâ’wadalalîs was so famous, that people from all over the world came to see him. The door of his house was open; but whenever a person wanted to enter, it closed. Thus many people were killed. There was a seat in the rear of the house the back of which was stone. On the seat was a mat which was covered all over with sharp stone spikes (tE?na’).

Q!â’nêqê?laku came southward, starting from the north. He visited all the tribes, trying to find a wife. On his way he came to Knights Inlet. When he was passing near Alert Bay, he threw all his clothing out of the canoe. This was transformed into the numerous islands that lie between Vancouver Island and Knights Inlet. At that time the mountains were all bare. He threw his comb on the mountains, and it was transformed into trees.

While on his way, the Ma’malêleqala saw him. They shouted, “What are you going to do, lord (?mâ’?mêLasai’)?” and he replied, “I am going to marry the daughter of Dzâ’wadalalîs.” The Ma’malêleqala answered, “You are foolish. Do you know what is going to happen? He is very dangerous. Nobody who enters his house leaves it again alive.” Q!â’nêqê?laku said, “Let us go ashore to see them.” Then he threw something ashore, and said, “You shall be the deer of later generations.” He went on.

When he came to G*iô’x, the people saw him. They shouted, “Where are you going?” He replied, “I am going to marry the daughter of Dzâ’wadalalîs.” The people answered, “Take care! He is dangerous. Nobody escapes alive from his house.” Then he approached the shore, and threw fish to them. For that reason the river of G*iô’x is full of salmon.

Then he came to Q!walâ’d or T!ô’qo?yu. The people there shouted, “Where are you going?” He replied, “I am going to marry the daughter of Dzâ’wadalalîs.” They replied, “You are foolish. He is very dangerous. Nobody escapes alive from his house. Look at my face! It is cut all over. I have tried to marry her, and I lost all my hair.” While he was still speaking, this man suddenly became a mountain, which may be seen up to the present day. On account of its scar this mountain is called K*!ê’k*!êLEmaku.

He went on and came to Ha’nwade. There he was called again; and the people asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “I am going to marry the daughter of Dzâ’wadalalîs.”–”Take care!” they answered. “He is dangerous, but we wish you success.” In return he threw some boiled salmon ashore. Therefore there are many salmon in the river of Ha’nwade.

Then he came to Â’snak*!a. There he saw many people on the beach who were digging cinquefoil (t!Exsô’s) and clover-roots (LEx*sE’m). He went ashore at L!â’qwaxstelis. He saw smoke rising and went near. He saw that geese and ducks were in camp there, who were steaming their roots on red-hot stones. He went ashore and sat down next to them, and he noticed that they were all blind. The birds at once scented him, and one of them said, “I wonder whether our lord, G*î’î, is here! I smell Q!â’nêqê?laku.” Q!â’nêqê?laku took up what they were steaming to look at it, and he asked, “What are you steaming here?” They replied, “Cinquefoil-roots.” Q!â’nêqê?laku responded, “This is what ravens eat. Are you blind? Those are not roots.” They replied, “We cannot see.” He called them to come near, and he spat on their eyes and questioned them, and asked whether they could see. They said, “No, we cannot see.” He spat on their eyes a second time, and still they said they could not see, although they were immediately able to see, but they desired to have still better eyesight. A third time he spat on their eyes. Then they said they could see a very little. After he had spat on their eyes a fourth time, and when they were not yet content, he said, “Your eyesight is good enough. If you should be able to see still better, you would see all the monsters under water.” Then the birds, who were now able to see, asked him, “Where are you going?” He replied, “I am going to marry the daughter of Dzâ’wadalalîs.” They said, “He does not live far from here, just above us.” Then Q!â’nêqê?laku left his canoe ashore, and continued walking up the inlet. He left two seals there which he had carried along as travelling-provisions.

When he turned the point and reached the mouth of the river, he heard a noise. There he saw a person moving about whose head was moving from side to side; and when he came near, he saw that it was a woman building a canoe. He looked on for a time, and noticed that she was blind. Her infant child was in a cradle next to her. After a while Q!â’nêqê?laku went and pinched the toe of the child. The child began to cry. The woman said, “Don’t touch my poor child!” He repeated this three times; and the woman said, “What causes my child to cry, although it never cried before? Somebody must be here. Don’t do that!” Then Q!â’nêqê?laku said, “What are you doing here?” She replied, “I am making a canoe.” Q!â’nêqê?laku asked, “Are you unable to see what you are working at? You have cut right through it with your adze. Are you blind?” She said, “I am blind. I cannot see what I am doing.” Then he called her and spat on her eyes, and asked, “Can you see now?”–”No,” she replied. He spat on her eyes again, and now she was able to see a little. After he had spit on her eyes a third time, she could see still more; and after he had repeated it a fourth time, she could see very well. He said, “Now you can see well enough. If your eyes should be still better, you would be able to see the monsters under water.” Then the woman asked, “Where are you going, lord?” He replied, “I am going to marry the daughter of Dzâ’wadalalîs.” She said, “I wish you success. Come here!” He went to her, and she rubbed his whole body with sandstone (tE?na’) to make it hard. She also gave him juice of alder-bark, bird’s-down, an ermine mask, and a wren mask, and told him what to do.

Finally he came to a place opposite Dzâ’wadê. There he sat down, and soon the four daughters of Dzâ’wadalalîs came to bathe. When they saw him sitting there, they said, “There is a small man sitting there, probably he is a runaway slave.” And the youngest daughter ran back to her father and told him, “We have found a runaway slave.” The father asked her to call him into the house, and said that he was to be their messenger and their workman. The youngest daughter went back to where Q!â’nêqê?laku was sitting, and said, “What are you doing here? What do you want?” He replied, “I want to marry the daughter of Dzâ’wadalalîs.” Then the girls said, “We are his daughters. Pick out the one whom you want.” Then he asked for the youngest one. He went to her, put his finger into her vagina, and the teeth tried to bite him, but he broke them out. Then her sisters were ashamed of her. He lay down with her and made her his wife.

The youngest daughter asked him to follow her into the house, and told him to follow close at her heels. She said, “When the door opens, I will go in; you must follow at once. I will go at once into my room.” Then Q!â’nêqê?laku put on his ermine-skin, the girl went in, and when the door opened again, he passed through unharmed. He went into the room and staid there.

When Dzâ’wadalalîs discovered that his daughter was married, he muttered angrily, “You shall not remain alive!” On the following morning he started a large fire in the house, pretending that he intended to prepare breakfast for his son-in-law. Then he called him out of the room, saying that he would treat him well. He wanted him to believe that he was going to give a feast. Q!â’nêqê?laku put on his ermine-skin, and Dzâ’wadalalîs threw him on to the mat with sharp spikes. Q!â’nêqê?laku pretended to be dead, and Dzâ’wadalalîs threw the ermine out of the house, saying, “Serves you right! Why do you come to make me ashamed?” but Q!â’nêqê?laku returned in the shape of an ermine.

At night Dzâ’wadalalîs heard his daughter and her husband talking together, and he said to his wife, “With whom is our daughter whispering there?” The woman took a torch and looked into the room, and replied, “Our daughter’s husband is back again.” Then Dzâ’wadalalîs said, “To-morrow I will treat him as my son-in-law. I will prepare a feast for him.” Then he called him. “Arise, son-in-law! I will treat you as my son-in-law.” Then Q!â’nêqê?laku jumped out of the room in the shape of a large deer. Dzâ’wadalalîs took it by the legs and threw it down on the seat. The deer pretended to be dead, and Dzâ’wadalalîs threw it out of the house, saying, “Serves you right! Why do you come to make me ashamed?”

In the evening Q!â’nêqê?laku, however, returned into the house. Soon the woman gave birth to a child, and Dzâ’wadalalîs seemed to have given up the plan of killing his son-in-law, because he thought that he was possessed of supernatural powers (nau’alaku). One day he called him to go and get cedar-wood to make a cradle for the child. Q!â’nêqê?laku hid the alder-bark and the bird’s down in his armpits, under his blanket. They came to a place at the mouth of the river where a large cedar was lying….

(When Q!â’nêqê?laku was in the tree, he let the alder-juice ooze out, which Dzâ’wadalalîs believed to be his blood; and blew out the bird’s-down, which Dzâ’wadalalîs believed to be his brains. When he was gone, Q!â’nêqê?laku put on the wren-skin, hopped over the tree, crying, “Tsuk, tsuk” By jumping about on the tree he split it.)

Then he assumed the shape of a man, took one half of the cedar-tree on his shoulder, ran down to the beach, and called to Dzâ’wadalalîs, “Why do you leave your work?” and Dzâ’wadalalîs went back to get his son-in-law. Q!â’nêqê?laku took four pieces of rotten wood and told his father-in-law to cross just above the mouth of the river. Then he carved porpoises (hâ’tsawê) out of the rotten wood and threw them into the water. They began to jump against the canoe and frightened Dzâ’wadalalîs. Q!â’nêqê?laku blew and spat on them, and the water became quiet.

Then he told Dzâ’wadalalîs to paddle on; and while they were below the mouth of the river, he threw a second piece of wood into the water. Then a large tree suddenly arose out of the water, and it looked as though it were going to fall on the canoe. Then Dzâ’wadalalîs begged him to desist. “Have pity on me!” he said. Q!â’nêqê?laku replied, “I did not begin it, I am only treating you as you have treated me.” Dzâ’wadalalîs was almost dead with fear. Then Q!â’nêqê?laku threw the third piece into the water, which he had rubbed into a fine dust. Then the whole water began to rise like a plank, being lifted up first on one side, then on the other. The wind began to blow, and Dzâ’wadalalîs was very much afraid. Many sea-monsters made their appearance. The chief sea-monster looked like a person. Then Dzâ’wadalalîs fainted, and his intestines fell out of his anus. Although he was in the stern of the canoe, they extended right to the middle.

After a while, when the tide rose, the sea became quiet again. Then they ascended the side branch of the river, going up to their house. Then Q!â’nêqê?laku jumped ashore and went to his wife. She said to him, “You have staid away a long time. Where is your father-in-law?” He replied, “Go and see.” She went down to the canoe and found him there dead. She said to her husband, “You have overpowered your father-in-law.” Then Q!â’nêqê?laku took a piece of wood and set fire to it at the end, and, beginning at the bow of the canoe, he blew the fire towards Dzâ’wadalalîs, gradually walking towards the stern of the canoe. While he was doing so, the intestines of the old man gradually crawled back into his body, and he came to life again. When he opened his eyes, he said, “Have I not slept a long time?” Q!â’nêqê?laku then took his wife and his child along. The G*ê’xsEm are descended from Dzâ’wadalalîs.

Tradition of the G*ê’xsEm of the DEna’x*da?xu.
(Told by NEg*ê’ and Hâ’nidzEm.)
Taken from: Kwakiutl Tales by Franz Boas. [1910] (Columbia University Contributions to Anthropology, Vol. II.) and is now in the public domain.