Tlingit myths and texts / recorded by John R. Swanton.

  • Swanton, John Reed, 1873-1958.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Tlingit myths and texts / recorded by John R. Swanton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    “No, let us wait here until that feast is over.” Afterward the boys went down and watched the people come out Ynth their faces all blackened. They stood at a corner, but, as this dance is always given in the evening, they were not seen. Then the head chief’s son thought, “I wTsh my younger brother would come out,” and sure enough, after all of the other people had gone, his younger brother came out. lie called to his brother say- ing, “Come here. It is I,” but the child was afraid and ran into the house instead. Then the child said to his mother, “My brother and his friend are out here.” “Why do you talk like that?” asked his mother. “Don’t you know that your brother died some time ago?” And she became very angry. The child, however, per- sisted, saving, “I know his voice, and I know him.” llis mother was now very much disturbed, so the boy saul, “I am going to go out and bring in a piece of his sliirt.” “Go and do so,” said his mother. “Then I will believe you.” When the boy at last brought in a piece of his brother’s shirt his mother was convinced, and they sent word into all of the houses, first of all into that of the second boy’s parents, but they kept both with them so that his parents could come there and rejoice over him. All of the other people in that village also came to see them. 57. THE BOY AND THE GIANT At a certain place in the interior lived a manly little boy who was very fond of hunting. He would take his lunch and go off hunting very early in the morning and stay all day, bringing home two or three porcupines in the evening. One morning he started earlier than usual and came upon a giant as tall as the trees. He was very much frightened and ran away 'wdth the big man in pursuit. As the giant was not a very fast runner, the boy kept ahead of him until he came to a sort of cave like a house at the foot of a hill and entered it. When the big man saw this, he said, “Come here, my grandson.” The boy refused, and the giant continued his entreaties for a long time. At last the boy consented to go with him, so the giant said, “Get inside of my shirt. I wiW carry you that way.” Then the boy vaulted in there, and they started off. After they had gone along in this manner for some time, the boy, who had his head out, saw a very small bird called old-person (LAg“- qa'k!) and said, “Grandpa, there is a bird I would like to have.” Then the big man stoppetl and let him down, and he shot the bird with an arrow and put it into his bosom, after which he crawled back into the big man’s shirt. But now this bird had increased the boy’s weight so much that the giant could scarcely move along. At every step he took he sank deep into the moss* When the boy noticed this, he said to himself, “How is it that, since I picked up