Haida texts and myths

War between the people of Kloo and the people of Ninstints

Reading edition

[Told by Abraham of Those-born-at-Qꜝā′dᴀsgo]

He then let them come into the fort, and he gave them blood compensation. He gave a slave to each of them, and he also gave a great deal of property to each of them. Then the canoes parted. The women went away satisfied.

When it was near summer he went to ask in marriage the younger sister of the Sand-town woman whom he had married. And he came to Many-chiefs at Sqā′djigît·awa′-i. And, after he had stayed a while with his brother-in-law, he went away.

Then South-east got off. As he fled into the woods he stepped under a fallen tree, a small limb scratched his forehead, and a small stream of blood flowed out down over his cheeks. Then the Ninstints people all came to him. They encircled him. They waited for Many-chiefs.

Then he (Alder) went out on Sg̣aalū′tꜝx̣ᴀs and ate medicine. There he spent the night with the medicine on his stomach. He came home the next day, and the day after that he began eating and drinking. His sister, West-coast-clouds, gave him birds’ eggs to eat.

He had just picked up one and was shelling it when some one came crying from a point at the end of the town. He then laid the egg down directly and stopped all of them, for they had started the cry.

They then went thither. They looked at him (Alder) while he was still far away, and they asked them: “Why are they weeping on shore?” Then he replied: “I do not know. After we got away from land, they wailed behind us. They mentioned something about a child falling into the water.” He deceived him in that way. And the Ninstints man was yet below them on the water, and he put the canoe alongside of his. His sea otters lay behind where he was sitting.

After he had remained beside him for a while he stabbed him. And he said: “The chief has been killed. They are bringing home his body.” He then took back his four sea-otter skins.

He then went away by canoe. He started at once with his younger brothers toward the south. And they concealed their canoe some distance down the inlet from the fort. They then went up into the woods. After they had gone along for a while Alder led them across a point covered with trees.

They started to watch by the fresh water opposite the fort. When the tide rose high some people came singing from the fort. There were three young women and a man of goodly size.

They then began to shoot at them. They killed the man and one woman and enslaved the two others, and they went off in their canoe.

And, when they came up to the place where they had killed the chief, they talked one to another. They became frightened. “He is leading us to enemies near by; he is leading us to enemies.” They then went back away from him. And he easily escaped them.

Now for a long time the war went along slowly. By and by the war expedition started. After they had paddled along for a while they came near the fort in the night. There was no noise of talking at the fort, and they felt strange about it. And they let morning dawn upon them opposite the fort. And when it dawned they saw that the fort was empty, and they went to it. Nearly all of the property lay in the houses. They then burned down the fort. They burned the houses. They had no idea why the people had gone.

Then all went on. After they had gone along for a while they saw smoke. And Alder landed in front of Songs-of-victory town. He went quickly then to the other side. When he had come to the other side he came out behind a man who was carrying along driftwood at the end of the trail. He shot him from behind.

The Ninstints people discovered their enemies at once. Many-chiefs held a new gun. Those left to care for the canoes then came round the point. After they had anchored their canoes one came running out from them (the Ninstints people). He had no gun. He held a spear. “The Town-of-Djī′gua people are always like that (i.e., cowards). Shall I stop before I get there?”

They at once ran together, shooting. The Ninstints people were driven back. The first time he fired the flintlock on Many-chiefs’ gun broke in two. Nothing could help him. When they went back Many-chiefs was wounded. He escaped with them into the woods. Very many Ninstints people were killed then. Not one was killed on the other side.

And, after the Ninstints people had gone along for a while in the woods, they lived in the mountains. Their kettles and all of their property had been captured. They steamed whale in things that they hollowed out.

And those who had gone to fight went out again the next year to fight on account of South-east. At that time they did not know where they (the Ninstints people) lived. After they had gone along for a while they came to a reef lying out from the mouth of a strait.

There Smoke got off. When he looked seaward he dropped to the ground. He did so, because he saw fishing canoes.

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Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · Situate on an islet off the north shore of Tan-oo island, about midway between its east and west ends. ↑Note 2 · Chief of Kloo; see “Fight between Those-born-at-Qā′gials and Those-born-at-Skedans,” note 5. ↑Note 3 · A Ninstints family; see “Story of the Food-giving-town people,” note 4. ↑Note 4 · See “Fight at the Town of Da′x̣ua,” note 2. ↑Note 5 · See the story of Cloud-watcher, notes. ↑Note 6 · One of the most prominent women among Those-born-at-Skedans; see “Fight between Those-born-at-Qā′gials and Those-born-at-Skedans,” note 11. Note 7 · See “Sacred-one-standing-and-moving, Stone-ribs, and Upward,” note 31. ↑Note 8 · Intimating that she was too great for anything to have happened to her without something being heard about it. ↑Note 9 · Taunting him with having suffered his sister to be whipped unavenged. ↑Note 10 · Blood having been drawn from the chief, they would suffer for it in any case. ↑Note 11 · Or the G̣ᴀ′ñxet-gîtîna′-i, a prominent Eagle family among the Ninstints people. ↑Note 12 · He was about to trade the skins he had just won for European commodities. ↑Note 13 · In earlier times this was the site of a town belonging to the Xā′gi-lā′nas. ↑Note 14 · At Masset the following explanation of this name was given: A man desiring to become wealthy once ate a common plant called xat-gī′na (i.e.,Note 15 · They now live in the same town and form parts of the same household. ↑Note 16 · That is, his means of carrying on war had been destroyed. ↑Note 17 · The hides of some mainland animals. ↑Note 18 · A song supposed to prevent pursuers from overtaking one. ↑Note 19 · The worst insult that could be offered. ↑Note 20 · Haida, Qꜝō′na; see “Sacred-one-standing-and-moving, Stone-ribs, and Upward,” note 35. ↑Note 21 · A Tlingit name, like many of the names used by Haida shamans. ↑Note 22 · This one was erected at Skedans, where a part of Those-born-at-Skedans always lived. ↑Note 23 · Commonly called Ninstints from the name of its chief. ↑Note 24 · Chief of the Sand-town people of Ninstints. ↑Note 25 · This is the name of a reef opposite Ninstints which is supposed to have been the very first land to appear above the primeval waters. ↑Note 26 · Because he was a family chief, and his death paid for that of their own family chief. ↑Note 27 · When they (the Kloo people) lived at People’s-fort1 South-east2 had two wives. One was a woman of the Sand-town people,3 and one was a woman Note 28 · Then she began helping her to do it and told her husband that she was receiving a man of the Town-of-Djī′gua people.5 He then took her outsi Note 29 · The next day both had disappeared. They did not know then whither the two women had gone. The news reached Tcꜝā′ał.7 News also reached the o Note 30 · “On account of this my child moved about. On account of this, when my child moved about, they ought to have heard the thunder, when my child Note 31 · Before he had gone far the mother of Many-chiefs said to him: “Many-chiefs, are you a man?”9 He then became angry and took his gun and his p Note 32 · One who was out of his senses said: “Why do you let him sit there? Even for the blood that is running down his face you will be in a predica Note 33 · Half of the Town-of-Djī′gua people were at Łtā′na. The news had not yet reached them. And there there lived a man of Those-born-in-the-Ninst Note 34 · Then Alder, with his younger brother, went out to a ship [to which the Ninstints man had gone].12 And he said to his younger brother: “I wil Note 35 · And, as soon as he had killed the Ninstints man, he went at once to Strait-where-no-waves-come-ashore.13 He went for gunpowder and bullets w Note 36 · Then Ginᴀ′skilas14 set a Sand-town woman outside to kill her. And Alder stopped him. “Do not do that, chief, my nephew. You are of the same Note 37 · He then went over to the storehouse, crossing to it on a trail. When he came out there Ninstints people were going away. And, when he came d Note 38 · After he had gone inland he came to a storehouse. And, having thrown aside some skins and hides17 stored there, [he came to] a box of sea-ot Note 39 · From the fort they heard his gun go off. They were in canoes in lines, awaiting him. He then went into the midst [of them]. And, when he cam Note 40 · And after he had fled for a time one of the Ninstints men held his hand toward him with fingers outspread.19 And he said: “I wonder to what Note 41 · He reached home and set ashore the two slaves for Ginᴀ′skilas. They took the two slaves to Skedans20 to sell them, and traded them for guns Note 42 · And, after they had started out of the inlet, they stopped at a large bed of kelp. All made themselves fast to the kelp with their paddles. Note 43 · After they had gone into the woods after them for a while they came back. Then Ginᴀ′skilas stood in the place where they had encamped near a Note 44 · While they lived there, before Many-chiefs’ wound was healed, he practiced how he was going to fight. He opened again his unhealed wound. He Note 45 · On that day they had given to Kiä′nskina-i24 the white part of a halibut. That was why he was out fishing. They at once went out from Kꜝîl25 Note 46 · They then skinned Kiä′nskina-i’s head, and were happy to have it,26 and they returned home with it. They ceased to think about Southeast. Th