He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side

[Told by John Sky of Those-born-at-Skedans]

Then she went down to the saltwater and washed her [sore]. There she put medicine upon it. One day, when she was washing, some bloody looking matter stuck out. And she was unable to pull it out. Then she again put medicine upon it and crept up to the house.

Next day she crept down to the water again, and, while she was washing it, she again pulled at it with her finger nails. Lo, she pulled it out. Then she laid it upon a stone, and, after she had put medicine on herself, picked it up and moved toward the house. Then she bent pieces of cedar bark, placed it in them, and put it side of the house outside.

Now she went to bed. While her back was turned to the fire a child cried. Then she rose quickly and, without standing up, ran out. And something inside the thing she had bent together was crying. She looked. A child lay in it. And, after she had taken it out, she washed it. Then she reared it. She had it as a companion.

By and by she made one for him out of real yew. Wā-ā-ā-ā-ā′, it looked red. It was pretty. After he had looked at that, too, for a while he threw it into the fire, and the blunt-pointed arrows along with it.

Then she pounded out copper for him. She hammered a string on so that it could not be removed. She also hammered out two arrows. One had the figure of a weasel. The other had the figure of a mouse on it. When she handed these to him he did not look at them. He at once went off.

Then he stretched his mother’s house. He set up two planks in the rear of the house. Between them he hung the blanket.

After he had lived with her a while, one morning he continued to lie abed. While he was still in bed, something went along under his pillow talking. “He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side, are you awake? Do you not feel that the supernatural beings, whom people are afraid even to think of, are gathering together against you?”

One day he was again lying in bed. Then something passed under his pillow saying the same words as before. Then he seized his bow and went out. After he had looked about on the surface of the salt water he glanced upward. A thunderbird flew about above the town. It carried [his grandfather’s] town in its claws.

Then he went to the old man and said to him: “Grandfather, they are coming after me.” “What is the bow of the canoe like?” “A thunderbird is flying about above the town. He carries a town in his talons.” And the old man said to him: “Now, brave man, shoot it with arrows.”

Again he lay in bed in the morning. Again something, passing beneath his pillow, said: “He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side, are you awake? Do you not feel that the supernatural beings, whom people are afraid even to think of, are coming together against you?” Then he seized his bow quickly and ran out. And around a point at one end of the town came ten canoes with red bows.

Still another time, while he was lying down, something passing under his pillow spoke the same words as before. Then he picked up his bow and ran out. And he looked at those who were coming. The bows of their canoes had vertical stripes.

After another space of time had elapsed, something again said as it had said before: “He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side, are you awake? Do you not feel that the supernatural beings, whom people are afraid even to think of, are coming together against you?” Then he picked up his bow and ran out. Again there were ten canoes with red paintings on their bows.

By and by, something went along under his pillow, saying the same thing it had said before, and he again laid hold of his bow. Again ten canoes with their bows painted red were coming along.

Then he went to the old man. “Grandfather, they are coming to me by sea.” “What do the canoe bows look like?” “The edges of the sky come burning.” “Alas! Alas! I wonder what will happen. Now, brave man, scatter the bones of the town people about in front of the town and stand the sides and ends of the grave boxes on their edges in front of the houses. People always endeavor to stop it that way, brave man.”

And, after it had come along burning for a while, it came to the human bones. After some time had passed it burned through. It burned through in another place. By and by it came landward faster, without having been stopped. When it reached the sides and ends of the grave boxes it stopped there also.

He put on his five blankets and put his mother in his armpit. His wife he put in the knot in his hair. Then he walked about behind [the boxes]. After some time those were also thrown down by the fire. Immediately he started off.

After he had gone toward the middle of this island for a while, something said to him: “This way, grandson; my house is strong.” At once he turned thither. He entered the house and sat down. While he sat there the noise of burning sounded on top of his house. After a while a red hole was burned through the roof of his house. Then they pulled him up. They struck him from behind with their fists. When he bent over to go out one of his blankets was burned off. That was Fallen-tree-lying-with-one-end-in-the-water whose house he was in.

After he had gone on for a while [something said]: “This way, grandson; my house is strong.” Then he entered and sat down. The roof of that was also burned through. Then they pushed him out. When he was burned another blanket was burned off. That was Yellow-cedar’s house, they say.

After he had run for some time longer something else called to him, “This way, grandson; my house is strong.” He entered and sat down. After it had burned on the roof of the house for a while there was again a red hole there. Then they pushed him out. Another one was lost. That was Yew’s house, they say.

And, after he had gone some time longer, something called him in. “This way, grandson; my house is strong.” He entered and sat down. After he had sat there for a while there was another red hole in the roof of the house. Then they drove him out with their fists. When he bent down to go out, a blanket was burned off. His mother was also burned away. That was Rock’s house, they say.

And, after he had gone on a while longer, something else called him in, “This way, grandson; my house is very strong.” Then he went in and sat down. The noise of fire was heard on the roof for a while, and, when it stopped, he went out. That was Swamp’s house, they say.

After he had wandered about upon this island for a while he heard the sound of a hammer. He went thither. Lo! an old man was repairing a canoe with cedar limbs. Where it had not had a crack he split it with his wedge. He made holes about this with his gimlet and sewed the place together again.

After he had looked at him a while, he stole his gimlet and went under a clump of ferns with it. Then the old man hunted for his gimlet. Then he put his finger nails into his mouth. Presently he said: “Grandson, if it is you, come to me. News has come about you that Burning-sky pursued you for your five blankets.”

So [Heron] flew away. He sat on a kelp floating about in front of the burned town. After he had sat watching for a while he speared something with his beak. An eel was moving in his mouth. He swallowed it. Then he flew away again and sat near the canoe.

Then he said to him: “Now, grandson, come with me. Go out and look for your blankets again. Those on the other side are not chiefs. Now, grandson, go and get the canoe. You are going to see your blankets.” The old man got into the stern also, and they went oceanward.

And he gave him these directions: “When I go in look toward the rear of the house. After your poor nephew has danced go over and get your blankets. And you will also get your mother neatly.”

Then he landed. He went up. And he had a little box in his hand. He had a baton. When he got inside, he stretched himself. Lo! his blankets were hung in the rear of the house. His mother also sat in front of them. He sat down in the middle of the side of the house. The house had ten rows of retaining timbers.

Then he hunted in his small box. He took his nephew out of it, wā-ā-ā-ā-ā. And he stood him up. He began dancing. He took the end of his wing in his mouth. After he had moved backward a while, the people in the house [said] “S-s-s-s-s-s” [with pleasure]. Those on the top step went to sleep at the sight.

Then he took his baton and put it back into the box. “Enough. I think he has danced a long time.” He put him away. Then He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side went to the rear of the house, put on his blankets, and took his mother. Then the old man went out quickly. They got into the canoe and went off.

When they were halfway home it came burning after them again. When it got near, he breathed toward it, and it stopped. Then they came home, and he went up.

Again his five blankets were burned off, and his mother as well. He reached for his wife. She, too, was gone. They took her away from him to marry her, they say.

Then he wandered on aimlessly. After he had gone along a while he let himself fall to the ground and wept. He looked toward the forest. All the trees wept with him. Then he looked seaward. All the fishes beneath its surface wept with him. Now he had his fill of crying and went on again.

After he had wandered on for a while [he heard] some people laughing and talking. And he went thither. They were trying to shoot leaves off of a big tree. As soon as they had shot one down they ate it. When he got there they moved back from it. “He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side is going to shoot,” they said.

Then they sent for her, and she came by canoe. She took all of its eggs. These she began to plant. They were spread all over this island.

This short story is given as if it were a purely Haida myth, but from an abstract of another version obtained in 1878 by Dr. G. M. Dawson it would seem possible that it came originally from the mainland. The abstract referred to runs as follows:

“Long ago the Indians (first people or ancient people—thlin-thloo-hait) 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 afterward cultivated sprung.” (Dawson’s Report on the Queen Charlotte Islands, Montreal, 1880.)

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